Page 33 of The Air You Breathe

“I’ll be back by then,” he said. I thought he was going to pull away, but he stayed for just a moment longer like he was savoring this just as much as I was. He kissed my forehead, lingering for a second more like letting me go was too much. He then walked out the door without a backwards glance, disappointing me just a little.

“That was a long-ass hug, but he looks like he gives some pretty good ones,” Mary said, as I continued to look at the door.

“It was a really good one,” I said, trying to keep the smile off my face but failing horribly.

“Care to tell me what made the hug happen?” she asked, and I looked back at her.

“Nope,” I said, popping the p, thinking she didn’t need to know what might be happening.

“Alright you keep your secrets, but I have to say I approve of riding the mechanic till the cows come home.” She blew me a kiss while I shook my head.

I think I approved too.

14

DEV

Seeing Geraldo in the coffee shop scared the shit out of me. He was a fucking manic that was fine doing things on his own. His mantra was, it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Not that he ever asked for forgiveness, but he tended to go rogue very quickly.

Once I followed Darcy home, staying until I was sure she locked herself in, I was able to take a deep breath without anxiety bubbling in my chest. I debated if I wanted to tell Evan what had happened. He was going to freak out worse than I did, but I knew if we weren’t all on the same page, then how could we protect her? I wish I knew if Geraldo was there on his own or if Lucio had sent him.

I waited until I got home, surveying the neighborhood as I pulled up the driveway. It was easy to assume that he would never hurt us, but I wouldn't put anything past Lucio. If hurting us meant that he would get what he wanted or needed, he would do it in a heartbeat. I promised myself we would never be the collateral he needed to succeed, especially Ava.

The house was empty as I walked in; I threw my keys on the entryway table. Lucio had given my ma a good home, that was relatively new, it had enough space for us to live comfortably. I hated that she had to rely on him when she needed to but the house was paid for.

It would be stupid of us to move just out of spite, but it gave us a chance to save money. One day I would move us away, and I wanted to make sure my family wanted for nothing. That’s what they deserved, and I wouldn’t rest until they were safe from him.

Ava and my ma would be home soon, so I checked on the stew in the crockpot my ma had started this morning. It needed just a little more time before it was done, giving me a chance to finish the two loaves of bread. Taking the cloth off the top of the bowl, I punched down and split the dough my ma left rising, separating it into two loaves, leaving it to rise again. I knew I was just delaying the inevitable in calling Evan to tell him Darcy might be in danger. It was going to hurt him and make him hate himself even more.

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed his number as I walked into my bedroom. Not much had changed in the years we had lived here. I honestly thought we wouldn’t be here for too long, so there was no point in putting pictures up or making it my own. It had the same queen-sized bed,

“Is she ok?” Evan answered in a panic.

“She's fine but Geraldo stopped by and bought coffee,” I said, sitting on my bed.

“Shit, fuck, goddammit, kuso,” Evan snarled, his voice not so loud making me think he put his phone down to swear. “Hold on, I’m going to get Giovanni on the phone with us.”

The line went silent as I waited for them to get on the phone. I wondered what Darcy was doing, kicking myself for not getting her number, just in case I needed to text her and check on her, or Geraldo stopped by the shop again. I’m still surprised she didn’t grill me about him, demanding answers that I didn’t know how to answer.

Evan never told me how much of his life she knew about. But knowing him, he’s kept her in the dark the entire time. I didn’t want to be the person who had to give her a crash course in the underground workings of a wannabe gangster and how her ex-lover is pretty high up the food chain.

“Giovanni?” Evan’s voice came through the phone.

“What happened?” Giovanni asked, while I heard my niece in the background yelling something.

“Geraldo was snooping around the coffee shop,” Evan snarled, like he was barely keeping it together.

“He walked in and ordered coffee, by the time I walked in he looked like he was debating what to do with Darcy. Maybe I read the situation wrong, but as soon as I stepped in, he looked at me like he was ready for a fight,” I said, rubbing my head.

“I don’t think Lucio sent him.” Giovanni broke the silence.

“It's a possibility and you know how he likes to venture off and do things by himself. He might be doing this just to get in Lucio’s good graces even more,” I said. It was utterly stupid how these men fucked each other over thinking it was going to get them some brownie points with Lucio.

“So, let's assume he is doing this on his own. You think he just has his focus on Darcy?” Evan exhaled loudly.

We were all silent as we thought of our families and what that meant for them. The need to do something drastic like go and kill him made me sneer with disgust, but I knew if I had to I would do it to save all of our families. I was taking deep breaths to calm myself down, thinking if he did anything to Darcy, I know Evan and I would be on the same page to get rid of him.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we need to think things through and not be reckless.” Giovanni was the voice of reason. “Let me see if my men have heard anything or maybe one of them can find out.”

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