Packing Heat(26)

“You have a boss, though.”

“For now.”

We turned into a neighborhood I’d never been in before. It was a working class place, a pretty typical Chicago neighborhood. He pulled the car over at the end of the block.

“This is my home,” he said.

“You grew up here?”

“I did. Come on.”

We got out of the car and headed around the corner. Ahead, there was a silver steel food cart, the kind of place that had been in the city forever. He stopped outside of it and got in line.

“You took me all the way out here for a food cart?” I asked him.

“Not just any cart,” he said. “This is the best breakfast in the city.” The line moved quickly, and as soon as we got to the front of the line, the guy working the cart laughed.

“Rafa!” he said. “You look good! Been too long.”

“Hey, Roger,” he said. “You still make the best fucking food in the neighborhood?”

“Best in the whole fucking city, and you know it. Who’s the pretty girl?”

“Cassidy, this is Roger.”

“Hi, Roger.”

“Well hello there, Miss Cassidy.”

“Roger, two of my usual.”

“Coming right up.”

I smiled at Rafa and he grinned at me. Roger was an older man, maybe in his mid-fifties. He was graying and heavyset, and probably had been in that same cart in that same spot for twenty years. He clearly knew Rafa, at least.

Soon we had two white Styrofoam containers of food and two small cups of coffee. Rafa paid the man and then we walked back toward his car.

“Come on. We’ll eat over here.” We went past the car and around the corner, back toward a park.

We staked out a spot on a bench and sat down. I opened up my box and looked down at three delicious pancakes.

Rafa was already digging into his. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pancakes?”

“Hell yeah,” he said.

“You don’t strike me as a pancake man.”

“Guess not.” He chewed and swallowed. “I used to eat here all the time growing up. It’s been awhile.”

“Why did you bring me here?”

“I don’t know, honestly.”

“You said you wanted to talk.”

“I do. You’re not going to like it.”

I felt a tinge of fear. “Are they coming for me?”

“No,” he said. “I stopped them. But you won’t like how.”

“Rafa, tell me.”

“Eat first.”

“No. You have to tell me. This is my life.”

“Take a bite. Then I’ll talk.”

I sighed and looked at the pancakes. They did smell absolutely delicious. A little pad of butter was slowly melting in the center. I poured a little bit of syrup from a small packet and took a bite.

They were delicious, sweet and savory and fluffy. The perfect pancakes.

I took another bite, and then another, and soon we were both eating in silence. For a second, I completely forgot what we were supposed to be doing. I forgot about everything but eating next to Rafa and enjoying the beautiful morning.

But soon the pancakes were gone and reality set back in. Rafa leaned back on the bench and sipped his coffee.

I turned toward him, raising an eyebrow. “Okay,” I said. “Talk.”

“There’s something you got to know about the mob,” he said. “We’re real family oriented. I know that sounds fucking dumb, but it’s true. Family still means something to us.”

“Violent thugs care about their mommy. I get it.”

“Something like that.” He shrugged. “They fucking wanted you, Cassidy. Hell, some of them still do. I didn’t know how else to stop it.”

“What did you do? Tell them I’m your sister?”

“No. I told them you were pregnant with my kid.”

That hit me like a hammer to my chest. I blinked at him, not sure what to say.

“Seems crazy, but it worked. They backed off for now.” He shrugged. “So that’s the deal. You’re supposed to be pregnant with my kid.”

“That is crazy,” I said softly. “I’m not pregnant though.”

“I know,” he said. “But we’re going to have to do something about that.”

I nearly dropped my coffee. There was no way he was actually suggesting what I thought he might be suggesting. That was just too wild, too insane.

Flashes of his body pressing against mine. I glanced around the park, and for a second I thought I could see the man under all that violence.

But the solution, I couldn’t really imagine he meant that. It was just too insane, even for this situation.

There was no way he was going to get me pregnant.





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