Chapter 8 - THE NIGHT THE PAST CAME BACK
Everyone thought Luca was finished.
Everyone was wrong.
Three months after his arrest, he escaped during transport to a federal medical facility.
Two guards were injured.
One vehicle disappeared.
By midnight, every news channel in New York showed Luca’s photograph.
Mama locked every door twice.
Alejandro arrived at our new apartment with Mateo.
“No one leaves.”
Mama crossed her arms.
“I thought we were done with you giving orders.”
“This one is not negotiable.”
“Everything is negotiable.”
“Luca murdered Gabriel and kidnapped Emma.”
Mama considered.
“Fine. Temporarily.”
Alejandro looked relieved.
I sat on the couch with my backpack.
“Is bad Uncle Luca coming?”
Alejandro crouched.
“We don’t know.”
“He will.”
Everyone looked at me.
“Why?”
“He’s mad at us.”
Children understand angry people.
They come back to the thing that made them angry.
Adults call that psychology.
Preschool calls it Tuesday.
Alejandro moved us to a secure hotel owned by Moretti Hospitality.
Only six employees knew the room number.
Two were federal marshals.
Mateo slept outside the suite.
Alejandro refused to leave.
Mama refused to let him stay in the same room.
So he sat in the hallway too.
At two in the morning, I woke.
I heard voices.
Mama and Alejandro.
Quiet.
I crept toward the door.
“You don’t owe us your life,” Mama whispered.
“Yes, I do.”
“No.”
“If Emma hadn’t—”
“She saved you because she is kind.”
“I know.”
“Not because you owed her a future.”
Silence.
Then Alejandro said, “This isn’t debt.”
“What is it?”
I pressed my ear closer.
His answer was so quiet I almost missed it.
“I love her.”
My eyes widened.
Mama did not speak.
Alejandro continued.
“And I’m falling in love with you.”
I covered my mouth.
Mama whispered, “Alejandro.”
“I’m not asking you for anything.”
“Good.”
“I mean it.”
“You have terrible timing.”
“I’ve been told.”
“You spent most of your adult life surrounded by criminals.”
“I’ve also been told that.”
Mama laughed.
Then she became serious.
“I don’t know if I can trust your world.”
“Neither can I.”
“And I will never let Emma grow up believing powerful men get different rules.”
“Neither will I.”
Silence again.
Then Mama said, “That was a better answer.”
I went back to bed.
I did not tell them I heard.
In the morning, security discovered a problem.
One employee badge had been used on our floor at 4:17 a.m.
The badge belonged to a hotel engineer.
He claimed he was asleep.
Someone had cloned it.
Alejandro immediately moved us.
Different floor.
Different room.
Then the fire alarm went off.
People flooded into the corridors.
Mateo swore.
“Stay inside.”
Smoke appeared beneath the door.
Real smoke.
Not a drill.
Alejandro grabbed me.
Mama grabbed my backpack.
We moved toward the service stairs.
A federal marshal opened the stairwell.
A gunshot came from below.
The marshal fell.
Mateo returned fire.
“Back!”
We ran.
Luca stepped from the opposite hallway.
He looked terrible.
Unshaven.
Thin.
Wild.
But smiling.
“There you are.”
Alejandro put me behind him.
Mama stood beside me.
“Stay back.”
Luca laughed.
“You still think you can protect everyone.”
“Yes.”
“Bella?”
Alejandro went still.
Mama whispered, “Who?”
“My sister.”
Luca smiled.
“You never told Clara about Isabella?”
“Shut up.”
“She died because our father’s enemies wanted leverage.”
Alejandro’s face hardened.
“And you learned nothing.”
“I learned family makes men weak.”
“No.”
Alejandro moved slightly.
“It makes you human.”
Luca raised his gun.
“Human gets you killed.”
I saw something on the wall.
A red fire extinguisher.
Mama saw it too.
Our eyes met.
She moved first.
She ripped it free and blasted white foam into Luca’s face.
He shouted.
Alejandro lunged.
The gun fired.
Glass shattered.
Mateo tackled Luca.
Federal agents rushed from the stairwell.
Within seconds, Luca was pinned.
He screamed.
Cursed.
Threatened everyone.
Nobody listened.
Alejandro came to me.
“Emma.”
“I’m okay.”
Mama hugged me.
Then Alejandro hugged both of us.
He did not seem to realize he was doing it.
Neither did Mama.
For a long moment, we stood there in a smoky hotel hallway while alarms screamed around us.
Luca was gone.
Really gone this time.
He returned to federal custody under maximum security.
No medical transfer.
No weak guards.
No second chance.
That night, after firefighters cleared the building, we sat in another hotel room.
I ate cereal.
Alejandro sat across from Mama.
Nobody spoke.
Finally I said, “You love Mama.”
Alejandro choked on his coffee.
Mama froze.
“What?”
I took another bite.
“I heard you.”
Mama turned red.
Alejandro stared at me.
“You were awake?”
“Yes.”
“You were supposed to be asleep.”
“I changed my mind.”
Mama covered her face.
I pointed my spoon at Alejandro.
“Do you?”
He looked at Mama.
Then at me.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“Okay.”
Mama lowered her hands.
“That’s all?”
“What?”
“You asked him and that’s all?”
“I already knew.”
Alejandro laughed.
Mama looked at me.
“Do I get a vote?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
She looked at Alejandro.
For a long moment, neither spoke.
Then Mama smiled.
Small.
Careful.
“But he’s going to have to work very hard.”
Alejandro nodded.
“I know.”
I finished my cereal.
“Good.”
Then I pushed Mr. Buttons across the table toward him.
“You might need him.”
Alejandro picked up the rabbit.
May you like
“I probably do.”
---
