CARMEN
I latch both hands down onto Luca's shoulders. Knowing as soon as my brain started to process what I was seeing in front of me, he would too. But thankfully, he was just short enough to where he couldn't quite see the bodies. There were too many people in the way.
I use all of my strength to haul his shocked but fighting self back down the street. He fights me relentlessly to break free, but I couldn't let him.
"Fuck." I whimper, clutching his hand tighter than any hand should be held.
"Where are they!" He yells, heaving from the pace we're walking at. We couldn't run, it would be obvious. Maybe even the police would think it was suspicious.
"Calm down." My voice is shaky. Trying to figure out an escape plan. My eyes scan every passing car and house. There weren't many people on the street in the direction we were walking.
"You can't tell me to calm down, you're the one shaking!" He shrieks, struggling to breathe.
"Luca, please." I subconsciously let out a cry as tears start to roll down my cheeks. I take another deep breath before turning on survival mode. We had to get away from the open road. Anyone passing could see our faces clearly.
Where the fuck is Stefano?
"Through here." I pushed him ahead to walk in front of me so my body blocked his view as we walked between two homes.
The ocean was on the other side. If anything we could wait it out on the beach. What was I going to tell Luca? Running away from the scene was enough to fill his head with questions.
Further down, a large cabana sat in someone's backyard. It was a vacation home I'm sure, the lights weren't turned on inside the house.
Guiding him towards it and in. I climb in behind him, pulling the small rope tied around the pole to free the large curtain to block us.
"Where are they?" He asks me again, shaken up by the sight he saw. Staring at me with wide eyes. He blinks repeatedly, never taking his eyes away from me.
"They're okay." They're fine.
"My house was on fire. They're in there. They have to be in there!" His voice raised the more he started to blurt out words.
"Stefano's car wasn't in the driveway, they aren't there." Relief washed over his face.
He practically shoved me out of the door, was this planned? Those two at the fair were watching me. That spill wasn't a coincidence. It couldn't have been, it was just too obvious.
Our legs were laid straight out as we faced each other. Well hidden in the sheltered bungalow.
I felt overly protective for some reason. I don't know why. I've only just met the boy. But instead of worrying about myself at this moment, Luca was my only concern, and Stefano.
It could be the fact that he's literally like a mini Stefano, and my husband means everything to me. And so does his happiness and everything that mattered to him. But also, he's grown on me the past few hours.
"You don't have a phone how will we find them?" He questions.
"We will." I deadpan.
"Why are we hiding? Why didn't you ask the police what happened? Are you sure you didn't see them?" What could I possibly tell him? Just that some war was probably the reason that his house has just gone up into flames?
"I panicked." I murmur, and it wasn't a lie.
Why couldn't Stefano just tell me what's on his mind without me having to drill it out of him? How many times am I going to have to beg him to let me in on things. How could this be our Mafia as he claims if he doesn't tell me. I'm not a mind reader.
I thought he was getting better. Even opening up more. He did just an hour ago. Telling me about the diner and his favorite cake. It was the small things that mattered.
He was an observer, not a speaker. Fuck, he let me touch his credit card. His credit card. He gave me his credit card.
Stefano rarely used his credit card.
"The card." I whisper, feeling a tug in the pit of my stomach. My mouth opened and closed, thinking of the possibility. It made sense, he gave the card to me so he could keep track of us. He would know exactly where we were when I used it.
Either meaning he did it because I was watching after his only son. Or when something like this went down, he would know where to find us.
"Did you lose it?" Luca asks frantically.
"If I buy something it'll charge the card. He'll know where we are, we have to go." I bounce up from the cushions, holding my hand out and helping him out.
"Shouldn't we go back? What if they go back and we aren't there. They could be at the police station or the hospital already." The last place Stefano Genoves would ever be, so no, I don't think so.
"Your dad, he doesn't like a crowd. Or police, hospitals scare him. I'm sure Giselle left a candle burning or something. It could have caught a curtain, they're fine that's what matters. We'll charge the card and see what happens. We can go to the station if they don't come okay?"
I start to nervously form lies the longer I spoke.
"All my stuff is gone." I don't look down at him, knowing his teary eyes would make me even more upset than I already am.
I had to charge this card somewhere fast.
Stefano wasn't the kind of man to be messed with. He is always one step ahead of everyone else. What happened in Boston really caught him by surprise. It wouldn't have just happened again like this, and after he promised me no one would find us here.
This must be his doing. But he wouldn't just explode a house and Luca's things.
There were so many questions.
"I've seen him charge it before and it sent an automatic notification to his phone, let's just hope he has it with him." I pull at his wrist, furthering back down between the two homes again. We make it back to the sidewalk seconds before his body leaped out in front of mine.
"What if they got hurt." I frown, taking a deep breath out of my mouth.
"We can't think like that. I mean, his car wasn't there." He told me to leave. I ignore the burning pain in my chest from hearing his words.
"Maybe they went to get desert too and they dont know about the fire. We need to go back, listen to me Carmen!" He liked the chocolate cake from the diner.
"We will go to the diner. Your dad mentioned he liked their chocolate cake. Don't worry, they're probably there right now." Right up ahead was the diner. How fucking irnoic.
"What do you mean? The diner doesn't have chocolate cake." He asks me with a confused look on his face.
I like going to this diner.
I don't look back. Quickly crossing the street and making it up to the glass door. My eyes scan the diner, and they aren't here.
"A water to go." I demand, wrapping my arm around Luca's shoulders and pulling him over to an empty booth nearby. I choose one away from the entrance or any windows. Having him slide in before I sit down right next to him.
"I hate water." He complains from next to me, grabbing a packet of sugar and fiddling with it from the end of the table.
"You aren't drinking it." I tense each time the bell hanging above the door chimes.
"Giselle will be sad, all of her things are gone."
His nose scrunched up. Shoving the sugar back down into the holder.
"At least you're okay, and so are they."
A waitress brings over the water, leaving a straw and taking the card in my hand. I take the straw out of the wrapper and swirl the water around.
"You really aren't going to drink that?" He asks, giving me a weird look.
"I'm not very thirsty right now." With a rocky voice. He looks away and back down to the sugars.
"I count things when i'm scared." He murmurs, leaning back into the booth. I open my mouth to speak, but i'm cut off when the bell chimes, distracting me again.
"It declinded." Throwing the card back down onto the table. I lift my head up in disbelief.
"What do you mean it declined?" It couldn't have declined. Stefano Genovese with no money? That's a hilarious thought.
"I mean, your card declined." She bent over, taking the drink back and leaving.
"Dad's broke?" Luca gasped.
"Get up." Stefano. I snap my head up to see Stefano rushing towards me, and I move. Jumping out of the booth, I turn back to grab onto Luca's arm. Forcing him out.
"Through the back, Carmen." Wrapping my arm around his neck. I push Luca forward. Feeling Stefano's back shove into mine from behind.
"What's wrong?" Luca asks, turning around.
"Don't stop moving." Stefano demands, stepping around me and putting in more effort to move Luca along. Since he wasn't giving into my touch.
"Go go." Now pushing me, I look behind me to meet the worried eyes of Giselle. The widen when a row of windows get shot through just before my eyes.
Pulling me down himself, Stefano wrapped his arm around my waist and pressed another to my back. Tripping and making me fall into his chest on the ground.
I gasp lowly, pushing my legs up to make room for Giselle next to me behind the counter.
I make eye contact with her ducked down beside me. Placing her hand over mine on the floor. She looks behind my head towards Stefano. Nodding wordlessly, her eyes find mine again and only for a second. With a small and genuine smile.
I lean off of him, and over to the side, closer to her and the end of the tall counter.
She pushes my body along. Gesturing me to move as Stefanos hand hooked around my waist to pull me in his direction again.
Slowly following, her head moves up a bit to peek over the counter for the rest of us since Stefano was too busy reloading his gun behind Luca's back.
Still oblivious and staring at me. I watch a tear leak down his red cheek.
"What are we doing?" Mouthing his words.
My hand flies up to gain his attention back. Taking his eyes away from Stefano's working hands. Flipping my hand over to show him my clammy palm. I move my fingers in a motion so he'd place his hand in mine.
He does hesitantly. Watching me closely as I turn his hand over. And I start to trace his palm. Following every visible vein with my finger. Opening my mouth when his eyes flickered up. I lift the upper half of my body and my head slightly. Taking in a silent deep breath. And blowing out smoothly. Waiting for him to try.
It was something I did with Jax when he was upset. My mom taught me at Luca's age.
A hand on the side of my head brings me out of my little meditative state. Looking to the side and at Stefano. I take in the poisonous look in his eyes. But savor his thumb rubbing down my cheeky gently. Like saying thank you, Carmen.
I gulp, feeling Giselle move behind me.
"Now's the time to move." Barely whispering into my ear. I take his hand away from my face. Turning my head back around I give him a small nod to continue.
He acts fast, grabbing Luca's attention and telling him it's okay to move. I watch him slowly crawl towards the back room, and thankfully the diner didn't have any shut doors. The doorways were all open. It wouldn't be so obvious that we were back here.
I follow Stefano, mentally swearing him for only being hunched over and not on his knees.
And I give him a glare when he turns his head back to look at me. We continue and the moment the two of them make it behind the wall, it was like I took a breath of fresh air.
Releasing a deep breath, I'm halfway there when I realize I hadn't checked on Giselle as Stefano had me.
My head turns to see her clutching her hip, but still trying to move. She was close, close enough for me to crawl a couple of inches back and help.
I look between the pained expression on her face and Stefano's lips mouthing no and decide to go against his words like I always do.
Turning my body around. Sitting down on the floor and softly. I slide myself on the slick tiles to reach her. Making sure that I avoided the broken pieces of glass as I do.
I ignore the disapproving look on her face and thankfully with my help she starts to move faster. Throwing my leg basically around her body. I hunch down as Stefano did. Slipping both arms under hers. I lift the front of her body a bit, so she's sliding on her knees.
Slow but steady.
"Almost there." I whisper, managing the pain spiking through my back. She was small and getting tinier due to old age. Her weed pulling was definitely doing damage to her knees and back.
The screaming grew louder from the other side of the counter. They were mixed with the pleading of a man begging for his son's life in exchange for his. His begging turned into an agonizing scream seconds after another gunshot rang through the place.
The sound caused Giselle to stop moving. Giving up completely and becoming almost lifeless in my arms. I snap my head up towards the doorway, half expecting the two of them to have left by now. But Stefano was still there, staring with an impassive look on his face.
"Giselle you have to keep moving!" I murmur.
Shaking her, I put her arms down waiting for her to move but she doesn't. I look to Stefano again, watching him wave me over repeatedly. Pointing over to another door in the back, the exit. I shake my head, stepping over her and picking her head up from the ground that I placed her carefully on. She still doesn't make any effort to move, with closed eyes.
Did she faint? My fingers trace her skin, looking for a pulse, and I get one.
She was alive.
"Look behind the register!" Yelling loud and clear. I gasp internally, removing my shaking hands from her head. I look again, up to the doorframe, but Stefano's large body filled my vision. Picking me up himself and dragging me away from Giselle. I fight against him, pushing harshly against his chest.
"Stefano no." I whisper harshly. Getting shoved into Luca's standing body beside the exit.
"Stefano please."
"Daddy please." Both begging him at the same time. He pushed the two of us out and closes the exit door smoothly. Both Luca and I follow him around the corner of the building, but slowly. Dragging our feet, my head turns side to side. Looking for someone else to pop out with a gun at any second.
"She's still in there!" Luca yells at the top of his lungs. Pointing back to the door, and making a run for it. My arm wraps around his neck, restricting him.
She was passed out. They would just shoot her right then and there would they? She seemed to be dead, I have hope she'll be okay.
She'll be fine.
"The car, get the car." Growling, Stefano picks Luca up entirely. Throwing the boy over his shoulder with ease.
I move as told. There would only be a matter of time before the exit door would open. I barely made it out without the man finding me.
"Get out of the car!" I shriek, running up to a delivery driver's car. My fists bang against the glass causing it to echo loudly through the alleyway.
The guy looked up from his steering wheel and rolled his eyes, turning his head back to dial down the blaring stereo before rolling down the window. His head jerks to the side doing a double-take to what's behind my trembling body.
"Fuck man. I just bought this car!" He yelled with wide eyes, but faster than I could process, he opened the door for me. Before climbing through the passenger and getting out with both arms raised above his head. Mumbling incoherent words.
I don't think anything of it, turning to see Luca staring at the gun in Stefano's hand, and screaming bloody murder at the sight of it. He went wild, trying to break free from his father's hold.
"I'll sit in the back with him." I speak loudly, not sure if my trembling voice would be heard over Luca's screams. I unlock and open the door just as the gunshots grew louder from inside the building. Whoever is shooting, they're in there killing innocent lives for the hell of it.
I climb in, grabbing onto both of Luca's shoulders as Stefano shoves him in, passing him to me. I hold him tightly against my chest as he breaks down. Giving up, and gasping for air in my arms.
I don't notice the car start to move at a dangerously high speed. Or even make it out of town and to the interstate ahead.
My hands rake through Luca's hair in hopes of calming him down. Squeezing him, and not minding how uncomfortable I felt by our awkward position on the backseat. I keep my arms wrapped and locked around his back.
Pressing his head tightly against my chest. Mentally praising when his sobs start to slowly come to a calm.
I look up for once, meeting Stefano's gaze through the rearview mirror. He held my eyes for a few seconds before guiding them back to the road ahead. And this time, I recognized the look in his eyes clearly.
"What you did was stupid."
"What?" Laughing slightly, I squint my eyes at him.
"Going back for her, you shouldn't have done it." Growling, I bite the inside of my cheek, tasting the metallic bloody taste on my tongue. And cringing at how fast the car suddenly came to a stop, right on an airstrip. I don't know even know how long I was stuck in my head.
"What, all along you were going to just leave her?" He removes himself from the car and quickly opens the back door to pick up Luca's sleeping body from my lap.
"Come on." He whispers, looking over and straight at me. I crawl out of the car, shutting the door quietly not to wake up the sleeping boy and make my way over to the plane. Taking a large step back when Stefano came rushing back down the steps with empty arms.
Waving off the pilot, he waits for him to walk up the stairs and out of sight before panicking.
"No one knows Carmen. No one fucking knows about him, what the fuck do I do now?" My eyes widen at his words. Grabbing onto my shoulders. His pain filled doe eyes meet mine in panic.
"We'll figure this out together, okay? This isn't the time to full out panic. I need you, we both do. Listen to me alright?" Grabbing onto both of his cheeks.
He's only ever freaked out like this at the hotel.
"I didn't want him in this world! Know one knows about him. He'd be the fucking heir. It doesn't matter if i'd kept him secret."
"To your mafia." I whisper understanding.
"Our Mafia." Murmuring when he placed his forehead against mine quietly.
"It can't be ours if you don't share things with me." Pressing my hands harder again this cheeks. I take release a sigh the same time he does.
"It happened suddenly. I got the call minutes before I told you to leave."
"If I had know-"
"You would have anxiously given yourself away. Carmen, you're still getting used to this lifestyle, baby. I can't be there to hold your hand all of the time. I couldn't be there to comfort you. Not telling you was the only option." He was right on that one.
I nod, letting him know I understood.
"I just wanted him to have a good life. A childhood, something I didn't get, and i've fucked it up." I stay quiet, listening and watching him walk off to pace the space between me and the plane.
"Let's get on the plane." It was loud, and I didn't like him yelling. It also wasn't safe standing out in the open like this, especially in the dark. We were open targets, like sitting ducks.
But he doesn't register my words. Dragging both hands over his face.
"Talk to me, just talk. I'm here, i'm listening." I beg, trying to calm him down with my words. His frantic eyes met mine the second that his hands slide up into his hair, pulling harshly at the dark roots.
Walking slowly up to his trembling body. He lifted his gaze to glare at me, squinting his eyes while his thick brows furrowed in defeat. Watching my arms closely as they move up and grab onto his shoulders.
"Stefano he's safe, you saved him. You've protected him." I ramble, trying to find the right words to say. Yet every single word that left my mouth felt wrong, and not nearly enough.
"It's my fault." He speaks, clearing his throat roughly after. Shrugging my hands away to intertwine our fingers. I followed his gaze and every spot it hit. Just waiting for something else to happen. I grip his hands tightly. Pulling him to move closer to the steps up to the plane.
"You can't possibly believe that." I murmur, not sure if Luca was asleep on one of the couches. I knew if I were in his position, sleeping would be my safety net. When you're sleep you can't think. You can't feel the pain in your own thoughts.
We enter and he isn't, but there's a small entrance to the back of the jet meaning there was probably a bed.
I sigh heavily, sitting down onto a chair and feeling a slight punch in my heart when he doesn't sit next to me. But instead on the other side of the jet, strapping himself in straight away.
I follow his movement, buckling the belt and sitting quietly, keeping my thoughts to myself.
"His mother what happened to her?" I ask hesitantly, after the jet had lifted into the sky.
I watch him from across the jet, as I remained tensed and he relaxed fully into his single seat, adjusting and spreading his legs to grow comfortable. His gaze wouldn't meet mine, not even his head wouldn't lift, remaining tilted towards the floor.
"Child birth." He speaks darkly, and without any remorse. Watching his chest raise higher with the deep breath that he takes before his head turns up to face mine. The glinted look in his eyes screamed surrender.
"She wouldn't have taken care of him, she had no means to. Her life was purely drug filled and sex. She wasn't born into it no, she chose it. She walked into it, she asked for it herself. I used what she had to offer for just one night, which was her body and she gave me a life.
A baby boy whom I chose to keep a secret. So that he would never have to experience women like her, the addiction to this world, to the power. I gave him a normal life, the one that I dreamt of as a child and never could experience, but he's here. In fucking danger because of me and my doings."
"No one knows about him. The house is burnt down Stefano, no one could possibly know a kid lived in that house."
"No, I lit it myself. After the two of you left, we did." I wince at the thought. He burnt all of their belongings. Every meaningful thing that they've collected over the years was gone in the matter of minutes.
"I had to." Still looking emotionless.
"Where will we go now, New York? Italy?"
His head snapped up, hearing my words. Glaring hard without meaning to. His jaw was kept locked in a permanent hold.
"We're safer in the air. They think we're dead." Laughing darkly, his head fell back against the seats headrest.
"They?" The men at the diner? Giovanni?
"Enough questions for the night."
"Answer my question Stefano! Who thinks we're dead? Giovanni?" I look him dead straight in his eyes. Letting him know how serious I was.
"Our family." And all hell breaks loose.
"What the fuck do you mean they think we're dead Stefano?" I shriek, standing up from the seat. Walking quickly over to him. I fall down into the seat beside him. Forcing him to look me in the eyes.
"They heard of the yacht burning in Boston. They're likely to assume we burnt with the rest of them." The yacht caught fire? And they knew we traveled to Boston, the guards did. I know that Giovanni did.
"Then who was after us just now?"
"Giovanni and his little troop."
"He isn't going to give up is he?" I knew the answer to that already.
"He's a rat. I should have known when he lied and basically told me that you were cheating on me." I grab his hand. Listening to the loud and clear sigh fall from his parted lips.
"And you believed him." Obviously, you were always gone.
"I really didn't believe or think it until everyone started to mention it. But I confronted Harper about it, and she called me crazy for even thinking like that. I should have listened to her. But I just thought back to your other fiancé." I joke.
"You said that she loved someone else. I can understand why you had to touch her, it's not like we were together. I just don't get why she just- I don't get it. If you love someone, then why? Why did she even want to? I'm still jealous over it." I babble, trying to get the right words out of my mouth. His eyes find mine and I quit trying.
"She was raised to have no remorse. Like the rest of us. She is a spitting image of her father. On the inside of course. Exactly like her father, Carmen. She honestly in her mind, cares for only herself. And what she believes is good for her, what will benefit her. Her family will cheat to get what they want. They do what they want, with no consequences. They're cheats, liars. Scum. That applies to the rest of the Mafia. You can't trust anyone, and once you realize that, my Carmen. Well- let's pray you won't create blood baths, or worse try to run."
"And you wouldn't? I mean, do the necessary."
"I have. And so will you."