“God no...” she moaned.
~17~
“Li?! Liam?! Dammit boy, open this door! Li! Who has a fucking key to this thing?” Emilio snarled.
“Tonelo’s gone to get Nandi. He keeps all the spares. Christ, Emilio what the hell happened?” Mica demanded.
“Liam called me this morning-wasn’t making any sense,” distraught, Emilio turned from the apartment door and ran a shaking hand through his hair. “All he kept saying was she’s done it again, she’s done it again. Dammit Li!” Emilio rushed the door again, his fist slamming the center.
A tense moment passed and then the wood door creaked as the locks gave.
“Jesus, Li,” Emilio’s relieved sigh gave way to shock when he took a closer look at his brother.
Haggard and dazed, Liam staggered back from the door, wearing a wrinkled and stained T-shirt and trousers.
“Li...what happened, nino?” Emilio asked. “Where are Athena and the boys?”
Liam blinked, looked bewildered. He jumped when Emilio took him by the shoulders and shook him. Thick, dense onyx locks flew in wild disarray before landing into his stricken eyes.
“Sh-she picked them up from the factory y-yesterday,” Liam said. “She was to come in with us but I let her sleep while I got the boys r-ready. She’s been so...so tired lately...” he trailed into silence for a moment and then followed with a cold laugh.
“She didn’t look good when she came to get them, but said she was going right home so...” Liam’s breathing ramped up then. He sounded as though he were trying and failing to steady it.
Emilio intercepted. “Let’s sit down, kid-”
“No,” Liam brushed past.
“Where are Athena and the boys, Li?”
“I didn’t get home ‘til late-so late... I-I’ve been late a lot it-it’s probably how she was able to do...what she did behind my back I...I had enough time last night to put it together.”
His words capping off, he strode to the nearest living room wall and put his fist through it. Nandi arrived then, panting fiercely when he leaned on the doorframe and took in the scene. Tonelo appeared equally winded when he paused beside Nandi. Both men took in the sight of their friend’s injured hand.
“Li-”
Emilio raised a hand to urge Nandi to stay back. Again, he addressed his brother carefully. “Where are they, Li?”
Liam studied his bloodied knuckles as if the damage were insignificant. “At first I thought she went to see some of her seamstresses. They’re all spread out across the boroughs. Many live in buildings we’ve bought since this one,” he wiped his uninjured hand beneath his runny nose. “I started calling around nine. No one’s seen them and-” he pulled a folded sheet from his trouser pocket. “I didn’t find it ‘til this morning,” he passed the note to Emilio. “Must’ve been on the bed and...blew off when I opened the door.”
Emilio unfolded the page slowly, preparing himself for what was inside. “Dear Liam,” he started aloud. They were all family there. “Forgive me I tried. I really tried-tried to be what you wanted-what you deserved. Don’t worry about the boys. I’ll do right by them and the-” the paper crinkled in the hand that shook. “And the child I’m carrying,” he continued, but risked a look to Liam who walked the room like some lethal creature looking for its next victim.
“It’s...not yours,” Emilio finished the simple and crushing farewell. “Jesus, Christ...” he breathed.
Liam flashed his brother a wicked look. “Not quite,” he said.
Heavy footsteps sounded as if on cue and proceeded Giaimo bounding across the threshold. The man’s concern dissolved anything that remained of Liam’s restraint.
“You fucking swine,” Liam breathed the insult, charging the room before anyone realized what was happening. The fist he put to Giaimo’s jaw, sent the bigger man staggering back until he crashed into the coffee table.
Liam followed to inflict more damage. No one stopped him. His friends knew better than to interfere with family business. The way Liam saw it, this was a thrashing his brother had earned.
Emilio agreed. He’d seen Giaimo in enough fights to know it would take a lot more to flatten him than Liam would be able to dish out given his state of mind. Emilio studied Giaimo. He lay half on the sofa and half on the floor among crushed wood and crockery. Emilio could see that the man knew he deserved it.
Liam’s steam gave out soon enough. He was barely able to connect with Giaimo and sobbing as he broke.
Emilio nodded to Nandi and the others. They rushed to Liam, gently tugging him to his feet. “Get him some coffee to sober him up,” Emilio said.
“I haven’t been drinking,” Liam muttered.
“We’ll get him cleaned up,” Nandi decided.
Emilio nodded and Liam allowed himself to be led away. He stopped short of the hallway leading to the bedrooms and looked back at Giaimo. His brother hadn’t moved.
“If anything happens to my boys, I’ll kill you.” Liam said.
***
“When are we going home, Mama?” Humphrey was asking.
“We’re going to have a fun day,” Athena reminded her son, instead of answering his question. She put a spoon in the bowl of cereal she’d poured for him. “We’ll go to Coney Island for big hot dogs and fun rides. Won’t you like that?”
“Is Papa coming?”
Athena had to work at keeping her tone light and hopeful. “Well he’s working, baby. So he won’t be able to.”
“Who’ll watch Ari?”
“Oh...” Athena cooed, moving around to press a lingering kiss to Humphrey’s plump cheek. “Aren’t you the sweet, silly thing? I will, who else? I’ll watch you both,” she pressed the cereal spoon into Humphrey’s hand.
