Page 20 of My Mafia Queen

He disarms the other two men as well.

The third man collects everything and walks away.

Three cars are parked in front of my place while my ride–– the fourth car––sits in the driveway.

I can’t get out.

The newcomers remind me of Salla’s men.

Strong with a streak of craziness, not people you want to deal with on a good day, let alone a bad one.

Definitely, Salla’s men.

I can’t quite see the connection unless he instructed someone to follow me.

I don’t have time to ponder that, and I’m not interested in seeing how this incident unfolds.

All I want is to get out of here.

Since the front is not an option, I yank the bag off the floor, sling it over my shoulder, pick up the baseball bat, and make a beeline for the backyard.

The exit door makes a clunking noise when I push it open and close it behind me.

The only way out is by jumping over my neighbor’s fence and sprinting across her backyard.

Hopefully, her dog is inside the house and doesn’t bark.

I dash in that direction and swing the baseball bat over the fence before I climb it and fall to the ground in my neighbor’s backyard. I pick it up and zip away.

The dog doesn’t bark. And none of the men follow me.

The street spreads out in front of me. It has never looked longer.

It will take me forever to get to my aunt’s house.

And where do I go from there?

4

CARMINA

Later

At Edith’shouse

“Are you sure?”Jen asks, sliding into a seat at the kitchen table with her fingers curled around a cup of coffee.

Tina naps upstairs while Edith is visiting a friend.

The sun glides over the windows, warming the house.

“Yes, I am,” I say. “Anthony is after me. And dangerous men are after him. You and Tina will be safe here. I’ll leave some money and go back to get my car tonight.”

“You can use mine.”

I dismiss her words with a quick gesture.

“No need to. I’ll be fine. I need to get my car and make sure the door is fixed before my father returns home. If I leave it like that, he’ll throw a fit and know something’s wrong. Here,” I say, reaching inside my bag and pulling out ten thousand dollars.

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