Chapter 35
GAbrIEL
SCARLETT AND I DECIDE to lie low in her dorm room. We’ve only been leaving when absolutely necessary, and my teammates get us food and everything else we need. The burner phone is on the desk, and every time it makes a sound, my heart jumps.
It goes off just as I’m thinking about it.
I grab it and read the message. It’s from Zyair.
Some guy came around asking about you. We all said you left town for a family emergency. He didn’t seem convinced, but he left.
“They’re looking for us,” I say.
Scarlett looks up from her laptop. “What?”
I show her the message.
She reads it and nods. “Okay. That’s good. The team covered for us.”
“What if they don’t believe it? What if they go after my parents?”
“Gabriel—”
“I can’t contact them. I don’t know if they’re okay or if the mafia hurt them because I disappeared.” My voice cracks.
The not knowing is the worst part. I’ve spent a long time protecting my parents and doing everything the mafia asked, and now I can’t even check on them. If I call them, the mafia will know my kidnapping was fake. They’ll know I’m free, and then they’ll hurt my parents to punish me.
“What if something already happened and I don’t know?” I ask.
Scarlett gets up and crosses the room to me. She wraps her arms around me, and I lean into her. The warmth of her body against mine makes it a little easier to breathe.
“Everything’s going to be okay. Your mafia guys now have bigger than problems than you, me, and your parents.”
I want to believe her and think that there’s a way out of this that doesn’t end with someone I love getting hurt. But I’ve been in this life long enough to know that’s not how it works. The mafia doesn’t just let you go or forget.
A few hours later, there’s another message. This time from Cory.
My uncle is a cop in the town where your parents are. I asked him to check on them. They’re okay. No incidents reported.
Relief overcomes me so fast that I feel dizzy. I show the message to Scarlett, and she smiles.
“See? They’re okay.”
I nod, but the worry doesn’t completely leave me. What if something happens tomorrow? What if the mafia decides to punish them anyway? What if Cory’s uncle doesn’t know everything?
But for now, they’re safe, and that’s all that matters.
Scarlett holds me again, and this time I let myself relax a little. I rest my head against her chest and close my eyes.
THE NEXT DAY, SCARLETT goes to an important class that she can’t miss, and my teammates promise to protect her. I stay in her dorm, keeping away from the windows.
Zyair texts again.
Coach is asking about you. I told him you’re dealing with a family thing. He wants you to call him.
I stare at the message. Coach has always been good to me, but I can’t call him. I can’t talk to anyone who might accidentally give away that I’m still on campus.
Tell him I’ll call when I can. Need a few more days.
Zyair responds immediately.
Got it. Stay safe, man.
SCARLETT IS ON THE bed with her laptop open, watching the local news, and I’m glad she came back safely.
“Anything interesting?” I ask.
“Yeah. There was a clash downtown last night. Gang violence. Multiple casualties.”
My stomach twists. “When?”
“I just told you. Last night.”
“Right.” All the stress is making my brain sluggish.
I move to sit next to her and look at the screen.
Then I click on the article and start reading.
It says the police responded to reports of gunfire in an industrial area.
When they arrived, they found several bodies and evidence of a large confrontation.
The article doesn’t name any organizations, but it mentions that the authorities believe it’s connected to organized crime.
“Do you think that was Niccolò?” Scarlett asks.
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Scarlett clicks on a video that was filmed on someone’s phone from a distance. The footage shows the aftermath. Police tape. Body bags being loaded into an ambulance. Blood on the pavement.
And then the camera pans.
The cane and the hat... Bloodied on the ground.
I shiver. “Do you think he’s dead?”
Scarlett leans closer to the screen. “Maybe. Let’s hope so.”
The news shows more footage. Cops everywhere. Detectives taking statements. Crime scene investigators in white suits collecting evidence. The reporter says the investigation is ongoing and that the authorities are working to identify all the victims.
I watch the screen, unable to look away.
If he’s dead, does that mean I’m free?
But even as I think it, I know it’s not that simple. The mafia doesn’t work like that. If one person dies, someone else takes over.
OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS, whispers and rumors spread across the campus. People are talking about the mafia clash and how one group lost territory. I know the campus is probably in Niccolò’s domain now if the rumors are true.
It would make sense. If Niccolò used our video to lure the other mafia group into a trap, then he probably won. And if he won, that means the people who were controlling me are either dead or scattered.
But that only makes me feel a tiny little bit better.
“I’m a hockey player,” I say to Scarlett as we’re on her bed. “I can’t just disappear. People know who I am, and my face is everywhere. Maybe I should leave hockey. Go somewhere else. Start over.”
The thought has been eating at me for days. Maybe if I just disappear and leave the team and the campus, and go somewhere no one knows me, we’ll all be safe.
But Scarlett shakes her head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because of publicity. You’re popular here, and the mafia won’t be able to touch you now that the cops are everywhere and searching for whoever survived the clash.
If you run somewhere in secret, they might find you again, just some other guys.
But if you stay here and keep playing hockey where everyone’s watching, they can’t make a move without it being noticed. ”
I think about it. She has a point. If I’m in the public eye and people are paying attention, it’s harder for the mafia to do anything to me. The investigation will probably last a long time anyway. If I disappear and try to stay hidden, I’m an easy target.
“What about my parents?” I ask.
“Cory said his uncle might be able to help. Maybe he can transfer them somewhere this particular mafia can’t reach them.”
“You think that’s possible?”
“I don’t know, but we can check.”
It’s not a perfect plan, but it’s something. And right now, that’s better than nothing.
I pull Scarlett into my arms and kiss her. And for a moment, I let myself forget about everything else.