She nods. “Have you ordered breakfast yet? I’d rather eat here.”
“Go ahead. I’ll have whatever you have,” I say.
“Eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast,” she says. “That’s the plan.”
She goes to the phone and orders the food, and we sit silently while waiting. I’m musing over the plan in my mind, going over the last few details of how this is going to go down.
Once we’re eating at the table, Amelia gives me a steady gaze. “Tell me the plan, Frankie. I want to be prepared.”
I nod, swallowing some scrambled eggs. “We’re going to split up.”
“Is that safe?” she asks immediately. “Shouldn’t we stay together?”
“We’re going to have some folks who look like us take one way. I’ll take another and you another. Don’t worry, there will be guards with you to protect you,” I explain.
She continues to eat, not saying anything, so I continue, “The plan is to throw them off our trail or split them up at least. Get home, stay home, and make a new plan from there.”
“I can’t believe he’s related to a drug lord,” she says softly. “I should have known.”
“We didn’t even know, and we make it our business to know Amelia,” I point out. “He’s a love child. His father is the brother of Jose Catalan, and his mother was a mistress that got pregnant. There’s no direct tie or name matching or anything. He is basically a blot on the family name. But they’ve wanted something on us for a while, and now they have it. So, they’re going to come for us.”
Chapter 13 - Amelia
I listen to Frankie explain who Dave is to the drug-lord family.
“We’re waiting for our men and the woman to arrive, and then we’ll leave this afternoon,” he says.
“I don’t understand. Why come for you?” I ask. “Why not go for Alessandro? As head of the family.”
“Because,” Frankie says, “I’m the one directly suppressing his influence in our territory. I’m the one who is keeping him at bay. This is the territory that I manage for the family. Taking me out will destabilize the family and the territory, and while we try and regroup, he can make his move to take over.”
I think about what he says. “So, Dave is the nephew of this Don Catalan?” I ask.
Frankie nods, so I continue, “And he has been looking for a reason to get to you, so he’s using the fact you put Dave in the hospital to put a hit on you.”
Frankie nods again.
I think about it for another while, and we sit in silence before I say, “Do you think that’s why Dave dated me? Because we have a history? Maybe he wanted to goad you.”
Frankie’s expression changes. “I hadn’t thought of it that way, but you never know. It could be the case because Jose really has wanted to make his move for some time. If they found out we had been together before, it may be the reason Dave was bold enough to attack you in my club.”
I sigh, feeling somewhat hurt. “I guess no one can just love me for me.”
Frankie looks like he’s about to say something when there’s a knock on the door. Frankie’s hand goes to the holster on his side that I hadn’t noticed, and he stands up. “Stay here.”
I watch as he approaches the front door. “Who’s there?”
“It’s Joel,” a familiar voice comes through the door. “We’re here for the main course.”
I pull a face. It must be some kind of code to let Frankie know it’s safe. He opens the door, steps out, looks around, and steps back in, followed by several buff guards and a man and woman who look very similar to Frankie and me. I stand, no longer hungry, and I get a bottle of sparkling water out of the room bar.
Frankie and Joel immediately start discussing the travel arrangements while the look-alikes simply stand to the side, waiting for their orders. I always knew the Sorvino family was powerful, this is the world I grew up in too, but I think they are more powerful, with more loyal supporters than any family I’ve ever seen.
Frankie turns to me. “Change of plans. They couldn’t get tickets for this afternoon, so we’ll make a break for it early in the morning.”
I nod. “No problem,” I say. “Are we just going to stay shut up in the room today, at least?”
“It’s safer,” Frankie says with a nod.