Page 53 of My Mafia Queen

Vegas, to me, was nothing more than a place where I could make some money, not the alluring city with so many things to experience.

I understand now why we have been in such a hurry to leave the hotel.

We had so many things to do.

We bought some clothes downstairs before heading to a shooting range, where I learned and practiced how to shoot a gun.

Then, we stopped for lunch at a pizzeria.

It wasn’t any kind of pizzeria as we had a private room, and the owner––who knows Damaso––made sure the food and drinks were to our satisfaction.

Four men, his bodyguards, accompany us all the time.

These are the men I usually see outside his suite.

They didn’t eat with us, but they had food, too––Damaso told me when I expressed concerns they might go hungry.

He met my genuine worry with a smile. And then I realized that after all these years of parenting my sister, I’d gotten into the habit of making sure everybody was all right.

We spent the afternoon in the Valley of Fire, about less than an hour north of Vegas.

The area simply took my breath away.

Everything took my breath away.

The scenic drive.

The panoramic view of the desert.

The red sandstone geological formations dating back millions of years. The petroglyphs speaking of a distant past.

Mouth agape, I soaked it all in, and when the sunset glazed the Aztec sandstone, I truly forgot how to breathe.

Everything gleamed red, like it was coated with fire.

He seemed just as impressed as I was, although he confessed it wasn’t his first time there.

And then I took some pictures. Not of us. It was mostly the landscape and the sky. We’d bought the camera in Las Vegas, and I quickly learned how to use it.

I try to use it even now as we drive to our destination.

It’s dark outside, too dark, in fact, the only light spreading out in front of us coming from our armored SUV, but the darkness makes the stars seem closer and brighter than ever.

It’s like the sky drips stars onto the windshield.

“Do you like it?” he asks, his eyes rooted on the road.

“I’ve never seen something so beautiful,” I murmur solemnly.

The windows are down, and the temperature is perfect.

The breeze threads through my hair, and I run my fingers over my face to brush it all back, only to start all over when the wind blows again.

Except for the headlights, there is nothing but darkness and the magnificent sky studded with diamonds. It’s like seeing these things and experiencing freedom for the first time.

“You’ve been here before,” I say, looking at him.

The wind blows in his hair, so he runs his fingers through it and brushes it all back, only to start all over like me.

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