In that breath.
We both seemed to realize.
“Bestie boo?” she whispered.
“It’s me, mom.” I touched my heart, leaving my fingers curled up there. “Your bestest bestie boo.”
“Oh God.” She flung herself out of the man’s hold and I went to her, and we crashed together, going down, but both of us above ground and holding on to one another.
My mom kept crying, kissing my face, holding it in her hands, looking at me and kissing me again. I held tight to her like I did when I was a little girl and I thought the world could never hurt me as long as she was close. I kept squeezing her arms, making sure this moment was real, she was real, and I wasn’t dreaming her up out of immense grief.
But I knew.
It was her.
I’d recognize her scent anywhere.
And I was back in her arms, being held close.
“What?” she barely got out. “How…?”
I shook my head. “I was so close to it,” I barely got out.
“Me too,” she barely got out. “Me too. And still am…you being taken from me made me so…sick.”
“It’s going to be okay, mama,” I cried. “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay now.”
She didn’t say anything, but she held me so tight, I could barely breathe. But the little air I was taking in, I was breathing her in. Being so greedy about it.
Then another horn honked, and it seemed to rip through the moment. All the men stiffened, and this time, I could sense there was a real problem.
Matteo hauled mom and me up together, keeping us behind him, his eyes on the new car. It was one of those driverless cars, but someone was in the back seat. I squinted against the glare. With a big dog?
“Big Joe?” I asked, knowing it wasn’t him but hoping anyway.
“No, he didn’t tell me he was coming.”
“No,” Matteo said, gauging the area from where we were to the car. He made eye contact with Placido, and Placido started snapping orders to the men. A few of them surrounded the new car, and one of them jumped back at whatever he saw inside of it. Then he bent over and puked.
The men were not saying anything, but I could feel their energy from where we were. It was like a swarm of wasps were suddenly on us.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked. “And who are these people? Who is this man to you?” It was like she was eyeing Matteo for the first time through crystal clear eyes.
“My husband.” I smiled at her.
“Oh.” Her face fell a little, and I wasn’t sure why. “Is something wrong?” she asked Matteo.
He barely nodded at her, his eyes still on the scene with the new car.
I touched his arm, and a second later, his eyes came to mine. Hard at first, but for a second, they were so soft, I thought I’d melt. He was acknowledging what had just happened but keeping his head in what was going on. One of the men who had surrounded the car came running over to us. He was sweating and talking in a rush to Placido, who turned to Matteo, ready to move at whatever command he gave.
Matteo was stiller than the breeze. It kept breaking around him, not able to move even a strand of his hair.
I took his hand, keeping mom’s in my other hand. “What’s going on, Teo?”
He looked at me. “The car doesn’t have a driver, but the back seat has two passengers. A wolf and Régine Nemours.”
“That bitch!” Mom screamed and went to charge toward the car. Since our hands were locked, she pulled me toward the car, but Matteo stopped both of us by refusing to let my hand go.
