lines at her eyes that were a perfect combination of laughter and worry. Today they were all worry. “You must stop getting shot at.”
I couldn’t stop my chuckle that unfortunately held a hint of hysteria. I couldn’t lose it in front of both my mother and Nick. My nerves felt like they’d been scraped raw by an old handsaw, and holding myself together caused my arms to tremble just enough that my mom tightened her hold, making me want to cry like a toddler who’d scraped her knee. I bit my lip hard enough to taste blood, instead.
Nick stepped in. “Mrs. Albertini. It’s very nice to see you.” He held out his hand like his mama no doubt had taught him to do.
My mom’s eyebrow arched, and she released me to extend her hand for what appeared to be a gentle shake. “I’ve heard you were back in town, Nick. Please tell me you’re going to put a stop to all of this drug nonsense and shootouts.” Her soft lilt was iron strong with the demand.
Although I was a little miffed that she expected the big, strong man to handle the problems, I did understand. He was, after all, now the head prosecutor and my boss. Even so, I spoke up. “We’re working on it, Mom. It’s a couple of cases, and don’t worry. The shooting is over.” Scot was dead, so the killers unfortunately had been successful. But were they the same shooters from the other day? Those had been aiming at Aiden or at Randy Taylor, so my churning gut told me there was still danger out there, and somehow, I kept ending up in the middle of it.
“All the shooters are done?” My mother kept her attention on Nick, apparently following the same train of thought.
His smile was charming with a boatload of respect. “I don’t know, Mrs. Albertini.”
My mom’s nod was all approval. She did like the truth. “Thank you for the honesty.” She removed her hand and then patted his arm right above the monogrammed cuffs. “However, you’re in charge now, Nicolo.”
I tried not to wince.
She leaned in, the Irish in her voice now out in full force. “That means that the shooting must stop, and it’s your job to make it happen. Your duty requires protecting the people working for you. I’m speaking to you as a mother. Do we understand each other?”
There was only one answer, and Nick gave it, his eyes sparkling. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Good boy.” She patted him again and then linked her arm through mine, gently turning us both. “Now Anna, I’ll give you a ride to Wanda’s. You didn’t forget your appointment, did you?”
My stomach dropped. I had forgotten. Completely. “Mom, I don’t think—”
“I figured.” For a woman two inches shorter and probably twenty pounds lighter than me, she moved like a good wind, within seconds having me at her Ford Taurus, circa two thousand and five. People from Silverville bought and kept American, trading vehicles only when they fell apart. Fords rarely did.
I slipped inside, and the smell of the lavender air freshener somehow eased through me, relaxing my shoulders from down around my ears. It had been a tough couple of days. Maybe speaking with a shrink wasn’t a bad idea, although dredging up all the emotions from the past didn’t seem necessary. I had enough of a disaster going on in real time that maybe we could just concentrate on that.
“That Basanelli boy grew into his ears,” my mom mused, handing over a plain T-shirt for me to change into. Then she started the engine and drove out of the lot at a too rapid speed.
I gratefully changed my shirt and then yanked on my seatbelt. “Um.”
She ripped around the corner onto the main street. “I’ve heard he’s single. Was engaged.”
I perked up. “Nick was engaged?” I didn’t want to be interested, but engaged? “What happened?”
She sniffed and drove through an intersection as the light turned from yellow to red. “Apparently they were both lawyers in Boise, and things went south. I don’t have all the details.” Yet. She didn’t need to say the word. She would know the entire story within a week, and hopefully she’d tell me without my having to ask for it. “Dating somebody you work with would be a disaster.”
I stilled. Was my mother, the woman who was still waiting impatiently for one of her daughters to marry and give her grandchildren, warning me off Nick? “True.”
She nodded emphatically, whipping the car