Even through the static of the prison phone, I could hear it. Not just a mother's panic. The cold fury of Cosima Valentino, a woman who had held territory together while her husband's heart failed him, who had kept rival families from smelling blood in the water for fifteen years. When she said do they know who you are, it was not a question. It was a threat she expected me to relay.
"Please, just talk to Dad. I need out of here. And a new passport. In my name."
She paused.
"Alright, baby girl. Hang in there. You'll be out soon."
The line disconnected.
The guard gave me a suspicious look, then left. A while later, he returned with a bitter update.
"Nobody's available to process your release tonight. You stay till morning."
I didn't answer. I climbed onto the narrow spring bed, curling into myself. But every time I closed my eyes, I heard Giacomo's voice. Nadina's laugh. Pietro's silence. And their baby's cries.
They'd taken everything from me. In five days, I'd be gone. And when I left, they'd regret it.
Around midnight, I drifted off.
I woke to scraping metal.
My eyes opened just as the cell door creaked.
Seven women stepped in.
My heart stopped.