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“And then?” Jimbo asks, though I can tell from his tone that he already knows the answer.
I glance at Romero, who’s listening intently. “And then Romero takes care of our problem. Permanently.”
Romero’s face breaks into a grin. “Fuckyes. It would be my honor to finally take that motherfucker out,” he says, his voice filled with excitement.
I nod, acknowledging his enthusiasm. “Just remember, we need this to be clean. No traces, no witnesses.”
“Don’t worry,” Romero assures me, cracking his knuckles. “I’ve been waiting for this chance. I’ll make sure it’s done right.”
Back to the phone, I continue, “Jimbo, make sure everything’s set up perfectly. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
“Understood, Boss. I’ll take care of it.”
As I hang up, I feel a mix of anticipation and dread.
This is it.
The endgame.
The next morning,I walk Lou to school as normal. Lou’s voice is a constant stream of chatter beside me. I nod and make appropriate noises, but my mind is elsewhere, replaying last night’s revelations and thinking strategy about my meeting with Gino in a few hours.
“…and then Mom said we might need to get a bigger place because of the baby,” Lou’s saying, her voice excited.
I nod absently. “That’s nice, Lou.” Suddenly, her words register. I stop in my tracks, my heart pounding. “Wait,whatdid you just say?”
Lou’s blue eyes widen, realizing her slip. “Oh, no. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that. Mom’s gonna be so mad.”
I kneel down to her level, my mind reeling. “Lou, are you saying your mom is pregnant?”
She nods, biting her lip and scuffing her shoe against the sidewalk. “Yeah. But it was supposed to be a secret. She was gonna tell you herself.”
I stand up slowly, feeling like the world has tilted on its axis. Fee ispregnant. With mychild.
And she hasn’t told me.
“How long has she known?” I ask, trying to keep my voice calm.
Lou shrugs. “I dunno. A couple weeks, I think? She made me promise not to tell you. She said she needed to figure stuff out first.”
I take a deep breath, trying to process this bombshell. Fee is pregnant. We’re having a baby. And she’s been keeping it from me.
Holy fuck, things just got a lot more complicated.
25
SOFIA
My phone buzzes, and I see a text from Edie.
Hey, Fee! Bad news —baby decided to come early. Renovations will have to be on pause till I’m back from maternity leave. Sorry!
I sigh, texting back.
No worries, Edie. Take care of yourself and that little one. Congrats!
I stare at my phone for a moment, then make a decision. I need to see Perfezione for myself.
As I approach the shop, the familiar façade looks strange with scaffolding around it. I unlock the door, stepping into a space that’s both familiar and alien.
