Page 91 of Arranged

“Maria. Please.”

She hemmed and hawed and finally nodded. “Go on. Do you need money? I didn’t spend much of what you left for me.”

I wanted to chastise her for not doing so, but now wasn’t the time. “I have plenty of money and I’m fine. Safe. But you might not be.”

“What does that mean?”

“That means there is a chance, a small one that my identity could have been compromised.”

When she didn’t react at first, I wasn’t certain what to think. “So you’re telling me Jessica and I are in danger as well.”

“Maybe. I’m not certain. However, I’m not willing to risk the possibility. I need you to take Jessica and get out of town.”

“For how long? A week? A month? Ayear?”

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “Hopefully not that long.”

“So you expect me to just abandon my job, one that I adore by the way, and disappear just like you did.”

“Just for a little while.”

She took another step away from me. “Not a chance in hell. I don’t know you any longer and while it pains me to say this. I can’t trust you. For all I know, you’re placing me and that little girl directly in harm’s way.”

I was mortified she’d think so. “I’ve done a lot of bad things in my life, Maria, but I would never ever put my family in harm’s way. Not on purpose. That’s why I’m asking you to head to a safehouse just for a little while.”

“Now, it’s a safehouse. Right.” She laughed to the point I thought she was ready to choke. Just then, Jessica bounded into the room.

Time stopped. The world ceased to spin. There were no sounds other than the hammering of my heart.

Her little eyes opened wide, but almost immediately, she moved behind Maria, barely peeking out from around my sister’s legs.

I hadn’t thought about bringing a belated birthday present since getting Louis’ phone call. He’d tried the other phone, but I kept it hidden away. After the first few months, I’d rarely looked at it. Taking the unneeded chance wasn’t good for my life expectancy.

The moment I’d seen the unknown number pop onto my cell phone’s screen, I’d instantly shifted into survival mode.

While from what he’d learned, no one in either crime syndicate the wiser as to my real identity, someone within the DEA had been sniffing around. At least Louis was taking seriously the possibility someone within the agency had gone rogue.

Maria’s face held the same kind of contempt and defiance as Carmella had shown me a dozen times.

“Who is that, Auntie?” Jessica asked in her sweet little voice, the sound jerking at every heartstring.

I’d been blessed or cursed to see photographs of her from afar. But this was excruciating. All I wanted to do was to wrap my arms around her, telling her Daddy was home.

That wasn’t possible.

But the angst was tremendous.

Maria gazed down to my boots as she stroked Jessica’s head. “This is… Alejandro.”

I waited for her to explain her daddy wasn’t in heaven.

“He’s an old friend of mine.”

The ache exploded, knives forced into my gut. I wanted to be angry, but I knew Maria was only trying to protect Jessica from any additional misery.

“Oh. Okay. Hi.” Jessica giggled, once again hiding behind Maria. “I’m hungry.”

“I tell you what. Why don’t you go into the kitchen and wash up? I’ll be right there.”

---