“Tell Nino what you need; he’ll bring it to the car.”
“Umm…”
“Don’t worry; I’ll get you something,” Nino trotted up the stairs without waiting for me to answer. I was glad I didn’t have to go back up there and walk past dead bodies.
Dario and I went out to a waiting red SUV.
“What on earth?” I asked when we got into the back seat.
Dario shook his head, “Don’t ask me questions. Talk to your fiancé later. He’ll decide what you need to know.”
Decide what I need to know? Wow. Does any one of these men know this is the 21st century? And okay, not only did I hear gunshots and see dead bodies again, what was that now, 4? But my supposed fiancé had just very frankly made the fact that he liked to see fear on my face known to his brother, his employees, and a guy who maybe wasn’t making it out of the office alive. I was now being ushered, in skimpy pajamas and Tommy’s robe, to his father’s house.
When I got there, Lisa was in the doorway to receive me, literally. She hugged me and pulled me into the house, ignoring Dario and the two muscle guys behind him, “Are you okay?”
I heard Dario on the phone, “Bro, we’re here,” Then he looked to Lisa, “Yeah, she’s fine. Lisa has her.” Then Dario and the two guys disappeared into that office that I was ushered into on graduation day, which felt like a million years ago.
I nodded, not knowing what to say because I didn’t know what she knew. She was in a robe, too, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. She walked me to her kitchen where an older grandmotherly-looking black woman was frying bacon,
“Hello, Tia, I’m Nita!” the woman said to me cheerily with a Jamaican accent “Coffee, right?”
I nodded and sat at the table with Lisa and then that Nino guy came into the kitchen with a bag in his hand, “Clothes, Miss O’Connor,” he said and I peeked in the bag and saw a jean skirt, top, matching underwear and bra, and my purse. He also handed me an iPhone box, shrink wrap half on and half off, “Mr. Ferrano wants this with you at all times,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said and put it on the table in front of me.
He took two steps back and stood against the counter. I looked up at him and then to Lisa.
“Nino?” Lisa asked.
“I have orders to stay within 3 feet of Tia at all times, Leese,” he said softly. Obviously they were good friends by the way he spoke to her. She nodded at him, resigned-looking, then Nita passed me a cup of coffee, “Two sugars, Sarah told me?”
I shook my head and smiled. Two sugars. “I’ll need one more, thanks.” I said sweetly. She smiled what looked, to me, like a knowing smile. She must be in the know about Sarah’s sugar hatred. I wasn’t going to let this happen, I had so little control over my life right now the one thing I could control was how many fucking sugars I’d get in my coffee so I was taking that third sugar.
“So,” Lisa started.
I looked at her. Nita was passing Nino a coffee and pulling another package of bacon out of the fridge.
“I hear we get to help you plan your wedding and that it’ll be here!”
My face must’ve said, “Duh, what?” because a familiar voice chimed in, Tommy’s father, coming into the kitchen, “Ah, my little dove, that wasn’t common knowledge yet.”
“Oh?” Lisa blushed, “Sorry,” she smiled at her husband and shrugged. He leaned over and kissed her on the top of her head.
“Good morning, Athena, ” he was dressed in a suit, as per what seemed to be the usual, and leaned over and poured himself a refill from the coffee pot.
“Mornin’,” I said and my voice came out hoarse.
He smiled at me and sat down at the large bistro style table with us.
“Everyone, leave me and Athena for a moment,” he said and everyone left the room, including Nino and Nita who lifted her pan onto another burner and then abandoned the stove.
He put his hand over mine, “Are you okay, dear?”
I nodded and avoided the urge to yank my hand back.
“Dario tells me you threatened him and Nino with a knife,” he had light in his eyes, a playfulness very much like what I sometimes saw in Tommy’s eyes.
I tried to crack a smile but I don’t think it looked very genuine.