“I like you,” he said. “You don’t bullshit.”
“That’s true,” Brett said, seemingly oblivious to the intensity in the room. “He’s not a bullshitter for sure.”
“No,” Al said, never taking his eyes off me. “I would never do that. You have my word. When this is all done, she is free to choose what she wants to do with her life. If she comes back to New York, wonderful. But it wouldn’t be for me to pressure her to talk to the families. It would be so Sammi has her best friend back, and I could take care of her the way I promised Nico I would. I don’t need, nor want her blessing. I want her safe.”
“So do I,” I said. “Again, thank you for coming.”
Al nodded.
“I wish there was something I could do to make her feel better,” Al said. “She has suffered enough. First her mother and then her father. Now all this. It’s more than anyone should have to go through, much less someone as innocent of all this life as her.”
“I might see if she wants to go for a walk in a bit,” I said. “Get some fresh air. She seemed to enjoy that the last time we did it.”
“Hmm,” Al said. “Perhaps, but only if I send a few of my men with you. I don’t want you getting ambushed out there.”
“Sure. It would probably make her feel better anyway.”
“It’s settled, then. I’ll send Frank and Mario,” he said. “That’s them on the porch. Just tell them I said to shadow you when you go.”
“Are they coming in to eat?” Brett asked.
“They will do rounds,” Al said. “My men, they are dedicated fellows. They are more than willing to brave the cold to protect Desiree. They loved Nico too. Everyone did. When you go out, send Mario in to eat.”
“I will,” I said.
“But before that, you should eat,” Al said, coming up to me and putting his hand on my shoulder, one finger waggling at me. “A man with a stomach full of pasta can face an army. My father used to say that. I believe it. Come. Eat. If Desiree wants to join us, she can.”
“Maybe when we get back in,” I said. “It looks delicious, though.”
Al nodded and stepped back, and I went back into the bedroom. Desiree had come out and was sitting on the bed, sipping a water and holding her head in her hand.
“Hey,” I said. “Are you okay?”
“Just all the stress,” she said. “I’ll be fine.”
“I was thinking if you wanted, we could go for a short walk. Get some fresh air. A couple of Al’s men will go with us.”
“That sounds good. I can handle that. Just a short one, though.”
“Good,” I said. “Come on, let’s get your coat on.”
I helped her up and to the closet, slipping her coat over her arms for her and bundling her up. When we walked out the front door, I relayed the messages from Al, and Mario dipped inside. The one I assumed was Frank and another joined us, one going ahead and the other staying behind us as we made our way to the path behind Brett’s cabin.
The path was winding and headed toward the water. It was how we had gone fishing in what seemed like a decade before but was really only a couple of months. The slope down was gentle, and I figured just a little ways down would be good enough to get some fresh air in Desiree.
But just a short distance down the hill, I noticed she didn’t look well. I reached for her arm just in time to catch her as her knees gave out, and she crumpled into me. The man from behind us rushed over and helped me get her back to her feet. I waved him off, picking her up and carrying her back the way we came until we got inside the cabin.
“What happened?” Al said as I brought her into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed.
“She’s sick,” I said. “She needs tea.”
“Now that, I can do,” he said, nodding, and rushed back to the kitchen as I helped Desiree out of her coat and into some more comfortable clothes.
26
Desiree
I was hoping whatever was making me feel so sick was just a bug and would go away on its own. The weather had been cold, and I’d been under a lot of stress. Maybe they’d combined to suppress my immune system and I’d caught something.
With that hope in mind, I spent the next few days nursing my uneasy stomach with hot tea and bland food, spending most of my time curled up on the couch. It wasn’t that there was a whole lot else for me to be doing at this particular time, but it was enough to frustrate me. I hated being sick. I always had. When I was younger and in school, while my friends were hoping they’d pick up the next cold or virus so they could miss a few days of school, I was washing my hands obsessively and disinfecting my books.