He stood and glared down at her. “Stop talking like that, you’re not going anywhere!”
Maggie closed her eyes briefly, then opened them. “Nico, I want you to go outside and get Luna.”
“Ma-"
“Now, Nico.”
There was no arguing with Maggie Scala when she had that tone.
Nico gritted his teeth, pursed his lips, and went out into the hallway. A woman with long, dark hair stood with her arms crossed. She wore dangling hoop earrings, and her mascara was smudged. It made her look like a raccoon, with dark circles around her eyes.
Nico beckoned to her. “Ma wants to see you.”
With a stoic nod, the woman moved off of the wall. She gripped Nico's shoulder and went into the hospital room. She shut the door, but it didn’t quite click shut. Nico leaned against it, careful not to make any noise.
“Oh, Maggie, look at the mess you got yourself into.”
Maggie's voice lowered even as she wheezed and coughed. “I know who did this, Camorra, and I want revenge.”
There was a pause.
“Are you sure, Maggie?”
“I am eternally grateful for your friendship. You’re like a sister to me, Luna. And I need you to protect Nico from Arturo. I don’t want my brother anywhere near him.”
“Nico is nineteen, Mags. He can make his own decisions.”
“I don’t care, Lu. Keep him as far away from that demon as you can. I don’t want Arturo corrupting him. I don’t want Nico in that life like his father was.”
“I’ll do my best…”
Nico moved away from the door and went down the hall. He found an empty room and sobbed. He was nearly a man and didn’t need anyone to see him mourn his mother. What would happen next was something he knew.
He had heard Luna was called The Angel of Death. She was important in Boston. A made woman, or so they say, the authorities could pin nothing on her. Nico believed none of the rumors. She was his Aunt Luna. The woman was always good to him, even when he was a kid.
When he heard his mother call her Camorra, he knew the rumors were true.
Once he got control of himself, Nico went into the bathroom, washed his face, and used the grainy paper towel to wipe his tear stains. He was strong. He would live up to the Scala name.
He walked down the hallway to see Luna leaving his mother's room. Nurses rushed in, and he heard the telltale ringing from her room.
“Is she…?”
“She was an angel,” Luna's lips quivered on the last word.
Nico gripped Luna in a hard hug and buried his face in her Chanel perfume.
“She’s at peace, Nico. You didn’t want her to suffer, did you?” Luna's voice became hoarse as she stood strong and held onto him while her fingers feathered into his short, dark hair.
He shook his head, unable to answer.
“Come on, we have to break the news and make preparations.”
He released Luna. When they started walking, he said calmly, “I’m going with you when you find the bastards who destroyed my family.”
Luna stopped and stared at him. They both looked at each other with grim expressions. Nico would not budge on this. He would make sure whoever did this suffered.
With a sigh, Luna nodded. “Fine, but it’s the only time you get involved with anything, got it? I won’t go back on the promise I gave your mother.”
