Chapter 5 - The House With No Address
By sunrise, the estate was filled with police officers, investigators, and men repairing broken windows.
Victor was taken away under armed guard.
Three attackers were arrested. Two had escaped. Dominic Rizzo had never entered the property.
He had sent others to die for him.
Alessandro moved us before breakfast.
This time, he did not tell anyone where we were going.
We traveled in an old delivery van instead of one of his black SUVs. Marco drove. Alessandro sat beside him. Emma and I remained in the back beneath stacks of folded blankets.
After two hours, we reached a small house near a lake.
It had no gates, no marble floors, and no visible guards.
“This is your safe house?” I asked.
Alessandro carried Emma inside.
“No.”
“Then whose is it?”
“Mine.”
“You own dozens of properties.”
“No one knows about this one.”
The house was simple but carefully maintained. A stone fireplace stood in the living room. Fishing rods rested near the back door. Family photographs should have covered the walls, but there were none.
Emma wandered toward the window.
“Water!”
“That is a lake,” Alessandro said.
“Fish?”
“Probably.”
“Big fish?”
“Some.”
“Sharks?”
“No sharks.”
She considered this.
“Good.”
Marco checked every room before leaving to organize surveillance from a distance.
For the first time since the laundry room, the three of us were alone.
I placed my medicine on the kitchen counter.
“Why does no one know about this place?”
Alessandro opened a cupboard.
“Because I bought it under another name.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
He found a box of crackers and handed it to Emma.
“It belonged to my mother.”
The directness surprised me.
“Is she alive?”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She died when I was twelve.”
Emma climbed onto a chair and opened the crackers.
“Your mama in heaven?”
Alessandro looked at her.
“That’s what people say.”
“My daddy heaven too.”
I froze.
Alessandro glanced at me.
Emma continued eating.
She had never known her father. Daniel had died in a construction accident before she was born. Sometimes she spoke about him as though she remembered him because I had shown her so many pictures.
Alessandro sat across from her.
“Do you miss him?”
Emma nodded. “Mama miss him lots.”
My throat tightened.
“Emma, eat your crackers.”
She looked between us.
“You miss someone?”
Alessandro leaned back.
“Yes.”
“Who?”
He hesitated.
“My younger brother.”
“What his name?”
“Matteo.”
“He heaven?”
“Yes.”
“Maybe he play with my daddy.”
Alessandro stared at her for a long moment.
“Maybe.”
I busied myself with the medicine bottles.
Later, while Emma napped on the couch, Alessandro stood on the back porch looking over the lake.
I joined him.
“You never talk about them,” I said.
“My enemies listen when I talk.”
“There is no one here.”
“There is always someone.”
“You really believe that?”
“I believed Victor.”
The wind moved through the trees.
He placed both hands on the porch railing.
“Matteo was nineteen when he died. I was twenty-four.”
“What happened?”
“He was followed after leaving a restaurant. Men took him because they believed my father would trade territory for him.”
“Did he?”
“My father refused.”
I looked at Alessandro.
“He let his own son die?”
“He believed surrender would make the entire family vulnerable.”
“And you?”
“I believed I could rescue Matteo.”
His voice became flat.
“I was wrong.”
I understood then why Emma affected him so deeply.
“Victor knew about your brother.”
“Yes.”
“So he knew exactly what using Emma would do to you.”
“Yes.”
“Make you reckless.”
“Yes.”
I stepped closer.
“Did it?”
He looked at me.
“Completely.”
His honesty left no room for pretending.
“You should not care about us,” I said.
“Probably not.”
“But you do.”
“Yes.”
“Because of my father?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
I looked toward the window where Emma slept.
“Because of her?”
“Partly.”
“And the rest?”
His eyes stayed on mine.
“You already know.”
My pulse quickened.
“This is not a good time.”
“It will never be a good time.”
“You are at war with another mafia family.”
“I am aware.”
“I work for you.”
“Not anymore.”
I frowned.
“You fired me?”
“You are not returning to the laundry room.”
“Because I got sick once?”
“Because your daughter nearly froze her hands trying to save your job.”
“That was not your fault.”
“It happened in my house.”
“I need work.”
“You will have work.”
“Doing what?”
“Managing the household staff.”
I stared at him.
“I have no experience managing anyone.”
“You manage twenty people every day without a title. Mrs. Klein asks your opinion before changing schedules.”
“How do you know that?”
“I notice more than you think.”
“You barely spoke to me.”
“I told you why.”
I turned toward the lake.
“You cannot solve everything by giving orders.”
“No.”
“Or money.”
“No.”
“Or jobs.”
“I know.”
I looked back.
“Then what are you offering?”
He stepped closer but left enough space for me to move away.
“The truth.”
“Which is?”
“I have wanted you near me since the day you arrived.”
My breath caught.
“I kept my distance because proximity to me destroys people.”
“That is not romantic.”
“It was not meant to be.”
“You are dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“Your life is dangerous.”
“Yes.”
“My daughter comes first.”
“She always will.”
“You cannot promise that.”
“I can promise she will come before me.”
The words settled between us.
Then a phone vibrated in his pocket.
He answered.
Marco’s voice was loud enough for me to hear.
“We found Rizzo.”
Alessandro’s face changed.
“Where?”
“At Moretti Linen Services.”
The receipt.
Marco continued. “He is preparing to leave the country tonight.”
Alessandro looked through the window at Emma.
“I’ll handle it,” he said.
He ended the call and turned toward the door.
“You’re leaving,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Will you come back?”
He stopped.
“I intend to.”
“That is not a promise.”
He looked at me with the same expression he had worn in the laundry room when Emma asked whether he was sad.
“No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
I stepped in front of him.
“Then make it one.”
His eyes dropped briefly to my lips before returning to my face.
May you like
“I promise I will come back.”
Then he left to hunt the man who had placed a price on my daughter’s name.
