“I… I can’t talk to you over the phone about this, Dom. I need to see you.”
We’d been together for months, and I’d never heard her sound so desperate and afraid. My mind raced at the possibilities. Had someone found out about us and threatened her? Or had she finally come to her senses enough to brush me off for good? Both options twisted my stomach in knots.
“I don’t know if I can get away tonight.”
“Please, Dom. I really need to talk to you.”
Shit. Trying to figure out what to do, I said, “I’ll be there.”
“Soon?” she asked. “It’s important.”
I leaned against the phone booth. “Yeah. Soon. I promise.”
She sighed heavily. “Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”
I disconnected and waited for Mario, wondering what could be so damn important that Annetta needed to see me “soon.” I thought about calling Mario back and telling him I’d grab a cab instead, but he’d most likely already left. Besides, most of the city’s cabbies were in the pocket of one family or another. Either they’d report back to my old man, or I’d lead my enemies to Annetta’s doorstep.
With the cab out of the question, I planned to have Mario drop me off at the casino to grab my car, but by the time he arrived I was a mess. I needed to know what was wrong with Annetta. And if I couldn’t trust my best friend, who could I trust?
“Hey,” I said, climbing into the passenger’s seat. “I need you to take me to Annetta’s, but you gotta keep it between us, okay?”
He stared at me, his brow furrowed. I was afraid he’d ask questions that would put him in danger, but instead, he nodded. “Okay, Dom. Whatever you need.”
Grateful, I laid back and watched the blocks roll by. I’d just survived a life and death situation, drove a van loaded with bodies and drugs, and neither of those held a candle to the fear I felt as we approached Annetta’s house. Had she found out that I was stuck with Valentina? Was she dumping me? I couldn’t handle the thought of never touching her… never hearing her laugh… never seeing those brilliant green eyes… never being inside of her… again.
Mario parked in front of her house. Her father’s truck was gone and the place was quiet. I pounded on the door. No answer. Worried, I pounded again. When it swung open, I was staring at someone who wasn’t Annetta.
“Where’s Net?” I asked.
The girl eyed me up and down like she could take me before saying, “You must be Dom. You better do right by my girl, or you’re gonna have to deal with me, I don’t care who the fuck you are.”
She weighed maybe a buck twenty-five, and I wasn’t scared. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder what she meant. When hadn’t I done right by Annetta? Had I done something to hurt her?
“Okay, where is she?” I asked.
“In her room,” she waved in the direction. “Now I’m gonna go have a little talk with your boy Mario and remind him why he needs to call regularly.” She walked past me, leaving the door open.
I found Annetta sitting on a bed in what I could only assume was her room. She wore shorts and a T-shirt, and her eyes were red, like she’d been crying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Come in,” she said, waving me forward. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
Like I could sit without knowing what had her so upset. I stood in the doorway, looking around her room. It looked different from my sister’s bedroom. Yes, Annetta’s walls were pink, but there were no magazine pictures of boy bands plastered across the walls, no clothes hanging everywhere, no vanity filled with makeup and shit. All Annetta had in her room was a dresser with a mirror, a bed, and a bookshelf full of paperbacks. I walked over and read the cover to one. Mystery.
Interesting. I didn’t know she was into mysteries. I must have scored a buttload of points by taking her to the escape room. So why was she so upset now? Before I could investigate further, Annetta returned carrying some sort of white stick. My stomach plummeted as she held it between us.
“What is that?” I asked, even though a part of me already knew.
“A pregnancy test. It’s positive. I’m… I’m pregnant.”
I looked from the stick to her face, and then back to the stick. “Are you sure? I thought you were on the pill.”
She nodded. “I checked twice, and the clinic confirmed it.”
Okay, now I needed to sit down. My legs shuffled until I felt the bed behind me. I collapsed. “How far along?”
Annetta stayed where she stood. “Almost four months.”
