Chapter 3 - The Price of Quiet
Vittorio placed an envelope on the counter.
“There’s two thousand dollars in there.”
I didn’t touch it.
“What for?”
“Childcare. You’ve clearly had difficulty arranging it.”
Sophia swung her legs beneath the table, carefully separating a broken cracker into smaller pieces.
Vittorio lowered his voice.
“My brother has suffered enough. He doesn’t need a child feeding his grief.”
“She didn’t mean to upset him.”
“I’m sure she didn’t.”
He pushed the envelope closer.
“Take a few days off. Paid. After that, don’t bring her back.”
I looked at the money.
Two thousand dollars meant rent. Groceries. The overdue notice folded inside my purse.
He knew that.
“That sounds like something Mr. Falcone should tell me.”
His smile thinned.
“There are two Mr. Falcones.”
For the first time, I understood that Dante wasn’t the only man in that house people feared.
I slid the envelope back.
“I’ll speak to my employer.”
Vittorio watched me for a long second.
“Pride can be expensive, Rosa.”
After he left, Mrs. Bell sank into a chair.
“You should have taken the money.”
“You told me not to leave her with him.”
“I told you to be careful.”
“Then tell me why.”
She looked toward Sophia and shook her head.
A few minutes later, Dante’s driver appeared in the kitchen.
His name was Luca. He was young enough to still look embarrassed when people called him “sir,” but I had seen the other guards listen when he spoke.
“Mr. Falcone wants me to drive you home.”
“I take the bus.”
“Tonight, he’d prefer you didn’t.”
I almost refused.
Then I thought about Vittorio’s smile.
In the car, Sophia fell asleep clutching the sleeve of my coat.
Luca checked the mirror.
“Did somebody speak to you?”
“Everybody speaks to me. Mostly about floors.”
“Rosa.”
I told him about the envelope.
His jaw tightened.
“Keep your phone on.”
We reached my apartment building just after six.
Luca waited until I opened the front door.
I carried Sophia upstairs, balanced her against my hip, and stopped outside our apartment.
The lock was scratched.
Inside, the sofa cushions lay on the floor.
My kitchen drawers stood open.
The little ceramic jar where I kept grocery money had been emptied onto the counter.
But the money was still there.
Whoever had come wasn’t looking for cash.
I backed into the hallway and called Luca.
He answered immediately.
“Don’t go inside.”
Sophia stirred against my shoulder.
“Mommy?”
“It’s okay.”
Then I saw the refrigerator.
Someone had used one of Sophia’s alphabet magnets to hold a sheet of paper in place.
May you like
Four printed words.
CHILDREN SHOULD SLEEP QUIETLY.
