the way at the last second, so the doctors think it could have been her hitting the ground or possibly the train, but they said that’s really not probable and if it was, then it’s a miracle she’s alive.
The police questioned everyone at the scene and Slater had an argument with Sheriff Johnson, who mentioned Della had only recently been discharged for a bullet wound. He told Slater straight out if he wasn’t such a disgusting criminal then maybe his sister wouldn’t get hurt.
Mack and Pacer had to physically remove Slater from the Sheriff’s presence before Slater did something he’d regret.
Della was in the hospital for three days, two days post her hand operation before Dom got word that Lucini had heard about Rex’s death and he was sending his enforcers to pick Della up.
Dom said my great Uncle Frank Lucini wouldn’t hear that Rex committed suicide. He said if Rex was unstable, Bone would have noticed and reported back to him. He thinks it’s foul play and he’s coming for Della. Lucini considers two deaths an attack against the family.
Dom and Slater got into it badly. I was lying on Mack’s bed, surrounded by tissues. But even I got up and out of bed after hearing the shouts. Opening the bedroom door, I went to the window at the end of the hall and peered out through the glass at the two men on the ground fighting and throwing punches.
Mack said that Dom came up with a plan, but it entailed him taking Della with him to his hometown up North, to Dom’s friends and to Della’s real family. A twenty-five hour drive across the country.
Slater forbid it.
Della and Dom still left. Della left behind her brothers’ backs, willingly. Slater promised to go after her, but Piper talked to him. She explained what we all knew, Della was doing this for them. She knows the safest place for her brothers is for her to be far away from them. And as long as the Kings are still in Portland and are seen going to visit their sister in the hospital each day, the enforcers have no idea Della’s already left town and it will give Dom and Della the head start they need. However, Slater has sworn, the moment they get even a hint that the enforcers know they’ve been played, they’re going after their sister.
Della and Dom are on their way to Minnesota. Once they arrive and Della meets her new brother, William—who’s going to be in Minnesota with his cousin Joseph and his partner Alexa—they will decide where to go from there. Della’s other two brothers, Matthew and Alexander, are still in Mexico putting plans together to offer Lucini a trade for Della’s life. Mack says the brothers understand that kind of life, they know the only way to save Della is to make a trade for something Lucini wants and they think they have something he won’t be able to refuse.
“Lana,” Mack calls to me softly. “Thinking pretty hard there, Dove.”
I lift my eyes. “Just thinking about Della.”
“Slater’s already been in contact with them this morning. So far so good. No tail.”
I nod. “That’s great.”
“Lana, I want to take you out tonight. Get you out of the house. You good with that?”
I’m surprised at the small spark of excitement that ignites inside me.
I force a smile. “Sounds great.”
“Don’t do that,” Mack states.
“What?”
“Push out a smile when it’s not real. I don’t want you to be excited or happy about going out tonight. I want you to feel how you feel, and I’m gonna get you out of the house because I think it might help, but no pretend bullshit with me, Lana. I’m here, even if it takes you years to grin again because your beautiful smiles are worth waiting for.”
Water hits my eyes. I mean what does he expect after he says all that.
Mack walks around the table and bends on one knee and holds me and I say, “These are happy tears.”
I feel his body shake as he says, “We’re getting somewhere then.”
Gosh, I love this man.
***
Mack and I are lying under the stars, on the lush grass of Iroquois Park, twenty minutes south of Portland. He brought me to an open space, where there are no trees, only open sky and millions of beautiful stars.
He placed a picnic blanket down and a basket, which I knew held Chinese food. I could smell it since the moment he got back home from running an