Page 45 of The Twins

“Yak, you can’t wait. If she’s hurt—”

“Ernie.” No. No. I don’t like his tone. What it implies.

“Who…who’s dead?”

“The bomb hit the center of the compound. Esther, David, Suzie are…they’re gone.”

“No.” Tears falls from my eyes unbidden. I can’t stop them.

“I’m sorry, Ernie. The others…are in serious condition. Luckily, Seril is out with Shon, Ruthie, Zeppo, Harper and the Goldman boys. Arlo is with Vandy’s parents. Sophie is at the Mishpocheh Consortium.” Good. We’d just left there for the day. “And Jonah—” He cuts himself off when his phone rings. “Yeah?” The color drains from Yak’s face, his eyes close, his body tenses as he stands up and starts pacing. “What do you mean—are you sure? Who did this? Well, what the FUCK do you know? I’ll speak to you however I fucking want. Half of our fucking family is DEAD! I want to know who’s responsible!” He presses a button on his phone and shoves it into his pocket.

“Yak?”

“The Consortium…it’s been leveled.”

Saliva fills my mouth as my vision blackens. “The entire building—”

“Rubble.”

“And the people in it?”

“Under the fucking rubble, Ernie.”

“Moses, Miriam, and Aaron.” I mutter, my eyes drifting to the burning remnants of the Kosher Nostra compound. A numbness descends over me, pins and needles and despair.

“Swinging Schlay?”

“Still standing.” But for how long?

“Yak. Someone…someone is trying to eliminate the Kosher Nostra.”

“Yup.”

“Are they gonna succeed?”

Yak stares out into the distance, jaw clenched, his hands curled into impotent fists at his side. “Not sure.”

“Well, that’s not the answer I was looking for.”

Ernie 3.

“Ernie, please lay back down. You have burns on like 30% of your body. You need rest. And time.”

Glaring at Tovah, I grimace as I swing my legs over the side of the hospital bed. Burns or not, there is shit to be done. We are down…seriously down. So many people…I’m needed.

“Boy, I will knock you the fuck out if you don’t lay back down.”

“Ernie?” Bailey’s raspy voice breaks my glare-off with Tovah. “Please? I can’t…I was so scared, if you had still been in the SUV with Moshe…God, please just lay down. For me?”

Her tears are my undoing. I can’t fight against them. With great effort, I get back into bed and lay down. “How’s Moshe?”

Tovah sighs, leaning her hip against my bed. “He’s in a coma. They had to amputate his right leg above the knee. He has some bleeding in his brain. It’s…it’s not looking good for our dear Avinu.”

“Ernie.” Bailey cries and when she hands me tissues, I realize I’m crying too. Moshe…fuck. “I’m so sorry.” I hold out my arm and draw her into bed with me. Tovah helps us get situated.

“I have to go make the rounds.”

“Tovah…I’m so sorry about your parents.” She looks at me and I watch her shutter her emotions.

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