Mr. Genovese knocked on the closed room his daughter had emerged from earlier. A few seconds later, she opened the door. “Are you ready?”
She let out an exasperated sigh, but nodded. “Yes.”
“Good.” He stepped aside to let her come out, and she pulled a large, designer suitcase behind her. I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “You do everything Enzo tells you. I don’t want you giving him any shit. His job is to protect you, so you will do as he says.”
A smirk curved my lips as she rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm and annoyance.
Domenic snapped his fingers and one of his men came around the corner and grabbed Gianina’s suitcase. Then, he approached me while fishing his hand inside his suit jacket. When he pulled his hand out, he had several stacks of hundred dollar bills. “Here is your pay for the clean,” he stated, setting two bands in my hand. Then, he set one more on top. “And this is for expenses. Make sure you stock up for the storm; at least a month’s worth of food and supplies.”
My eyebrows rose. A month? He expected me to babysit his brat for a whole month? “You really think it will take that long?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but you will wait as long as I feel necessary to ensure my daughter’s safety. The storm adds an unpredictable element that I can’t exactly put a time frame on, but I will send for you when I’m ready.”
His tone left no room for argument. I nodded. “Okay.”
Mr. Genovese placed his hand on my back, guiding me toward the doors. “I want you to get out of the city as soon as possible. Stop at a store outside of Manhattan; maybe Albany or Saratoga Springs.”
When we reached the door, he fished inside his suit jacket again. This time, he pulled out a phone. “I need your phone. Use this to communicate with me. Never been used, completely clean.” He handed it to me and extended his hand expectantly. “I’ll return yours once you bring my daughter back safe.”
I hesitated. I hated someone else having so much control over me. “Is this really necessary? I’m not tied to you so there’s no reason for the Sorellos to track me.”
He kept his hand out, his eyes hardening. “Once the Sorellos find out what happened, I have no doubt in my mind they will scour every camera in this city to try to find my daughter’s whereabouts. I plan to have as many cameras as I can scrubbed, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll get them all. They are bound to find one showing you with her. And I’m not willing to take that chance.”
I sighed, placing my phone in his hand. I knew I didn’t really have a choice if I valued my life.
Domenic turned towards his daughter. “I need your phone, too, sweetheart.”
“What?” Gianina practically screeched, clutching her phone to her chest in overdramatic fashion. “No.”
“Don’t start, Gianina. Phones can be traced and I will not put you in danger because you don’t want to go without social media.”
She narrowed her eyes at her father, something most people would never dare to do. “What am I supposed to do for a month without my phone? Don’t you think it will look suspicious if I stop posting for a whole month?”
He glared right back at her, extending his hand, palm up. “I don’t care. You’ll have no social life if you’re dead.”
Her face fell, and tears formed in her eyes as her shoulders slumped. She reluctantly placed the phone in her father’s outstretched hand. “Fine.”
Domenic gave her another burner phone he pulled from inside his suit jacket. “No social media. I mean it, Gia. This is only for emergencies. Do you understand?”
She sniffled. “Yes.”
“Good.” Mr. Genovese’s face softened as he kissed his daughter on the forehead. “Once this is all taken care of, things will go back to normal. This is only temporary. We’ll have a big Christmas and New Year’s party when you get back.”
Gianina blinked several times, and realization seemed to dawn on her after several seconds. “Wait … I’m going to miss Christmas?”
Domenic frowned, his forehead creasing in concern. “Most likely, yes. I’m not sure how long this will take to clean up. Christmas is a little over two weeks away and I’m not sure things will be resolved by then.”
The tears started falling in full force. “But, I’ve spent every Christmas with you. I’ve never been away from the family for any holiday.”
Mr. Genovese took his daughter in his arms and she sobbed against his chest. The man all of New York feared started to tear up and I felt like I was intruding in on a moment that I shouldn’t be a part of. “I’ll wait outside.”
I exited the penthouse and noticed all of my bags, as well as Gianina’s suitcase, were lined up by the elevator. I propped my foot up against the wall as I waited for the Genoveses to be ready.
Several minutes later, a flushed Gianina came out of the penthouse, followed by her father. Her olive skin was mottled red and her eyes were puffy. He looked as stoic and hardened as usual, as if the emotional moment between him and his daughter had never happened. “Text me as soon as you reach the cabin. Try to keep off the main roads as much as possible. I don’t want you being followed or tracked by highway cameras and cell towers. I don’t think the Sorellos know about your cabin, but if I was able to find out about it, they can too.”
I nodded. My cabin was way up in the mountains and was hard to get to, so I doubted they would find us. “Sure thing.”
“We’ll help you get loaded up. I assume you parked in the parking garage?”
