Page 4

"Jaime, do you want to ask your Uncle Shane if he wants to play a round?" she says, loud enough that she is sure I'll hear it.
Jaime looks up at me. His brown sweater matches his eyes, and the puppy dog slippers I bought him on his first day at the house. He's standing over that board game where the colored hippos try to eat as many balls as they can; I forget the name these days.
He sees my still expression and turns back to her, then gives her a gentle shake of his head left to right.
Smart kid, I think to myself.
As I walk off, I hear Nicole. "Well, maybe one of these days he'll take a few minutes to play with us," she says just as loud, ensuring that both Jaime and I hear it simultaneously.
I feel myself growing annoyed, but still turn and smile at them. "Maybe later, champ," I say, giving a quick glance to Nicole before walking down the hall, holding back my annoyance.At least he's happy, I tell myself.
Chapter 2
Nicole
Caring for Jaime is so much more challenging than I thought it would be. Partly because grief is complicated, and getting past it is different for everyone, and partly because I oversold my experience when trying for the position. It's true that I cared for my brother for years after our parents died, but Gio was already a teenager then, a detail I left out of the interview. Moreover, he was my little brother, meaning there was an already-established level of respect and trust. I am still a stranger to Jaime; one he is warming up to, but a new face all the same.
I watch him from the comfort of the couch, running his toy cars along the floor. He's mostly quiet in the mornings, which gives me time to read and work on my English. Though, I learn a lot more by simply talking and listening to him or watching hiscartoons together. In a way, he teaches me just as much as I do him.
"Oh no," he says suddenly. "We're slipping off the road!"
I look up from my book in shock, realizing what he's reenacting. Quietly, I listen, my heart pounding.
"Don't worry, Mommy and Daddy, I'll save you," he says. He drifts the tiny red car around a toy minivan grasped in his other hand and safely skirts it to the side of the imaginary road.
I pause, unsure of what to say or do. I watch him for a moment. He looks at the car for a while, not saying anything. Then for some reason, maybe because he knows I heard, or maybe because he feels my eyes burning into the back of his head, he turns and looks at me. His big brown eyes are wide.
"I wish I could have saved them for real," he says, and my heart sinks. I put my book down and come close to him, pulling him tightly to my chest.
"I know you do, sweetheart. So do I. But you needn't worry. They are still around, looking down on you from the sky." My eyes water as I hold him close, and suddenly, I'm in Italy again, holding Gio as he cries over dinner. My sad excuse for pasta reminded him of Mom. We wept together all night.
"Uncle Shane says they're up there, too."
"Does he now?" I say, wiping tears from my eyes.
"Yeah. He says that now they look down on other people and try to save as many as they can from car accidents, so I don't need to be afraid of cars anymore."
"He's right," I say. And at that moment, Shane pops into my head. Maybe he isn't as hard and rough as he seems.
"Do you drive a car, Nicole?" Jaime asks.
"I used to, but not since I left Italy."
"Do you promise to wear a seatbelt?" he asks, pulling away from my chest and looking at me with his big brown eyes.
"Always, sweetheart," I tell him, stroking his soft brown hair and smiling, trying to stifle my tears.
"Thanks for the hug..." Jaime says. "But can I play now?"
"Sure thing, darling," I tell him, loosening my grip and letting him return to his toy cars.
I remember Gio again, asking me where I go each time I leave him, the look of fear in his eyes that I might never return. It makes me miss him dearly, and suddenly, I need to hear his voice.
I have had limited contact with Giovanni since I arrived. Raffaele warned me that the Serpenti were still after us, and any contact could put our lives in danger. I don't know how much of this is true or if it is just another attempt to control me. Aldo has promised to protect me and Giovanni under the Avvoltoi as long as we follow their rules and pay our dues. But the Avvoltoi are just as violent and deadly as the Serpenti, so trusting them completely would be foolish. My only way to communicate with Giovanni is through an emergency number directly to Raffaele, and I know firsthand how manipulative he can be.
What contact I have had since my arrival has been by way of short text messages with pictures of Giovanni attached. Raffaele even sends me pictures of himself as though we still have some romance going when, honestly, the mere thought of him sickens me. Since the last message, it has been a month, and every time I try to call back, there is no connection, probably because they use burner phones.
My involvement with the Avvoltoi has severely limited my ability to contact people back home. The fear of the syndicates has grown, especially as their blood wars continue to ravage Italy. Despite this, my parents have a few trusted contacts, other informants, who might be able to help me reach Gio, or at least provide updates on his well-being. I can only hope they remain loyal after all these years.