Page 115 of Cartel Devil

I’d much rather hear this from my tía than a stranger. I told the paramedic to bring Tre here because it’s where my tía works. She splits her time between the private practice clinic and OBGYN at the hospital. I knew she was on call, which would mean it would actually take her longer to visit us than if she’d been at home.

But with something like this, I’d rather get the information and unravel it without a stranger wanting to know why it happened. We’ll eventually have to answer that question with her doctor, but not right now.

“There are trace amounts of coriander, but clearly more than enough to cause a reaction. There’s an alarming amount of thallium sulfate. In humans, this is a slow-acting toxin. It can take five to seven days to be deadly. A person can start to have gastro discomfort within thirty minutes.”

Tre nods and does her best to whisper. “I felt sick almost immediately but thought I was just too hungry and ate too fast.”

“Whoever did this wanted the coriander to be fatal, but they had a contingency in case you didn’t have a reaction or used an EpiPen in time. It likely would’ve presented as the stomach flu. Even if you threw up, it would’ve already been in your system. Getting here as fast as you did and insisting they pump your stomach saved you.”

Thallium sulfate used to be common in rodenticides and insecticides. I’m already plenty familiar with the shit. I know what it does and how little it takes to kill someone. Frank and I found the culprit—a sous chef that’d worked for Mikey for years. Mikey’d wanted to fire him for ages because he was a constant fuck-up. He knew the guy had gambling debts to Salvatore, except he has three kids under twelve and a wife who’d been injured in a car accident and was on permanent disability.

Frank stayed behind to deal with the guy. We haven’t heard anything from Tre’s dad, so no news is good news. The fucker’s likely shuffling off his mortal coil—excruciatingly slowly—right now. Frank wasn’t capo dei capi merely because he’s the don’s brother. He earned that rank before Tommaso even assumed the role. He’ll make the guy talk.

“What do we do now, Tía? What about the baby?”

“They already gave you Prussian blue, so it should have countered the toxin. Luckily, you got here within an hour of ingesting it. It was getting close, but taking it less than forty-five minutes may work in your favor.”

It was. We finished our appetizers five minutes before the main course came out. It was about fifteen minutes before the ambulance arrived. Tre swears it was only two or three, which is a testament to how out of it she was. Then we hit traffic. Queens traffic might not be as notorious as Manhattan’s, but it can be gridlock. Blessedly, with lights and sirens, it only took another twenty minutes to get here.

Lucky for us, the closest hospital was this one. Tía Margherita told me she’d call down to the ER and tell them her niece was coming in for potential poisoning. She has some pull here because the team was waiting and ready to pump Tre’s stomach before they could lock the gurney in place.

“Do they need to do anything else?”

This is when my tía pauses. My heart sinks. Tre’s hand tightens around mine. Everyone knows what I was really asking.

“They may give you another dose or two of Prussian blue. Thallium is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream, which means it can pass through the placenta. That exposure can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and congenital defects. It’s too early in your pregnancy to know about the last three. Tricia, there is a good likelihood you will lose this pregnancy.”

Tía Margherita says it as gently as she can, but it’s still the most devastating thing I’ve ever heard. I watch Tre, and she watches me. Tears stream down both of our faces. Tre’s soon turn to sobs, but I’m still too stunned to make a sound. I knew the potential outcomes, but I refused to consider them until I heard them out loud.

Tía Margherita leans down and hugs me as best she can since I’m leaning toward Tre. Kathleen’s doing the same for Tre. My girlfriend and I remain focused on each other. Eventually, Kathleen lets go, and so does Tía. I rise, and Tía slips her arms beneath me to lower the bed rail. She gets it without me saying a word.

I climb onto the bed beside Tre, still as awkward a fit as the last time. She does her best to curl against me as we cry. None of the side effects are a given, but the possibility tears us apart. I barely notice when Kathleen and Tía Margherita step outside the curtains. I hear the soft murmur of women’s voices, but I don’t care enough to strain to understand. I need Tre, and she needs me.

“Daddy, I’m so scared.”

“I know, chiquita. I am too. No matter what, we are one. You’ll never be alone again.”

She lifts her head and leans back, searching my gaze. She tucks her chin again and nods against my chest.

“You were always going to stay for me. Not just because of the baby.”

I tilt her chin up, so our gazes meet again. I press a kiss to her forehead, her nose, her cheek, her chin, then her lips.

“I’ve loved you since the night we met. You’re my soulmate, Tre. I can’t live without you.”

“I fell in love with you that night too. I never want to be without you. You’re my soulmate too, Joaco.”

While we’ve said the words before, this isn’t how either of us wanted to confess the depth of our love, but we need to say it as much as we need to hear it.

“Tre, the last thing I want to do is leave your side for even a second. But once I know you’re safely at Tío Enrique and Tía Elle’s house, I’ll need to be away from you for a while. I don’t know how long. I’m so, so sorry.”

I want to beg for her forgiveness before it even happens.

“Joaco, I understand. I don’t want you out of reach or out of sight, but this has to end. We need you to end this. The world needs to know our child is untouchable.”

“Not just our baby. You too, chica. No one comes near you and survives. My family’s been working on this since the car incident. We’ve made some headway, so I don’t want you to think we aren’t trying.”

“I never once thought that, cuore mio. I understand these things can take time.”