Page 6 of My Mafia King

“Is Stella in?” she asks quietly. “Did you see her?” she murmurs, moving her focus to me.

I nod.

“She’s in his room. Sleeping.”

“And him?”

I shrug.

“I have no idea. I don’t think he’s back from his trip.”

“Go then. What are you waiting for?” she says silently, smiling.

I commend her for her courage.

“I’m not afraid,” she says, although I notice that her voice and hands begin to tremble.

I take her face in my hands and look her in the eyes.

“Look at me, Tina.”

She lifts her gaze to me, her courage swiftly disappearing.

“We’ll get through this,” I say. “We will. I won’t let you down. I promise you that. You won’t need to wait to be eighteen to leave this house. I’ll help you. And we will have our place far away from him. We’ll decorate it for Halloween and listen to your favorite music in the evenings. Bring over your friends. And dance and tell jokes.”

“And have money,” she says, joking, although not entirely.

“Yes. And have money,” I say seriously, my voice breaking. “Get in touch with Jen. I’ll call her when I have news and send messages through her. I need to know you’re okay, so talk to her. Not now. After his fury sizzles out. If it gets to that. You know the drill. Just stay safe.”

“His madness won’t sizzle out.”

“I know. But he’ll grow tired at some point, and then he’ll want to drink, get high, and gamble whatever money he has left. He’ll try to forget.”

I pause before speaking again.

“Say‘hi’to Stella for me. No. Don’t. She doesn’t need to know that you and I have talked about this. She seems a decent woman, but you never know with these women. Even if she doesn’t tell him about us, he has his methods to get more information from her. So no. Don’t do it. Act surprised. Or better yet. Give them your poker face.”

“This?” she murmurs, and a mask slides over her face, her expression becoming unreadable.

I chuckle quietly.

“Yes. This,” I say and lean to her and kiss her cheek just as the roar of a truck echoes in the distance.

“Oh, fuck. He’s already here,” I say and jolt up. “Go back to sleep. He won’t know I’m gone, and tomorrow, go to Edith. She doesn’t have to know a thing about this. Not now, at least. Nothing. No one needs to know. He’ll come after all of us if he suspects something. You don’t want to get caught into this.”

“Go,” she says, her eyes illuminated by two shafts of light coming from outside. “Where’s the car? It’s not nearby, is it?” she asks.

“No, it’s not. I love you,” I toss at her before winding my arm around her neck, pulling her small frame into mine, and kissing the top of her head. “Be strong. And don’t forget about the things I’ve promised.”

The car engine is quiet now, and the lights die out before the door cracks open, and I step away from her.

Walking backward, I reach the small window and peek outside.

A massive silhouette slides out of the driver’s seat and slams the door shut before I climb the window sill.

I wait for him to push through the main door, look at my sister one last time, wave at her, and climb out the window.

My heart is with her, tattered at her feet.

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