Gunfire popped off. The windows flashed like a photographer was going nuts. The shots sounded like fireworks, except fireworks didn’t make men scream in agony.
Silence followed. Mags looked at me with terror in her eyes then stared back at the house.
I leaned toward her, lips close to her ear. “The Healy family’s got to pay,” I whispered. “I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t let them get anywhere near you.”
Another gunshot, then more silence. Mags reached over and took my hand. She squeezed it hard but she couldn’t seem to stop staring at that house.
I knew what was happening inside. I’d gone on raids like that before. Fast and dirty and bloody. Leave nobody behind and nobody alive.
The first guys came out, my guys, splattered in blood, duffel bags filled with whatever they could grab thrown over their shoulders. I guessed drugs and cash. Maybe laptops and phones. More guys followed, more full bags. I grinned and felt a thrill run down my spine.
Everyone accounted for.
Mattias gave me a thumbs-up before he hopped into the back and the vans drove away. They left the damn front door open. I guessed it didn’t matter.
“What the hell was that?” Mags whispered.
I put the car in drive and pulled out again. I turned left, going the opposite direction as the vans, heading back out to the house.
“That was the first of many attacks,” I said. “Now that I have the family in line, it’s time to finish off the Healys once and for all.”
She sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. “Sometimes I forget you’re still at war.”
“I needed you to see that,” I said. “Things are going to be chaotic for a while, and I wanted you to know what it would be like if you stayed.”
She was quiet for a few minutes. I drove slowly, winding my way past the Philly row homes, out of the city and into a sleepier, quieter suburban setting. Big, leafy trees cast flickering shadows on the dash. I had a sudden image in my head—little kids running around my house, laughing in the pool, climbing trees, but not to hide. I wanted laughter, I wanted happiness. I wanted a family that wasn’t fucking terrified of me, because I didn’t force them to learn how to be killers at a young age.
And Mags there through it all, my wife and my best friend.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” she said. “For a while now. Since before yesterday.”
“Yeah? And what do you think?”
“I want to stay,” she said, and looked at me.
I slowed down and pulled over at the curb across from a park. Kids swung on swings and ran along the slide. Moms and nannies and some dads lingered on the periphery, talking to each other, watching the kids.
“I want that too,” I said. “I love you, Mags. I think I’ve loved you for a while now.”
She leaned forward and kissed me. She nearly climbed across the car and into my lap. I held her there, my body ringing with her, with the need of her and the taste of her.
“I love you too,” she whispered, blinking away tears. “Is that insane? Are we making some horrible mistake?”
“Not at all,” I said, wiping her cheek gently. “This is what we need, me and you.”
“What’ll happen now?” she asked.
“We’re already married,” I said. “So I expect we’ll stay married.”
“We’ll have to sleep in the same room,” she said, and grinned a little. “I want to redecorate.”
“God, I wish you would,” I said and laughed. “Look at you, already thinking about your future.”
“I guess so,” she said and leaned her head back. “I haven’t thought further than a couple weeks in such a long time. It feels almost weird, you know?”
“I do know,” I said softly and put my hand on her knee. “I promise you’re okay now. Dream as much as you want.”
She laughed and leaned her head against my shoulder. “You’re one weird mafia Don, you know that, right?”
“A man can have more than one side of him,” I said softly. “There’s the man that wants to cut the throats of my enemies, and the man that wants to love you. I’m both those things and more.” I tilted her chin toward me and kissed her.
“And which if those men are going to take me home and drag me into his bed?” she whispered, grinning.
“All of them,” I said. “As many times as you want.”
“Perfect.” She touched my cheek gingerly, then sat back in her seat. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
I put the car in drive and pulled out into traffic. I drove my wife back to our house, back to our home. It was all so new, and the heady rush of it still lingered on my skin, but this was right. This was what I needed.