“They don’t seem to be following us...for now,” Alexis said.
“Walk quickly, dear,” I said, picking up the pace as we walked along the tree-lined street. We lived in a nice neighborhood in Brooklyn, full of large homes with manicured lawns. Blood drummed through my veins as we approached the deli.
“I don’t see a car,” Alexis said, eyeing the deli parking lot.
“Around back,” I directed, remembering there was a smaller lot in the back.
When we rounded the corner, the driver’s side door of a black SUV opened.
“Get in,” Nick said, stepping out and urging us both inside.
“There’s a tracker on both of our phones,” I said, my words rushed as I slid in the back seat.
“Give them to me.” He held out his hand.
“What? No way! I need my phone!” Alexis said from beside me in the back seat.
“Now, Alexis. We’ll get you a new one.”
She huffed and pulled it from her bag. “Thank goodness I just backed up my contacts—”
Nick tugged the phone from her hand and took mine as well.
“Hey! I wasn’t ready yet—” Alexis said.
Nick dropped both phones to the concrete and stomped them both with his heel, crushing them into multiple pieces. Then, he picked up the largest pieces and tossed them in the nearby dumpster.
After brushing his hands together to rid them of the dust, he slid behind the wheel. “Seat belts on.”
“Fuck you!” Alexis said, crossing her arms.
“Hey,” I said, encircling her forearm and squeezing. “Nick is just trying to help us.”
“Nick,” she breathed, shooting daggers at his eyes in the rear-view mirror. “Oh, great, my new captor. You seem like a fucking gem.”
“You don’t seem like a real treat yourself, princess,” he snarled as he drove.
“Don’t call me that!”
“Enough!” I said, rubbing my temples. “We’ve got enough problems without you two bickering. I’ll have Michael get you anew phone, Alexis. Remember that your actions are one of the reasons we’re here.”
Expelling a frustrated breath, she burrowed into the leather seat and gazed out the windows as we drove. When we arrived at Michael’s house, Nick led us inside as Alexis’s eyes widened.
“Wow,” she said, glancing around the huge foyer. “The mafia’s been good to the Carusos.”
“Hello, Mrs. Rossi,” a voice with a Spanish accent called. “I’m so happy to see you.”
“Carmen!” I gasped, rushing toward her and hugging her. “Thank God you’re okay! I know you were in Peru with your family, so I wasn’t sure if you knew that Victor...uh...got shot.”
“I was not in Peru, Mrs. Rossi,” she said, her eyes twinkling as she held my hands. “Mr. Caruso removed me from your home two weeks ago and paid me to wait until he was ready. He called me today, and I will be working here from now on.”
Confusion laced my features as I digested the information.
“I wanted you to start over here with some familiarity,” Michael said, stepping into the room. “I thought you might come to me after Victor...”
“After you killed my father?” Alexis said, accusation in her tone.
“Yes,” Michael continued. “Carmen will live and work with us now, isn’t that right, Carmen?”
