I don’t think I’d survive if he walked away from me again, and what’s going to stop him from doing that? He’s made it very clear that the family business comes first, and I’ll never be his top priority. I’m expendable.
I thought I’d moved on, but I now know I haven’t. I didn’t get any proper closure. I didn’t move on. I’m still as broken as the day he told me it was over and walked away.
I was stupid to talk to the cashier about where we were going, and I know Frankie is livid, but it’s not like I can speak to him after everything that’s happened. I was trying to be amicable, and I was trying to get along and make the best of a terrible situation, just like Papa said, but it’s backfired so badly now, and I don’t know what else to do.
I doze off eventually, and when I wake, the sun is rising, and we’re driving up a winding dirt road.
“Where are we?” I ask curiously, stretching as much as I can in the cramped space.
“This is where we’re staying,” Frankie says, but he offers no more information than that.
We turn around some trees, and a cabin comes into view. “How far are we from the town?”
“Not far. It’s just down the road,” he says, his tone cold.
“Frankie, I’m sorry I spoke out of turn, but we can’t act cold to each other while we’re on the run,” I say irritably. “I made a damn mistake.”
“A mistake that can cost us our lives,” Frankie snaps. “Don’t do it again.”
I fall silent and sit back. There’s nothing more to say.
He pulls up to the cabin, and I get out, getting my own luggage and lugging it toward the door. He doesn’t say anything, and I’m grateful he isn’t pushing the issue of us being together, either. It seems he’s going to ignore me for the time being, which suits me better. It gives me time to think about what I want.
We get settled in separate rooms, and when I return to the living area, Frankie is there, talking on the phone. I frown and wait until he’s off it. “I thought we weren’t allowed our phones.”
“This is a burner phone,” he says. “I’ll toss it in a few days.”
I sigh and look around. “Do we have food?”
“Everything is fully stocked. There’s another car for us to use around the side of the house. We’ll take that one when we leave. I have to go into town to do business. Stay put.”
“So, I can’t go anywhere?” I ask incredulously.
Frankie looks at me. No, his eyes bore into mine. I don’t see the passion from the other night. It’s a cold, piercing gaze. “We’re on the run for our lives.”
“Yeah, but you’re going into town. Can I at least eat at a restaurant or something? Just to get out.”
He sighs and takes out some money, handing it to me. “Don’t stay out all day, and Amelia,” he steps closer to me, and my breath catches, “don’t tell anyone your real name or where we’re staying. If you see anything suspicious, come downtown West Chester to The Congo, it’s a big club, but I’ll be upstairs in the main office. Report straight to me, don’t come back here alone.”
I nod. “I understand,” I say quietly before he turns and leaves.
I’m surprised he’s not getting some sleep first.
I spend some time going to restaurants each day, and sometimes I go to the clubs in the evening to hang out because at least there’s music there. Everything is so dull, though, and I feel like I can’t talk to anyone in case I let something slip. I also feel paranoid, like I have to constantly check that no one is following me.
Frankie lets me know we’ll be leaving on Saturday for the next venue, but he refuses to tell me where we’re going, so I decide to grab lunch at the restaurant that’s quickly become my favorite.
On Monday, I order a steak with fries and vegetables and sip a glass of wine while I wait. The atmosphere is so friendly here. It’s somewhere I like to come because I can forget about who I am and who owns me just for a while.
I tuck into my food when it arrives, and I’m satisfied. I think about how I’m trapped in this world, this mobster world. The one that I had wanted to distance myself from for so many years. I thought I could escape it, but now my fate is tied to it, and I will never get out. The realization hits me like a ton of bricks, and I silently mourn the life I could have had, the freedom and the normality. I envy my friends back home who don’t have their moves and lives dictated to them because it might be bad for the family.
I finish my food but decide to order some pumpkin pie for dessert—I’ll have a different one every day until I’ve tasted them all. After this, I will go to the club and maybe blow off some steam dancing. Also, I know it irritates the shit out of Frankie because so many guys buy me drinks.
The chair opposite mine slides out, and I look up into a familiar face that makes my heart stop.
I set my fork down and stare into the eyes of Andres, Dave’s older brother.
“Amelia,” he says quietly, tilting his head. “Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you. I haven’t been sent here by anyone. I’m here on my own.”