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“I can.” He signals and changes lanes. “This is a tough life. The people who survive are tough people. Your father is one of the tough ones.” He pauses a beat. “You are, too.”
“Thank you, Stan.”
“I mean it. I’ve watched you hold all this shit — pardon my French — hold all of this together in your father’s absence. Keeping your family’s business together. You’re one tough cookie, kid. Your father oughta be proud of you. And I’m gonna tell him that when I see him.”
A lump forms in my throat. “Thank you,” I say again, but this time I really mean it. “I just hope you get the chance to.”
“I will. Now, why don’t you lay back and get some rest? You might need it later.”
He’s right, but I don’t know if I can sleep right now, with everything swirling around in my head. Obediently, I close my eyes. And somehow, I’m asleep in minutes, only waking up when Stan’s phone rings as we’re on the outskirts of the town where the hospital is. Stan picks up, barks a hello, and listens for a minute before saying something I can’t hear and hanging up.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“You’re awake,” he says in a dry voice. “You were snoring, you know that? You were out like a light.”
“Stan. Who was that?”
He grunts, like he doesn’t want to tell me. “The guys I sent got to the safe house. It didn’t take them very long to find your pop’s men.”
A shiver runs down my spine. “Where?”
“They were both under the back porch of the house. Their throats were garroted with what was probably piano wire.”
“My God…” I breathe. “Any sign of Matteo D’Agostino?”
“Not yet. They’re still looking.”
Neither one of us speaks again, until we drive into the hospital parking lot. Stan parks and insists on coming in withme, both as protection and to pay his respects to my mother and sister while waiting for my father to wake up.
I find Tina and Mamma in the waiting room outside the emergency department. Tina is calmer but still in tears. I hug Mamma, who’s crying and halfway through a box of tissues. Stan sits with her while I take Tina aside to find out what’s going on.
“The doctor just came out and told me Daddy has been through surgery,” she says, sniffling. “He’s not conscious, but he’s stable. They’re moving him to a room, but it will be a while before we can go back and see him.”
“I have some of Daddy’s men coming to stand guard outside his room,” I tell her fiercely. “They won’t get anywhere near him again.”
“Do you know who it is?” Tina whispers, wide-eyed.
“Tina. It can only be the D’Agostinos.”
“What?” she shouts. A few people turn to look at us. She glances around guiltily. “Sera, what are you talking about?”
“It’s true.” All of my anger and heartbreak and exhaustion floods my system at once. I lean over and bury my face in my hands. “I can’t believe it. I’ve failed. I’ve failed at protecting all of you. Because of me, two loyal men are dead and Daddy might not recover. I fell for everything, hook, line, and sinker. I’m such an idiot!”
“Sera, stop it! You’re talking nonsense! You’re jumping to crazy conclusions!”
“It’s not crazy, though. It’s realistic.” I sigh, removing my hands from my face, and turn to her. “Somehow, I let my feelings get in the way of my duty. I never should have fallen for Antony. I should have known better than to think he was real. Mafia men aren’t to be trusted to act beyond their own self-interest. How could I not know this?”
“That’s not true, Sera,” Tina insists. “Our father has honor. Many men have honor.”
“Daddy is honorable, but it’s his own code of honor, and he’s loyal to only the people he has sworn to be loyal to. The D’Agostinos are the same way. They look out for themselves. And we have something…” My voice breaks. Clearing my throat, I blink back tears and continue. “We have something he wants. Power. He just decided to take it the violent way instead of waiting to take it by marriage. Putting Matteo at the safe house should have been my first clue. How could I have been so stupid not to see it? Not to put an immediate stop to it?”
“Sera, you’re jumping to conclusions!” She grabs my hands. “Matteo wouldn’t hurt us. There’s got to be another explanation. Maybe he didn’t go out on the boat with Daddy after all. Maybe he went to check something out, and never came back for some reason before Daddy was hurt. Maybe he’s out there somewhere right now, chasing the real killers.”
“Tina, don’t be naive.”
“I’m not being naive!” she insists, jaw jutting out. “You don’t know him! He would never do anything like that!”
“Tina, he’s a made man. And no one else knew where you were besides our family and the D’Agostinos! It had to be them!”
