Maggie Lee (Book 11): The Hitwoman Hires a Manny (2 page)

To my relief, Jack Stern wasn't in the cafeteria when I reached it. In a back corner, Tony Delveccio sat with the two kids. His grandson, Dominic, was propped up in a wheelchair.

My beautiful niece Katie sat in a plastic chair, chattering away, while simultaneously licking a vanilla ice cream cone.

Tony, shirt unbuttoned halfway to his naval, was carefully spooning chocolate ice cream into Dominic's mouth, looking every bit the doting grandfather. In moments like this it was easy to forget that he was a dangerous criminal.

I hurried toward them, but was intercepted by a man who stepped into my path. I recognized him as Tony's backup bodyguard. I actually liked this man a lot more than Vinny. He didn't have the same maliciousness shining in his gaze, and I've even witnessed him being kind to Katie on occasion.

I gave him a tight smile. "Hi, I'm Katie's – –"

"I know who you are." He sounded amused that I had been about to explain myself. He pitched his voice lower. "I just wanted to tell you that he got her the low sugar ice cream."

I blinked. Was that some kind of code? Like when Vinny tells me that Delveccio wants to have some chocolate pudding, that really means he wants to give me an assassination job.

I guess my confusion showed on my face, because the more likable bodyguard told me, "That's a good thing. It means she won't be bouncing off the walls."

Deciding to take his words at face value, I nodded. "Thanks."

He stepped aside so I could continue. Little Dominic's eyes lit up as he spotted me, alerting his grandfather to my presence.

Tony turned and smiled at me. "Ice cream?"

"Aunt Maggie!" Katie called, waving at me with her ice cream cone. "Look what Mr. D. got me."

"Did you thank him?" I slid into the seat beside her, and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

She nodded, licking her cone for emphasis.

I look to Delveccio for confirmation.

"She certainly did." He offered another spoonful of ice cream to Dominic, but the little boy shook his head.

Remembering how long it'd been before Katie had been allowed to have real food after she'd been in a coma, I asked, "Does his doctor know about this little outing?"

The mobster's eyes narrowed a little bit, but a hint of a smile played at his lips. "That's why I like you. You always say what you think." He wagged his finger at me. "But someday that may get you in trouble."

I shrugged apologetically.

“Ooooh.” Kati shook her head. "Maggie's in trouble. I'm going to tell Aunt Susan."

She sounded so much like my sister Teresa, her mother, had at the same age, that I couldn't help but laugh. At the same time, tears stung my eyes, as I was hit once again by the loss of my sister.

Afraid I was really going to lose it, as I laughed and cried simultaneously, I jumped up from the table. “I’m going to get my own ice cream.” I stumbled away, hand covering my mouth, trying to get control of myself.

I was aware of Delveccio murmuring reassuringly, but I wasn't sure if he was telling Katie, or his bodyguard, that everything was okay.

I stumbled out into the hallway, not wanting Katie to witness my breakdown. In that moment I missed Teresa so much that my chest ached. That's the thing with grief, you think you're over something, past it, and all of the sudden it strikes out of nowhere, stealing your logic, breaking your heart all over again.

Tears stung my eyes, and I couldn't quite see where I was going, which is how I stumbled into a man.

"What's wrong?" a familiar, gravelly voice demanded to know, his fingers digging into my elbows, and attempting to keep me upright.

"She's dead," I wailed on a sobbing gasp.

He crushed me to his chest, pressing my cheek against leather. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I cried harder. I missed Teresa so much.

To his credit, Jack Stern didn't pull away. He let me cry into his leather jacket, as stoic as a seawall in the midst of a hurricane.

Finally, when my tears had slowed, and I wasn't struggling to breathe, I pulled away from him.

He let me go, but hovered anxiously, as though he expected me to collapse at any moment. "How?" he asked gently.

"You know how." I grit my teeth as the memory of waking up from the car accident, and being told Teresa was gone, washed over me.

"I don't," he said softly.

For the first time, I raised my gaze to meet his. "The car accident."

He squinted, trying to make sense of what I was telling him. Leaning back, folding his arms across his chest, he asked carefully, "Who died?"

"Teresa."

He let out a relieved sigh. "I thought something happened to your niece."

Suddenly I felt like the world's biggest idiot. I'd been blubbering all over him like a mad woman. No wonder he'd assumed that something had happened to Katie.

I shook my head. "She's fine."

He nodded. "That's good news."

"You must think I’m insane."

A hint of a smile played at his lips. "I've researched your family. You have reason to be."

I couldn't help but chuckle. Wiping the remainder of my tears away, I dried my hands on my jeans. “Coconut doesn't fall far from the tree."

He raised an eye at my father’s old joke, then leaned his shoulder against the wall, as though too exhausted to hold himself up anymore. "How are you?"

"I'm good."

He raised his eyebrows, silently letting me know that my crying jag disputed my words. "I was worried about you after what happened in Pennsylvania."

I shrugged, and looked away. "All's well that ends well."

"Strange forces were at work up there."

I stared at the floor, not wanting to look into his eyes. He was fishing. Trying to figure out what had happened when I attempted to rescue Armani from her kidnappers. It was safer that he didn't know.

I wasn’t sure he’d believe me about the secret ninjas anyway.

A long silence stretched uncomfortably between us. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to figure out how to change the topic of conversation.

"Your friend is okay?" he asked finally.

I nodded.

"You're not going to say anything about it?" Frustration made his voice even deeper than usual.

I shrugged. Still avoiding his gaze. "What is it you want me to say?"

"An explanation would be nice."

I remembered Armani telling me that Ms. Whitehat had forbidden her to talk about what had happened. I wondered if Jack had gotten the same instruction. "I'm sorry you got dragged into that."

"Nobody dragged me into anything. I'm the one that followed you up there. I'm just asking for an explanation as to what the hell happened." He pushed himself away from the wall and towered over me, as though he thought I'd be intimidated enough to actually give the answer he was searching for.

"I'm not sure I even know," I muttered. That was the truth. Armani had been kidnapped, I'd tried to rescue her from the O'Hara crime family, but it had been Ms. Whitehat’s black-clad ninjas that had ultimately saved the day.

He put his hands on his hips, and leaned closer, dark eyes glittering as he searched my face. "They scared you into silence too, didn't they?" I wasn't sure if I heard accusation or pity in his voice.

Deciding that the safest thing I could do was remain silent, I lifted a shoulder and stared down at the ground.

"Miss Lee?" Another man's voice interrupted the conversation from behind Jack.

I looked toward its source, desperate to extricate myself from the conversation with Jack. The reporter didn't want to be interrupted. He stepped closer to me, to block my view of the other man.

"Everything okay?" the other man asked, a forced note of cheerfulness in his tone, as he stepped around Jack so that I could see him.

Angel Delveccio, tall, dark and brawny was watching me with concern.

We’d first met at the mental health facility where my mother and his cousin reside. He’d been kind enough to use his bulging biceps to change my flat tire. We’d sort of hit it off, but then I found out that he's the nephew of my favorite mobster.

As seemed to usually be the case, the former sailor was wearing a Navy shirt.

I wondered whether that was his way of declaring an identity separate from that of his crime-loving family.

"She's fine, buddy," Jack growled.

Looking from Jack's frustrated face, to the concern on Angel’s, my gut flip-flopped nervously. The last thing I needed was for these two men to get into a fight over me. It couldn't end well.

While Jack had the life-hardened edges of a crime reporter, I was pretty sure he was no match for Angel, who I'd seen toss a car tire like it was a frisbee.

Needing to diffuse the situation, I struggled to come up with a smile for Angel. "I'm fine."

Angel looked from me to Jack, and back to me, as though deciding whether or not to believe me.

"Then I apologize for interrupting," Angel said smoothly. "If you do decide you need me, I'll be in there." He moved past us into the cafeteria.

Before Jack could start asking me again about the fiasco in Pennsylvania, I went on the offensive. "Why did you want to meet? You said it had something to do with my family."

Jack stared at me, assessing. Then he shook his head, his mouth a flat grim line. "Now's not the time." He turned to walk away.

"What do you mean now's not the time?" I called after him.

He didn't answer, just waved a hand, and kept walking.

I watched him disappear from sight, wondering what kind of game he was playing. The fact that he was jerking me around made me angry. I had enough to contend with, without his games. Not the least of which was explaining to Katie what had just happened, and dealing with Angel.

I took a couple of deep steadying breaths, threw my shoulders back, and marched back into the cafeteria, head held high, determined to fool Katie into thinking everything was okay.

Delveccio’s gaze was sharp as it settled on my face.

"Sorry about that," I said breezily, settling back into my seat beside Katie. "It's been a crazy day." I hated the wide-eyed, worried gaze of my niece. She had enough problems, I didn't need to add to them. I kissed the top of her head. "Trust me, if you'd spent time with Aunt Loretta, you'd be stressed out too."

"Did she make you play dress-up?" Katie asked innocently. "Mommy didn't like it when she made her play dress-up."

I ruffled her hair. "Something like that."

She nodded as though she understood, returning her concentration to eating her ice cream cone.

I marveled at the resilience of children.

I met Delveccio’s gaze over the table. I wanted to assure him that I was okay, that I wasn't losing it, that he had no reason to worry about my stability. If a mobster thought someone was mentally unstable they might want to get rid of them.

"Your sister?" he asked.

"Excuse me?"