Page 40 of Tristano

I hate it.

“It’s me. Come lie back down. It was a nightmare. Nothing more.”

She does as I ask, curling back up in my arms.

“I feel like I can’t get warm. I mean, logically I know I am warm, but my mind keeps replaying the cold.”

“I’ll make sure you’re never cold again,” I whisper, making her chuckle.

“You can’t make a promise like that.”

“Sure, I can. I will always try my best to keep it too.”

She shakes her head, but she’s not crying anymore.

“I still hear the screeching from the train brakes. You think they will be able to find the train line they took us on?”

“Declan is one of the best. He was trained by my boss, Greer. When she’s out of the hospital, she will get on it too. We will find them,” I promise.

“Why is she in the hospital? Is she okay?” Her voice suddenly seems worried.

I love that about her. She cares so deeply for others, even strangers.

“She’s fine. She had a baby. They are both healthy. In fact, they are already at home recovering. I wouldn’t be surprised if Greer is trying to type code while breastfeeding the little prince.” I chuckle.

“Tell me more about them. More about your life,” she pleads.

I’ve always kept myself so reserved around her. I never wanted to put her in any situation that would require her to betray either me or her profession.

Now it seems silly. I could have lost her.

So I give her what she wants.

“Greer is one tenacious woman. She really knows how to grab a guy by the balls and twist them until they do what she wants. She is a force to be reckoned with. I suppose that’s to be expected. She is the little sister of my Don.”

“So you work closely with a family member of the head of the Catalini Mafia?” she whispers.

“I do. Are you sure you want to hear this? I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep secrets.”

“I’m already keeping secrets from my uncle. I want to know you. Tell me more.”

“Well, how about I tell you about how I got into the Mafia then?”

“Ooh, is it a good story?”

“I wouldn’t say good, but it’s not the worst. See, when I was fifteen, I got caught stealing from this bodega. I would go in there every week or so and steal small stuff like candy or bread. Then I was working up to stealing bigger items. Things I could trade for money. What I didn’t know was that the bodega paid money to the Catalinis for protection. So the next time I came in, there was a man dressed in a business suit waiting for me. He put his hand on my shoulder and told me I was coming with him. I was shitting my pants too. I thought he was going to kill me. Everyone knew about the Catalinis. They are not to be fucked with.”

“He didn’t kill you, so what did he do?”

“Well, he took me back to this old warehouse outside the city and tied me to a chair. Then he had another man come in. Together, they questioned me. Who did I work for? Why was I stealing? Where was my family? They threatened me and scared me to the point that I was crying. I know, me, crying. I was pathetic back then. Didn’t have the toughness I have nowadays.”

“Sure, a real tough guy. You told me you once cried watching a cartoon movie.”

“Hey, I was young,” I defend myself, knowing what she’s going to say next.

“It was three months ago.”

“If you don’t cry when that little lion’s father dies, then you are a psychopath and we cannot be friends.”

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