“Yeah.”
I glare at both of them. “Care to include the rest of us in this conversation?” I guess by the rest of us, I really mean me, since Molly clearly knows what’s going on, but still. Rude of them to use that shorthand.
Thad turns to me, taking my shoulders like he’s about to brace me for something bad. “Eddie Cadorna is one of the big bosses of the Chicago mafia. And Molly is his daughter.”
I really thought he was going to say child bride, so at first I’m relieved, until it sinks in. His daughter. I think of the lengths my mother would go to keep Dean safe, and she doesn’t even have mafia connections. Something tells me that a mafia boss, accustomed to getting everything he wants, is not going to just calmly accept someone running off with his pregnant daughter.
And speaking of pregnant… I look down at Molly’s bulging belly. “Whose…?”
“Nicky Gallo,” Thad tells me grimly, like I should know the name. Because, yes, we librarians spend a lot of time keeping up on the who’s who of Chicago mobsters. At my shrug, he elaborates, “Cadorna’s right-hand man.”
“We got married ten months ago.” Molly’s voice is so quiet that I almost don’t hear her. “He wanted to get me pregnant right away, so I couldn’t keep begging my dad to get it annulled. I was sneaking birth control, but he found it and made me flush it down the toilet. When I got the positive pregnancy test, it felt like a life sentence. But at least after that he left me alone.”
I watch her uneasily, not wanting to prod, but reading between the lines well enough. I’m not sure what all Molly’s marriage entailed, but I can tell by the rigid set of her jaw and her small-framed shoulders that it was deeply unhappy.
Frowning, I look at Dean. “How did you get involved in all of this?”
Dean won’t quite meet my gaze. “I was Nicky’s driver, and I ran some other errands for him. That’s how I met Molly.”
Again, reading between the lines, I can guess that Dean didn’t just get the job off Craigslist. If he was working for a higher-up in the Chicago mafia, chances were very good that he was trying to become a member himself, get in the boss’s good graces. My first instinct is to scold him for being so stupid and reckless, but I realize I’m not really sure I have the right. He’s a grown man, and one I barely have a relationship with. And anyway, I doubt he’ll get very far with his mafia aspirations now, seeing as how he “kidnapped” the wife and daughter of two of their most prominent members.
“We fell in love,” Dean continues, taking Molly’s hand and stroking it. “I couldn’t see her suffer anymore, I just couldn’t. I know that Mom’s sacrificed a lot for me, but what choice did I have?”
I, for one, feel like there are quite a few choices between being a law-abiding citizen and breaking bond to flee to Mexico with a mafia boss’s pregnant daughter, but apparently I’m naive.
And…I’m also not insensible to Molly’s plight. Dean might have his faults, but I believe him when he says he couldn’t just stand by and watch her suffer. Dean was the kid who would steal a teacher’s car and fill it with rotten eggs, but who also would rescue injured animals and nurse them back to health.
The thing was, though, despite his good intentions…the wounded animals usually died. And even though I believe he really wants to keep Molly and her baby safe—he’sDean.
I exchange a glance with Thad, seeing in his gaze that we’re roughly on the same page. We must not be too subtle about it, though, because Dean bristles defensively. “We’ll be safe once we’re in Mexico.”
“You think they can’t send people to follow you there?” Thad counters. “This is about honor to them. If they let you get away with it, then they can’t hold absolute power. They’ll kill you if they get the chance. They might not kill Molly since she’s Cadorna’s daughter, but you better believe she’s gonna live the rest of her life under lock and key once they find her.”
“They won’t find us,” Dean insists. “I disappeared once, and I can do it again.”
Dean the ghost. I think he must have had his usual luck on his side, to go undetected for so long, but now the people who are following him will know his tricks. They’ll know to keep an eye on Mom, and Aunt Linda, and most likely me. He won’t be able to drop off the radar again through sheer dumb luck.
“I found you,” I remind him gently. “And I’m just a librarian. These people are relentless, Dean, and they have resources. You need to let Thad help you.”
“Thaddeus Hughes, theBama Bountyguy?” Dean scoffs. At Thad’s surprised face, he continues, “Yeah, I recognize you. Took me a minute without the mohawk, but I’ve seen the show.” After a beat, he adds, “Do you think I could get your dad’s autograph?”
This time I do roll my eyes. Leave it to Dean to focus on the least important detail when his life is literally in danger.
But if Thad is thrown by this, he doesn’t let it show on his face. “I’ll do you one better—I’ll let you talk to him on the phone, if you like. Maybe you don’t believe me, but he’s seen this kind of shit before, man. He can tell you why going into custody is your best option.”
That’s a big concession from Thad, since I know he hasn’t spoken to his dad in years. That’s how high the stakes are, and how important it is to him to convince Dean.
I can see the war on Dean’s face—getting to talk to Darius Hughes! But also maybe going back to jail. He glances at Molly. “What will happen to Molly?”
The thought comes to me before I fully intend to vocalize it. “I know some guys. Really important guys, who are connected, and can help Molly start life under a new identity.”
Dean looks at me skeptically. “Monks?”
“Quinn Sullivan and Dan O’Malley, the heads of Cipher Security. Ever heard of them?”
Dean’s face looks blank, but Thad does a double take. “How do you know Quinn Sullivan and Dan O’Malley?”
It’s a little too complicated to explain all in one go, so I summarize it as succinctly as I can: “They’re friends from church.”
