“Regrets hurt.” I pressed my hand to my chest, and she nodded.
“Sienna,” she tried to pronounce my name, and I smiled, “I,” she pointed to herself, “Anja.”
“That’s a pretty name, Anja.”
She looked back at the house and twisted her sweater tighter around her body, which was odd as it was a very warm day.
“Anja, do you want to call your family? Talk to your mama or papa?”
“No,” she shook her head, “no family. That’s why I was chosen.”
That caught my attention.
“Do you mean the man who took you?”
Her eyes widened, and I thought she caught on to who I was getting at.
“My Italian very bad. I grow tired. So tired.”
I stepped in her way as she started to leave. “I think your Italian is very good.” I studied her pink cheeks and saw fear flicker across her eyes. “You’re safe here. No one will hurt you.” Her gaze moved up to the house, and I followed her line of slight but couldn’t see anyone. “I just want to be your friend, Anja. Everyone needs a friend.”
“So tired.” She moved past me and hurried toward the house, leaving me to wonder what in the world was going through her head.
I sank down to sit on a stump and tried to gather my thoughts. So many things were happening that I wasn’t sure where to even begin. But my heart broke for Anja. She had no one and was now living in a place where she had to learn the language and live in a stranger’s house. Not to mention one that was ruled by a crazy old lady. I plucked a weed that was encroaching on a flower and scowled at it.Why can’t you leave good things be?
“I told you to keep your head down and not talk to her,” one of the workers snapped at someone else. I squinted through the garden, trying to see who it was.
“Remember what he said. Scared eyes bring big paychecks.”
I froze and held my breath, terrified they might hear me. I was quickly jolted back to a memory of one of Jacob’s men saying that very thing in New York.
Without a thought, I scrambled to my feet and raced to the open door and flung myself inside. I texted Vinni to come get me but stopped short when I heard Mariano’s voice almost in a yell. Slowly, I moved toward the partially closed door and peeked inside.
“We had a deal, Anja. You listen and tell me what you know.”
“She didn’t say anything.” Anja smacked her hand down on the back of the chair, and it wasn’t lost on me that she spoke Italian very well. “She just wanted to make sure I was all right and said if I needed anything to come to her.”
“And did you ask her about—”
“No! I didn’t have the chance. Mariano, you need to back off, I know what I have to do, but breathing down my neck every few days isn’t going to make it happen any faster.”
“I just need to make one call to Stefano and your ass will be shipped back to that hell-hole life of yours. Understood?”
“Yeah.”
“Pardon me?”
She glared at him. “Yes, boss.”
I stepped back, shocked at what I was hearing. Had Anja been planted here by Stefano? And in what sick world did Mariano need to be called “boss?” My stomach rolled, but when I heard a chair scrape in the room, I snapped out of it and raced to the front door as Vinni pulled in the driveway.
“Hey, you!” He opened the door for me. He looked over my shoulder and smiled at someone. I didn’t wait to find out who, and didn’t want to know, so I slipped into the seat, not making eye contact with anyone.
“Have a good one, Nonna.” He waved and joined me in the car. “How was the visit? Seemed short.”
“Yes, but it was interesting.” I started to open my mouth but stopped myself. Perhaps I needed to wait and just share this with Piero.
“I think it’s a start.” His eyes met mine in the mirror as he spoke.