Chapter 13
THIRTEEN
SEBASTIAN
It takes Simon and his partner less than fifteen minutes to do a sweep of the house, grab our bags, load them up, and usher us out the front door. All the while Nicolo clings to my hand and presses against my side, shaking like a leaf in a windstorm.
His eyes are wide, face pale and skin clammy, when we climb into the unmarked SUV. I pull the seat belt across his lap as Simon backs out of my driveway under the cover of darkness.
Nicolo’s fear, the cloud of uncertainty that makes it hard to think, hard to function, is familiar to me. Ten years ago, after I walked into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York office, I was in much the same state he is now.
The feeling didn’t go away until months after I’d been given my new identity and relocated. Even now, some days, it creeps up on me. The sense that perhaps I made a mistake ten years ago even though logically, I know I didn’t.
Leaving now with Nicolo isn’t a mistake.
By this time tomorrow, the house will be empty. All of my things will be packed into boxes by a moving company with moonlight as their only guide, and held in storage until I’m ready for them. Who knows when that will be?
In the next couple of days, a For Sale sign will appear in the front yard, and shortly afterwards, once the people in my employment and the members are notified, my gym’s window. Even my SUV will be sold.
Nicolo and I will be kept in a safe location, under lax protective custody since we’re not in any real danger, until our new identities are ready for us.
“You alright back there kid?” Simon’s concern pulls me out of my own head.
His gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror before shifting to Nicolo, who is curled against my side. He looks small and scared with his eyes squeezed shut and legs pulled into the seat. As if he’s attempting to disappear.
My heart cracks down the middle. How often had he assumed that same position as a boy? Often enough for it to be a protective reflex now.
“Hey.” I comb my fingers into his hair. He peeks at me from under long, dark lashes. They’re damp and clumped together. I hate seeing evidence of his tears just as much as the tears themselves. When he hurts, I hurt.
“I know things are happening fast, and it’s scary, but we’re not in any danger. The Marshals just don’t like to waste time. Simon and Burke are going to take good care of us. Right, Simon?”
“Always.” Simon glances over his shoulder before returning his attention to the road. The dashboard lights illuminate his face.
He’s a handsome man, several years older than me with a smooth, square jaw. His hair is threaded with gray, but not so much he looks old. More like distinguished. His partner is much younger, and quiet, but watchful.
“Did you know the Marshals have a one hundred percent success rate?” It’s impossible to miss the note of pride in Simon’s voice. “We’ve never lost a witness that has followed the rules and guidelines given to them.”
Nicolo sits up just enough to appear as if he’s listening to Simon. “Really?”
“Really. We’re good at this. Even better than the Rastelli Family. Take your brother for instance.” Simon tips his head towards me.
Shadows play across his face as we pass through a green light. “He’s a perfect example. Ten years in, and he’s followed the rules every step of the way. As far as the Marshals know, the Rastelli Family thinks he’s dead. Yes?”
“Yeah.” Nicolo sniffs and drags his arm under his dripping nose before he nods. His brown hair falls into his eyes and he pushes it back. “Not even Mom knows any different.”
His tone has me blinking back tears of my own. Not knowing I was alive did a number on him, and probably Mom too. He knows now though, and I won’t ever lead him to believe differently.
I drop my arm over his shoulder and tug him against my side. He rests his head on my chest with a soft sigh. For once, my dick doesn’t get hard just from having him near. Maybe because his level of trust after all these years is humbling. I’m not sure what I ever did to deserve it, but I’m not complaining. Nor am I going to take it for granted.
I rest my cheek on his hair as I tighten my hold. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“It’s going to be a long night.” Simon brakes at a stop sign before checking both directions and pulling through. Dim streetlights flicker across the interior of the SUV as we pass under them. “Why don’t you both try to sleep?”
“I don’t know if I can.” Nicolo wraps his arm around me, kicks off his shoes, and tucks his legs under his body.
“Try anyway.” I scrape my nails over his scalp and start to hum. It’s a wordless tune, but within fifteen minutes Nicolo is lax against my side, his breathing easy and steady. I hope he sleeps the whole way but chances are he’ll wake on and off through the night.
For a long time, the only sound in the cabin of the SUV is Nicolo’s breathing, and the tires as they meet tarmac. I watch my hometown for the last decade disappear out the rear-view window.
I’ll never return, not even for a brief visit. The places I’ve become a regular, the friends I’ve made, are lost to me now.
My employees are going to be confused and upset. Molly won’t ever learn how to properly use her knee. Despite all I’m giving up, what I’m getting in return is far more important. Nicolo. A chance to watch my little brother grow into who he was always meant to be. What could be better than that?
I smile down at him and close my eyes. Sleep is all we can do for now.
There’s no point asking Simon where he’s taking us, or about my next identity. He won’t tell me anything. When we get where we’re going, there won’t be any identifiable material either. We shouldn’t be there long though. The Marshals tend to work fast, even on short notice.