Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Someone comes over to stand beside us. The person crouches down to talk to Frankie in a low tone. I feel like I’m trying to translate Chinese into English, and I don’t know the language, my brain can’t catch up. All I hear are muffled sounds. Frankie’s chest vibrates beneath my cheek when he responds.
“Can you move?” the person beside us asks.
It takes me a moment to identify the speaker as Frankie’s Uncle Gio. Frankie touches my shoulder, and I know he’s waiting for a response, but I’m too numb to say anything. Finally, Frankie nods, and I can feel him shifting position behind me.
I grab his shirt to hold him steady. I’m not ready to go anywhere. But the rest of them are more comfortable dealing with death than I am. They don’t want to stick around for the police. I’m sure my neighbors heard all the commotion, and we probably don’t have a lot of time left before we’re trapped again.
Frankie slides his way out from behind me. I clutch at him desperately, not understanding what’s going on. He doesn’t leave though. Instead, he squats beside me, putting one arm beneath my knees and the other around my back. The next thing I know, he’s cradling me in his arms. I hug him back, thankful for the support.
He moves toward the door, stepping over something in his path. I’m sure it’s a dead body, but I press my eyes shut so I don’t have to see. I’m leaving everything behind, but I don’t care. There’s nothing in the apartment that I want anymore, not my clothes, my computer, or my purse. I don’t care what the police do with anything that they find. I’ll be lucky if I can come back and pack when this all blows over. If it ever blows over. I’ll have nightmares about this shoot out until I’m old and gray. But at least I have a chance at a long life, thanks to Frankie.
He takes me out into the hall and walks down the stairs as if I’m as light as a feather. I feel the sunlight on my face for a moment as we walk across the parking lot. Then a car door opens, and I can feel myself being lowered to the ground.
I stand on my own two feet for a moment before sitting down in the backseat. Frankie waits for me to move over so he can sit beside me. I put my head down on his shoulder, my eyes still closed.
Someone else sits down on the opposite side. I can only guess that it’s one of their bodyguards. There are a few more doors that open and shut before the engine turns on and we drive away.
I don’t know where we’re going and I don’t care. The only thing that matters is putting all the trauma behind us. I visualize my apartment with all its dead bodies. What a gory scene for someone to come across.
I hope it’s not my downstairs neighbor who comes upon the grisly sight. She’s a sweet older woman who teaches sewing classes in the evening. She would be scarred for life if she ventured up to see what caused all the noise. Maybe she’ll just call the police and let them deal with it. I hope she’s cautious enough to allow that to happen, and not so curious to look for herself.
But I can’t deal with that now. The most important thing is to hang on tight to Frankie’s arm. I can’t explain it, but it’s vital for me not to lose contact. He came to rescue me when I was in need. It’s his family that stopped the bad guys from killing us, and I’m too upset to think about anything else.
We drive for a while before pulling into Frankie’s home. I recognize the gate from the last time I saw it. Back then I thought I was running for my life, now I’m hiding out for the same reason. I was wrong about who handled Danny’s death. I’ll never be able to apologize for my misconception, but I know I don’t have to.
Frankie’s father is in the passenger seat, and he’s just as caring as Frankie. When the car pulls around to the house, he gets out first. Then he walks around to open Frankie’s door for him. Frankie eases his way out, turning back to help me exit. I walk with both Corello men up the front porch steps to the door, feeling like the most protected person in the world.
They usher me inside, leaving the rest of the crew to follow. Frankie’s stepmother is waiting for us in the foyer. She skips over her husband and her son-in-law and comes straight for me.
Marlena gives me a big hug, and links her arm with mine, deftly moving Frankie out of the way.