Page 87 of Niccolaio Andretti (The Five Syndicates)
“And you chose Ranie.”
“I don’t regret it either.”
“How can he be mad at you for what happened if you did it for him?”
“I don’t think he knows I did it for him. I don’t think anyone knows what happened. Or if they do, they just don’t care. I did kill a capo.”
“Did you try to explain what happened?”
“I fled as soon as it happened, but I tried to call and email for a little. But then I realized they could track that, so I reverted to mailing letters to my dad and Ranie without a return address. I don’t know if they ever got them. Either way, it doesn’t matter. My dad’s dead, and Ranie put a hit out on me. La volontà de re. The King’s Will.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s like a deathbed wish from a mafia boss to his predecessor. And traditionally, it has to be carried out.”
“And your dad made a King’s Will? What was it?”
“My death.”
I shake my head, unable to believe it but no longer wanting to talk about something so dark, so serious on my first date. “Tell me something else. Something positive.”
He leans back, so he’s laying entirely on the car now, and I join him, resting my head on his chest. “I want you, Minka Reynolds. You’re going to be mine. It’s just a matter of time.”
“I don’t have a say in this?” I ask, amused.
He decided that he wants me, and it’s just a matter of time. That should piss me off, but it doesn’t. Because if I’m being honest, I want him, too.
Even if I know I can’t have him.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I wondered if that was how
forgiveness budded; not with the
fanfare of epiphany, but with pain
gathering its things, packing up,
and slipping away unannounced
in the middle of the night.
Khaled Hosseini
Minka’s quiet as we drive back to the safe house. It’s on my mind to say something, but I notice a car following us once we reach a one block perimeter to the safe house, and I have to push the thought aside.
“Take the wheel for a sec,” I tell Minka.
“What?!” she asks, the alarm clear in her voice. “I’ve never driven a car!”
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-two, you jerk! I’m a New Yorker! We don’t drive.”
I smile at the sass in her voice. Aside from earlier in the day, she’s been tamer than usually today, and I was worried that taking her on a date might pacify her defiance.
I look her in the eye, so she knows I’m serious. “I’m going to let go of the wheel. If you don’t take it, I can’t guarantee we won’t crash.”
