Page 89 of The Pretender

I stare at her like she turned green. “To do what, Nonna?”

“Rescue him, boy. He can’t go back. They’ll kill him.”

Now I’m sure I’m in a fever dream, but before I can ask anything else, she grabs my arm and drags me out of the house into the cold where Brogan is waiting. We climb into the vehicle as Brogan yawns.

“Where we going, Nonna?”

“Airport. Step on it.”

Brogan glances at me with questions in their eyes, but I just shrug. I have no idea what’s going on. Once we’re on the road, Nonna pats my hand.

“He kept it from you to keep you safe.”

“Wait… You know?”

“I guessed.”

“Guessed what?” Brogan asks. “Spill the tea, Nonna.”

“What I’m about to say stays in this car, you understand, boys?”

“Yes, Nonna,” Brogan says while I just nod.

“Balt is a good man,” Nonna says. “A good man who got caught up in a bad thing. He’s naive enough to think he can talk his way out of it, but he’s wrong. They’ll kill him.”

My blood runs cold. “Kill him? He left me a note. He’s in the Mafia, Nonna.”

“No. Heworksfor the Mafia. That’s different.”

“Holy shit,” Brogan whispers. “This is intense.”

“How is it different? He’s a criminal.”

She pats my thigh but gets a stern look on her face. “Let me tell you a little story. When your grandfather came to court me, my father said no because he was a simple man of humble means. My father insisted I deserved more. So your grandfather promised me he would earn my father’s respect and come back if I would wait for him. So I did. I waited nine months. When he returned, he wore an expensive suit and looked like a fine gentleman. He told my father he could care for me and my family, and we’d never want for anything. Times were tough then, my father was out of work, so he agreed. He gave us his blessing.”

“Nonna,” Brogan says, “are you about to tell us our grandfather was in the Mafia?”

“Your grandfather opened an importing goods store in the city. In Naples. He got the loan from the local boss, who used the store as a front for some of their activities. So, while he wasn’t a made man or anything, he was involved. When we were ready to start our family, he knew we had to leave. My brother took over the shop and we disappeared to America.”

“Whoa,” Brogan murmurs. “How did we not know this?”

“We made a clean break,” Nonna explains. “We helped others do the same. I can help Balt.”

Rubbing my forehead, I try to make sense of her story. “You’re telling me that Nonno had business dealings with the Italian Mafia?”

“The Camorra, yes.”

“And you knew about Balt? For how long?”

She shrugs. “A couple of days, maybe. I’ve been thinking of ways I could help him. He can’t reason with them. Especially over money. That’s a fool’s errand.”

“Okay, so what’s your plan?”

“Are we busting past the TSA to save him?” Brogan asks excitedly.

I scoff. “And get arrested?”

“You boys have no faith. I’ve got a perfectly legal plan in place.”