Page 9 of The Taker

But he wants me…

I should have let him get shot. What the fuck is wrong with me? Now I’m a fly caught in a spider’s web, and I have the strange, sinking feeling that I’ll never get out.

After I feed the girls dinner, I check my banking app. I have a $1K bonus in my final paycheck, bringing the grand total to a little over $3K. NYC is expensive, but maybe we can make that last for a couple of months. Maybe longer if I can make our food budget stretch and cut all extras.

I can make this work…

While Lucy and I clean the dishes, I notice an envelope sitting on the kitchen table.

“Where did that come from, Lulu?”

“I found it under the door while you were cooking dinner. Sorry, I forgot to tell you about it because I was watching a movie.”

“No worries,” I say as I grab a dish towel and dry my hands. The envelope is from Building Management. Maybe they’re finally going to do something about the thermostat.

Leonardo Costa,

Please vacate apartment 4C within three weeks. Your lease has been terminated. Please pack all of your belongings, as anything left behind will be thrown away.

Best,

Vettore Property Management & Leasing

What. The. Fuck.

We’re going to be homeless in three weeks. There’s no way I’m going to be able to find a job that pays enough to get us even a half decent apartment in a safe area, let alone the same school district Julia and Lulu are in right now.

That fucking bastard!

Maybe I can call the leasing company in the morning and fight it? Or explain what’s actually happening?

“Hey, one of theCapos–who’s also arguably the most vicious member of the Vettore family—is kicking me out of my apartment because I didn’t accept his job offer that had some low key sexual undertones. Oh, you do whatla famigliasays? Okay, fuck you very much. Thanks for nothing.”

“Lulu, can you finish the dishes and start your homework? I’ll be right back.”

“Yeah,” she smiles at me, and for the first time ever, I can’t smile back at my baby sister. It feels like an ocean is churning inside me, and I’m seconds from drowning.

I lock the bathroom door behind me, sit on the closed toilet seat, and break down. I can’t make this work. We’re getting thrown out onto the streets, and unless pigs start to fly, I won’t be able to find a decent apartment on a line cook’s salary. I have no job lined up. My sisters are going to starve. Child services isgoing to take them from me because I can’t take care of them. Julia is scrappy enough she may survive foster care, but Lucy won’t. She's been so fragile since our mother left.

Panic and bile rise in my gut, and I can’t breathe. My throat feels like it’s closing up, and the room starts to spin. I try to hold back my sobs, but it’s hard to center myself when everything feels like it’s falling apart. My mind churns out worst case scenarios like a runaway train I can’t control.

You’re an awful brother who can’t take care of his sisters. They’re going to starve on the streets.

They’re going to get lost in the system and abused—because of you.

What type of man cries on the toilet?

You’reweak, nothing.

My heart beats so fast I feel like I’m going to pass out. The entire room feels like it’s spinning. My mouth is dry, but I’m crying so hard my nose is clogged. I can practically feel my house of cards life crashing down around me.

After I run out of tears to cry, I start to slow my breathing, taking deep breaths in and slow breaths out, and try to focus.

What can I see? A tooth brush, the towel hanging on the door, the shower curtain. What can I hear? The cars outside, my sister’s shit music, and Lulu laughing at the television instead of doing her homework. What can I feel? I wiggle my fingers, roll my lips together, and shift in my seat.

After several minutes, I feel more grounded. The world is still crumbling around me, but I can at least breathe again. My phone pings.

Sammy: Hey, I heard what happened! Enzo is a moron, so messed up. Let’s blow some steam tonight…or some hot guys ;)

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