At first, having no phone or Internet, no real social media access had been frustrating. I hadn't realized how dependent I’d become on it.
But the longer I went without it, the more I enjoyed not having to be a slave to all that toxicity that came with having your face glued to a screen.
“I’m going to have a plane pick you up at the end of the week.”
My brother's voice was hard, harder than I’d actually heard it in quite some time. Something was wrong, but I wasn’t about to ask him. If he wanted me to know, Gio would have already spit it out.
Mentally and emotionally I really couldn’t deal with whatever shit Gio and the Cosa Nostra was going through. For all I knew, he just had a lot on his plate, which was probably the truth of the matter. And therefore he was taking it out on anybody close to him.
“Pick me up as in you want me to come home? For how long?” The holidays weren’t for a little while yet, and that was really the only time I went back to the East Coast.
Gio had said it would look too suspicious if I came home any more than that. I just followed his lead because the last thing I wanted to do was marry some stronzo.
There was a long pause of silence, and I pulled the cell phone away, glancing down at the screen to make sure I was still connected. “Hello?” Gio said something else in Italian to whomever was in the room with him, and then said to me, “A car will pick you up Sunday afternoon and take you to the airstrip. Be ready, Claudia.”
“Okay,” I said hesitantly. “But how long am I going to be there?” Not that I was complaining about being home. In fact, I was happy to be surrounded by all the things I was familiar with.
But on that thought, I also felt a strange tightness in the pit of my stomach. Leaving meant I’d be farther away from Dmitry.
“We’ll talk when you get back home. But I have to go. Just be ready for the car Sunday. I’ll let the Sisters know about the change of plans.” His voice was strained at the end, but I still heard the strange pitch in it, one he was trying to mask.
After the call was disconnected, I stared down at the cell, wondering what exactly was going on. A noise at the garden shed caught my attention, and I glanced up, noticing that one of the wooden doors was partially open.
I knew the nuns didn’t go in there except every so often to clean it. I tucked the cell into the pocket of my blazer and stood, walking toward the outbuilding. I could hear something rustling around. Stepping to the side, I gripped the handle and pulled it open wider, peeking around the side.
At first I saw nothing in the shadowy interior, the light muted from the two smaller windows on either side of the shed.
And then something darted toward me so swiftly a scream spilled from my lips and I stumbled back, the door flinging open as a cat ran out. It stopped, gave me a hiss, then scurried off and out of sight. My heart was racing as I lifted a hand and placed it over my chest, staring at that damn stray.
Once my heart rate slowed, I took a step inside and glanced around, not even sure what I was looking for. Despite this outbuilding not being used any longer, there was hardly any dust, and the scent of must and age were absent since the nuns were meticulous in making sure it stayed clean.
I saw a shadow pass by the far left window, and I moved toward it and glanced out at the grounds. Peering outside didn’t show me anything but a few feet of manicured lawn and the wrought-iron gate that surrounded the convent.
I was about to turn around when I heard the creak of the door shutting behind me, and a second later heavy afternoon shadows surrounded me. I spun around, assuming maybe the wind had shut it, but when a dark figure stood just across the way, a squeak of surprise spilled from my mouth and I took a few steps back.
It was only when my eyes adjusted to the dimness that I realized it was Dmitry, his immense body blocking out the only escape, the menace pouring from him so tangible I felt it snake across the small interior and wrap around me.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t exactly shocked to see him in front of me. I was curious how he’d gotten through the property with no one seeing him, though. The Sisters seemed to know what everyone was doing.