Page 127 of My Mafia King

“Oh, damn it. You’ve scared the shit out of me,” she says. “I didn’t know it was you. Where are you?”

“Where are you?” I ask, still very much tense.

“I finished work, and I’m on my way to your aunt’s house. I’m trying not to get killed,” she jokes.

“What?? What happened? Is Tina okay?”

“Yes. Everything’s fine. We’re laying low, although I had to go to work. It’s good that I left that night. Anthony came to my house with two men––a neighbor told me.”

“What did they want?”

“My neighbor couldn’t tell. She got a glimpse of them when they left. They looked suspicious. Tell me about it. They were in the back. Or they came from behind the house. I couldn’t make myself go there the following day, so I went there yesterday to get some clothes and things I needed. Everything looked all right. They didn’t break into the house, and my car was still there. I didn’t touch it. I’m using cabs now. They didn’t come back, and none of them came to the restaurant, so I don’t know what they are up to. I also talked to Stella. Your father comes back next week.”

“Okay… How’s Tina?”

“She’s all right.”

A smile lines her voice.

“I keep telling her you’re coming back to get her. You might need to get me too if things don’t get any better,” she jokes again, but neither of us laughs. “What’s going on with you? Is this a new phone?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to the other one?”

“Nothing. It’s a long story,” I say quietly.

“Why are you so sad all of a sudden?”

I lean back in my seat.

“It’s what you said about you and her and those idiots who came to your place.”

“You can’t control what people do.”

“I know,” I say. “I’ve made some money,” I continue. “Well, I got lucky. I’ll try to make some more and come back home as quickly as possible. How far do you think I can get with ten grand?”

“Ten thousand dollars?? Are you serious?” She laughs at the other end of the phone line. “If I had that kind of money, I’d quit my job, move someplace else, and find myself a nice guy to start a life with.”

“So you think it’s enough to start a new life?”

“There isn’t such a thing as enough. Nothing is enough, but you can start somewhere. For me, it would be more than enough. And for you, it would be a starting point.”

“Thank you for saying that. It gives me hope.”

A few moments pass as we both think about our stuff.

“Don’t lose hope, Car. Things will get better.”

I sigh.

“I also need a lawyer to help me with becoming Tina’s legal guardian. That will cost me, too.”

“You’ll do everything you need to do. You’ll see. I have faith in you. You already made some cash, and you just got there.”

If she knew.

“Did you get a place to stay?”

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