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“Will you babysit my baby when I need time off?”
“Are you joking? I will kidnap that kid if you try to stop me.”
“I still can’t believe it. I wake up in the morning and I’m afraid to open my eyes because I keep thinking it was all a dream.”
“You have no idea how happy I am it worked out for you, Pina.”
“I know. You’re a good friend.”
“You are too. I didn’t forget how you sneaked me into Guido’s club when I needed to talk to him and Salvatore was at war with my family.”
“Oh, don’t remind me. I was afraid Salvatore might ring my neck.” I laughed. We were both so glad those times were behind us. “Where is he by the way?” Grazia drove herself here hours ago and her husband rarely let her out of his sight for so long.
“Supervisingsomethingat the docks.”
“Oh. In the middle of the day?”
Grazia shrugged her shoulders. “I made him swear on blood he’s not being stupid. I believe him when he says he’s safe.”
“Still, aren’t you worried? Garon isn’t even sworn in as an underboss and my anxiety hits new heights every time he’s out the door.”
“Pina, you know better than to kill yourself over those things. You’ve been raised in the life just like I have.”
“Yes, and we both saw our fathers leave the house in handcuffs at some points.” I traced the curve of my stomach and sighed. “How would I explain that to my daughter if it happens to Garon?”
“It won’t. Our fathers were sloppy and greedy, and didn’t have a fraction of the power my brothers and Salvatore hold, especially together. Half the country works for them and even if they would make a mistake so big it would leave them exposed to charges, their network would get them out of it.”
“What about the other kind of danger? Other people that operate outside of the law?”
“The danger will never pass, it’s part of the way we live. We have the best protection money can buy and don’t forget that Garon isn’t alone. Everyone knows that if you take a shot at one of us, you take a shot at all of us. Look what happened with Ariana and Father. He was a Don and no one lifted a finger to save him from his death.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“There’s no need to worry about things that didn’t happen, so forget it. Focus on growing my baby niece.”
“Oh, she’s growing and she’s hungry. Do you know how much I eat in a day? It’s absurd!”
“Good. A hungry baby is a healthy baby.” She checked her watch and crinkled her nose. “I need to drive the kids back. Victoria has a piano lesson this afternoon. Why don’t you and Garon come by for dinner? Chiara is coming too.”
“Sure, we’ll be there. Let me walk you guys out.”
“Kids, let’s go! Your mom wants you home.”
The kids didn’t put up a fight, but Emiliano did try to convince me to let Panini go home with them. He was so adorable and such a good negotiator, I almost caved, but we compromised and agreed he was welcome to see him any time he wanted.
I watched the three of them get into the car and go down the driveway. I was ready to go back inside for my second snack and a nap, but my dog had another plan. Panini was usually very lazy and didn’t like running around aimlessly, and since I got pregnant, he rarely left my side, but now out of nowhere, he bolted around the corner of the house, aiming for the back yard.
“Damn it.” I couldn’t let him roam free because the back of the house was bordered by trees and rose bushes, not a fence, and there was no one there to stop Panini if he was planning some grand escape. “Come back, you little troublemaker.”
I called, but he was sniffing around, checking out the bushes. A French bulldog was by no means a hound, but something in Panini’s posture told me he was onto something. His little body was all tensed and his ears were raised. He kept sniffing around until he finally locked on a bush and started barking.
“Hey, boy, what’s up? What did you see?”
A voice inside me told me to stay away, just grab Panini and go back in the house. I should have listened. Before I could register what happened, a pair of strong arms locked around me, and a piece of cloth was pressed over my mouth. I couldn’t see who was doing this to me, but something about this man felt familiar.
I tried to struggle or make a noise loud enough for Santo to hear me from the front, but to no avail. I was dragged away into the back alley and stuffed in a car despite my struggle. I should have been afraid, but I pushed it aside because fear would have paralyzed me and now it was time to fight.
The man put me in the passenger seat and used the seat belt to tie me up. He didn’t gag me, but there was no way someone would hear my screams from inside a car, so I saved my energy. Plus, the shock of recognizing the man that jumped in the driver’s seat muted me.
