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Most of all, though, it wasn’t their comments that made me feel so good. It was the prospect of all those crews discussing me and my boys. The story of us getting rid of the Kanin’s and their crew would be on everyone’s lips. This was priceless. We had been busting our butts for months to accomplish this. We had toiled away, we had bled, we had come face-to-face with death, but we had done it.
Three days later, we were back in New York. Tired more than ever and having spent a night out in the fields. The plumbing in the last motel we’d tried to stay in was broken, so we had to improvise.
Our plan was to head back to Brooklyn. We would then contact Piper and ask to meet with her.
But Rocco’s text made us think twice.
Piper’s over at Maggie’s mansion in Sands Point. Follow us. We’ll take you there.
And here I thought things couldn’t get any better.
The idea of seeing where Maggie lived didn’t throw my socks off. Too much luxury never really did it for me.
The prospect of seeing Piper without planning a meeting first?
Yeah.
I loved that.
I was tired of driving to Manhattan and back, especially during rush hour. If a drive was what it took to see her again, I would take it. I just couldn’t wait to see the look in her eyes. To hug her again. Of course, I wouldn’t be the only one to do that, but I didn’t care. There would be time for us to talk about our personal issues in the future. Taking care of our enemies had bought us that time.
36
PIPER
“They’ve done it.”
Three words.
Three words that had me staring at Maggie, my face having twisted into a mixed expression of joy and amazement.
I burst out in cheers and a long fit of laughter, giving her a long, tight hug. My friend hugged me back, her own reaction more restrained than mine. Beaming with joy, she kept on smiling, claiming that she didn’t doubt them for a second.
She was lying through her teeth.
Unbeknownst to her, when I went to my bedroom the night before, I watched her through the window. I couldn’t help it. It had a clear, unobstructed view to the living room. The lights were on until almost 3 pm. Maggie hadn’t even attempted to hide from me. She had drawn the curtains to the side. For hours that night, she kept pacing up and down, always holding a glass of vodka.
In spite of that little lie, I wasn’t going to argue with her. There was no point in engaging in arguments. We both had what we wanted. So what if she’d lied? It wasn’t like it hurt anyone, was it?
Out on her porch, we were enjoying the glorious shades of pink, orange and red up in the clear sky, when Cesare’s green Torino rolled up to the power gate. I jumped from my seat, feeling the need to run over to him, Matteo and Leonardo. However, as I abandoned Maggie’s porch, it occurred to me that I had a problem.
Choosing.
I had no idea who to hug and kiss first.
Regardless of our history, they had all done something noble.
They had destroyed the people who’d been trying to kill me and them alike.
So, as they emerged from Cesare’s car, I was still debating. Would it be him? Matteo? Or Leo?
Regardless of my indecision, those three looked absolutely exhausted. Their usually energetic walking styles had disappeared. Their swaggers—especially Leo’s—were gone. Out in Maggie’s driveway, was a group of men who were finding it hard putting one foot in front of the other. Their eyes had shrunk due to sleep deprivation. They might have seemed peaceful and relaxed, but their outlook screamed their need for a rest.
“Welcome back,” I told Cesare, since he was the one closest to me. “You look so worn out.”
“It’s good to be back,” he uttered, his tone much slower than usual. “We didn’t get much sleep last night. Our motel got flooded just after we’d checked in. We spent the night out in the countryside. In a tiny tent.”
“Oh,” I gasped out, catching Maggie out of the corner of my eye.
