"Come on," I said, gesturing everyone forward.
We ran for two blocks, and then Nonna was so winded she couldn't continue.
"Take them," she said. "I'm going to Dr. Monte's place."
"We'll come with you," I said.
"No. It's too close to the house. They'll be looking for the kids. Nobody will care one lick about this old lady. Now, get out of here. And keep my babies safe."
She hugged all three of us and shooed us away. I hated to leave her, but I could hear someone coming and figured she knew much more about what we should do than I did. The twins and I took off running again. Two blocks later, two gunshots rang out behind us.
Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I wondered if they got Nonna. With no time to think about that, I hurried the twins along. Several blocks later, Luciana started to lag behind. I didn't know if we were still being followed and didn't want to take the chance. I picked her up and kept going.
When Georgio and I ran out of steam, I lowered Luciana to her feet and we slowed our pace to a walk. By then, my head was pounding, and I was lost. Not only was my vision blurry, but it had also narrowed considerably. I felt like I was walking through a tunnel. Still, we continued on for hours, mostly traveling down side roads and alleys.
"We should get a map," I suggested, pointing toward a convenience store. Of course, I had no idea what I'd purchase a map with since my purse was still at Angel's parents' house.
"No. There's cameras," Georgio said.
"And?"
"The bad guys can take over the cameras and see us."
Certain he was messing with me, or quoting something he'd heard on television, I started to laugh. But Georgio was serious.
"No they can't," I replied.
Stone-faced, he said, "My dad does."
Terrifying. I started watching for cameras as we continued. My tunnel of vision kept narrowing, and my brain felt like mush. With numb legs and no clue what to do or how to get a hold of Angel, I led them on, searching for a landmark any of us recognized.
The temperature dropped with the sun. It was well past dark when we finally caught a break, a sign for a coffee shop I'd frequented. We were only a few blocks from someone I could trust.
Feeling hopeful, I urged the kids on.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Angel
DANTE WAS IN an examination room, getting the gash across his forearm stitched up, but was otherwise fine. At least on the outside. The devastation on his face spoke volumes about what was going on inside him.
"What the fuck happened?" Father asked.
Mamma gripped his arm, glaring up at him, before breaking off to stand beside Dante's bed and grab his free hand.
The nurse finished stitching Dante up, and then hurried out of the room, closing the door behind her.
"I broke it off." Dante's voice cracked. His eyes were red, and he looked ten years older than he had just hours ago when I'd introduced him to Markie while we were shopping. "Dumped her, just like Angel told me to. But she asked me to stop by. One last time, you know?"
We all looked at Mamma, knowing we shouldn't be talking about this in front of her.
"It's like you all think I was born yesterday." She shook her head. "So, you slept with the girl again. Then what?"
"She was hungry. Asked me to take her out for something to eat. We were walking toward the car when Uncle Carlo called me. I headed to the side of the building to take the call, while she kept going." He swallowed. "The car blew up as she got to it."
"How long were you in her apartment?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Maybe an hour?"
