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“Don’t worry! I’m going to be fine on my own.” Milla’s suddenly raised voice broke me out of my thoughts. She was staring daggers at my brothers for some reason.
“We’re worried about you,” said Corey. “Have you read the news recently? Dead bodies are turning up around town but the police act like they’ve no clue who’s behind them. It’s the Civella family. Everyone knows it but no one will mention them. That’s how dangerous they are.”
“I’m not going to fight them,” said Milla. “I plan on having a friendly conversation with their leader. That’s all.”
Corey scoffed. “Friendly? I didn’t think you could be this naïve, Milla.”
Milla frowned, the shells of her ears turning a flaming red.
“I’ve talked to gang leaders before,” she said in a tight voice. “How did you think I managed to get my factories up and running at such low costs? My factories are built in the poorest neighborhoods of LA. They’re crime-riddled areas and property is dirt-cheap. Being friends with the gangs in those places allowed me to establish my business there. I even pay them money for protection. They’re the best security you can imagine.”
I was sure my expression was as stunned as my brothers’.
“You’re in cahoots with gangsters?” Caleb whispered.
“Yep,” said Milla, taking a sharp bite of a toasted bagel. “Keeping prices of electronic devices at par with Asian developers meant I had to cut costs wherever I could.”
“You’re really something,” said Caleb, looking thoroughly impressed. “I could never imagine you doing something as risky as that.”
“Nothing scares me now,” she said, glancing at me and my brothers with a meaningful look. “What’s there to lose anyway? Just my life. To be honest, I don’t care much for it.”
“Don’t talk like that,” Dad said at once.
“It’s the truth,” said Milla. “After Mom died, I didn’t care about anything. I only wanted a way to get stronger and prove to the world I wouldn’t be bullied any longer.”
I hated hearing her talk like that. She was precious to every person present at this dining table.
“As long as I’m breathing, you’ll take care of yourself,” Dad said in a grim, chiding tone. “Nothing matters to me more than protecting my children.” He glanced at me and my brothers as well. “Don’t talk about giving up your lives so easily. Did I raise you all to abandon me at this age?”
Milla became quiet and stared at her coffee mug with pursed lips.
“I’m coming with you,” I said. No matter how confident she felt, I’d be dying every minute she was in the company of a mobster on her own.
“We’re coming too,” said Caleb.
Milla looked annoyed. “If so many of us go, he’ll think we’ve come to threaten him. That’ll surely have him raising his hackles at us.”
“Let me come with you,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “Other than Dad, no one knows about the Eastern Corridor project as much as me. You should keep me with you when you’re discussing facts.”
Looking at my brothers, I added, “I’ll keep her safe.”
“It’s not ideal but I guess Noah can come,” said Milla, looking thoughtful. “I don’t want too many men around me when I go to see Mr. Civella. I’ll drive us to the meeting place. He must know I’m the boss and looking forward to leading the conversation.”
“How can you trust a criminal to keep his end of the bargain?” Caleb asked in a curious tone. “What if he hurts you both?”
“They’re people too, you know,” said Milla. “They won’t hurt us without a reason. Cleaning up bodies is a real chore and they try avoiding that as much as possible. I just want to talk to him and see if I can offer him something that will change his mind about those buildings. If I can make him happy, he’ll let us take control of those properties.”
It was surreal to hear her speaking so causally about mob bosses. Just how many gang leaders did she befriend in LA?
With a start, I realized we were the ones who’d pushed her into such situations. She’d been so adamant about snatching everything from us, she didn’t care about risking her life.
A flash of pain throbbed through me.
I was always going to hate myself for the pain and hurt I caused her.
“I like your determination, kiddo,” said Dad. “This is the kind of fire I like seeing in young folk. Just remember one thing. You and Noah must be careful. Make sure I don’t get another attack.”
“We’ll be careful,” I promised Dad. “I won’t let anything happen to her.”
