Page 29 of To Have and To Hold

“Yes.” I lowered my voice. “And honestly, of the capo.”

Liliana’s eyes opened wide. “He’s the capo,” she said, aghast. “Your opinion isn’t a choice. Just like an opinion ofel Patr?n.”

Technically. My father saw it differently. Instead of pursuing that conversation, I decided to change the subject. “Did you hear all those men outside last night?”

Liliana nodded. “Something big was happening. That’s why Mr. Luciano was there last night.”

“What? Which Mr. Luciano?”

“Dante.” Her cheeks pinkened. “Camila got lucky with that one.”

I scoffed. “He’s my cousin, but I guess you’re right.” I sat taller. “How didn’t I know he was there?”

“You’d already gone to bed. I’d assume he was out of the house before us this morning. I only saw him last night. Really only for a second or two. He andel Patr?nwere busy in the office.”

I looked around at the neighborhood. The houses were small but well kept.

“Oh, that went faster than usual.” She smiled. “Probably because I had you to talk with.” She turned toward the window. “We’re almost there.”

A large limestone building came into view. The outside was pristine with landscaping of rocks and succulents. We approached an enclosed parking lot with a guarded gate. As José pulled the car into the parking lot, I saw that the area wasn’t all parking spaces. There was a grassy part with picnic tables and a fountain surrounded by flowers.

Liliana must have known where I was looking. “Mia recently had the area added. It used to be a playground with broken-down playground stuff. This is better for the residents. Isn’t it nice?”

“It is,” I answered, pleasantly surprised.

The breeze blew my hair around my face as I stepped from the car. With Horace at my side, we made our way toward the front doors. The entrance reminded me that the building was originally a school. The first set of doors opened to a foyer. Through a window at the side was a guard. Like the ones outside Mia’s home, the man was armed with an array of weapons, including a long gun.

Horace spoke to him. The only part I recognized was my name. A buzzer sounded, and the next set of doors opened. To my surprise there was a second guard by a metal detector. Horace motioned for me to walk through.

I did.

No alarms beeped.

Turning back, I watched as Liliana walked through, but both of our bodyguards walked around.

“You get a free pass?” I asked Horace with a grin.

“Sí. My job is to protect you. Being armed is part of that assignment.”

If I’d lived a normal life, I would probably have an issue with the tiers of security. My childhood in the Mafia was far from normal. Having an armed bodyguard was part of life. Even though I didn’t know Horace well, his presence was reassuring.

The lingering scents of new construction filled my senses. Our shoes tapped on the vinyl plank flooring. Liliana led me into the front offices. I imagined that back in the day, this would be where the secretaries and principals had offices. She opened a door to a large private office. “This is Mia’s office,” Liliana said. “She said you could use it since she’s still at home.”

I turned a complete circle, taking in my surroundings. On one side, a large window faced the street with a small white table and four gray swivel chairs. A large white-lacquer-finished desk with a sleek white leather chair was centered near the back wall. The monitors were attached to a pole mount. Matching white bookcases and cupboards ran along the other side wall near a door. “What’s in there?”

“Oh, Mia has her own bathroom.”

Shaking my head, I met Liliana’s gaze. “This is very nice.” I walked behind the desk. “Why are the monitors on this arm?”

She came forward and pressed a button on the corner of the desktop. The middle section rose, lifting the keyboard with it. The arm extended, lifting the monitors. “This adjusts so she could stand and work. Mia says it’s unhealthy to sit behind a desk all day.”

My eyes widened. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“We all have them.”

I looked around. “Is it always this quiet around here?”

A large clock near the window told me it was nearly ten in the morning.

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