Page 224 of Vicious Intentions
“I can’t watch,” Mom says, already crying.
“Maybe we’re all wrong and she won’t go with him,” Frankie says, but not even she believes it.
“Damn it,” Gio curses when we see Anna struggling to help Matteo out of his chair.
Looks like the Boss of the Cosa Nostra is having a hard time walking on his own. Not exactly ideal when they’re about to make a run for it. I bet Stella’s the reason his leg is so fucked up. It’s a miracle the man survived her assault. But by the way he’s looking at my sister, I guess the fucker had a lot to live for.
None of us are surprised when Anna helps Matteo walk out of the room, him limping while using her small body for support as she guides him out of the club.
“Where are they now?” Dom asks when the cameras inside Gio’s club no longer have them in sight.
“Just give me a second.” I press a few keys, pulling up footage from outside the club. Every Ring camera within the vicinity and every security feed with a clear shot of them comes into view.
We all watch Matteo and Annamaria step out onto the street, Matteo trying door handles in search of a car that isn’t locked. Anna is the first to find one. But then again, she knew which one to look out for.
Frankie holds my hand as Marcello turns away from the monitors and makes a call.
“I can’t believe this is happening. For a second, I really thought maybe she wouldn’t go with him,” Frankie says, a tear sliding down her cheek.
I didn’t.
If that were me and Frankie, I’d go to the ends of the earth to stay by her side, Outfit and Cosa Nostra be damned.
“Now it’s on them,” my father, Vincent, says. “May God watch over them.”
But I don’t miss the way he looks at Marcello before placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a tight squeeze. “I knew you’d make the right decision.”
Marcello nods and puts the phone to his ear.
“Okay, Jude. It’s on you now, big brother. Don’t let us down.”
Jude
“Got it. Ring the alarm,” I say before hanging up the phone on my brother and starting the engine. “They’re on the move,” I holler, glancing over at my wife.
Mina nods, placing her hand over mine on the gearshift and threading her fingers through mine.
“We got this, Jude. We always do.”
God, I hope she’s right.
This was not how I thought this night would end. We should be attending Midnight Mass at this hour, not driving like madmen through the streets, hoping to spot my sister and her husband trying to escape Chicago.
“Are the twins still behind us?” I ask after a few minutes.
Mina looks over her shoulder at the car driving erratically behind us and laughs.
“By the bird Remus just threw at me, I’d say that’s a bloody yes,” she snorts.
“How can you laugh at a time like this?”
“Would you rather I cry, husband?” she taunts. “I told you from the start the man was obsessed with your sister. But did anyone listen to me? No. Now you all have to deal with the fallout of your own stubbornness.”
“You’re not helping, Mina,” I scold.
“And you picking a row with me won’t help the situation either.”
She’s right.
