Maggie Lee (Book 10): The Hitwoman's Act of Contrition (2 page)

I could feel my smile faltering as Loretta waited for me to reply.  I didn’t want to hurt her feelings by telling her that I hated the idea of doing what she loved, but I didn’t want to make a commitment to her, either.

Thankfully, my sister Marlene rushed into the kitchen at that moment. “How do I look?”

We all turned to take her in.

She was dressed in grey corduroys, a grey turtleneck, and an oversized grey cardigan.

“You look very nice, dear,” Susan said. “Are you hungry?’

Marlene twisted her hands. “I’m too nervous to eat.”

Loretta walked around her like she was a mannequin in The Corset. “Maybe if you wore some rouge…” Reaching up, she rubbed Marlene’s cheeks vigorously, trying out her theory.

Marlene slapped Loretta’s hands away and backed up a step. She looked to me. “What do you think, Maggie?”

I considered her for a long moment. I knew that, after spending years as a prostitute, she was going to the opposite extreme as she prepared to work her first legitimate job.

I sensed the energy in the room changing. Marlene was tense. Susan and Loretta were hoping I could figure out a way to give her a more honest response than they had without shattering her confidence.

No pressure or anything.

“Maggie?” Marlene urged nervously.

I tried to come up with a gentle response, but what came out of my mouth was, “I know you’re going for a conservative, chaste look, but you look like you’re applying to a nunnery.”

Everyone stared at me for a long moment.

“It’s a pizza place,” I reminded my sister weakly. “Jeans and—”

“A nunnery?” she interrupted, her voice rising and cracking. The color rising in her cheeks now had nothing to do with Loretta’s ministrations. I’d insulted her.

My stomach soured as I braced myself for whatever tirade Marlene was preparing to hit me with.

“Maggie’s right,” Susan said quietly.

I shot her a quick look of gratitude, which she acknowledged with a slight nod.

“But—” Marlene spluttered.

“Jeans and a T-shirt,” I suggested quickly. “That’s what you should wear.”

“And some color,” Loretta chimed in. “You look so somber. No one wants that when they’re gobbling up a slice.”

Marlene looked down at the floor. “I thought you’d be proud of me.”

Moving to her side, I pulled her close for a tight hug. “We
are
proud of you. So very proud.”

Marlene hugged me back. “Thanks, sis.”

“We just want to help you put your best foot forward.” Susan turned back to the stove. “And part of that is eating a breakfast.  Someone start the toast.”

The rest of breakfast passed pleasantly enough with Susan and Loretta waxing nostalgic about their favorite pizzeria when they were kids and about how talented one of the owners had been with throwing the dough in the air.

I wasn’t really paying that much attention to them, which is why my gaze strayed to the newspaper on the end of the table.

I lost my appetite when I recognized the face on the front page.

I was still trying to figure out what the picture meant when I got to the hospital for my morning visit with Katie.  Distracted by those thoughts, I didn’t notice the man approaching until he was almost on top of me.

Startled by his arrival, I squinted up at him nervously. He was a big guy, all bulging muscles and raised veins. “Morning, Vinnie. How are you feeling?”

He glared at me.

Then I remembered he might not be able to speak.

He’d recently hurt his throat by dropping a barbell on himself,
if
you believed the rumor. (Which I did. Vinnie’s a steroid junkie, and he’s not the pointiest pencil in the box if you know what I’m saying.) His silent glare was even more disturbing than his usual grunted commands.

I held my ground and did my best to smile politely at him since I know it frustrates him when I don’t appear intimidated by him.

“Boss wants you to meet him for pudding when you’re done,” he rasped. Every syllable sounded painful.

“Will do.” I turned from him and moved away. “Have a good day now.”

I held my head high and my eyes straight ahead while keeping a steady pace as I moved toward the hospital entrance. Not wanting him to know that the “invitation” from his boss scared me.

Don’t get me wrong, I like his boss, Delveccio. But any time a mobster says he wants to see you, danger is a real possibility.

I pushed those thoughts from my head as I moved through the familiar hallways toward my niece’s room.  I had to focus on being positive when I was with her. Aunt Leslie kept spouting stuff about surrounding the child with white light. While I had no idea how to do that, or if it would work, I was doing my best not to expose Katie to any negativity.

She was making remarkable progress, but still had a long way to go, and I certainly didn’t want to be the one to throw any roadblocks into her path.

Dipping my chin until it touched my chest, I whispered, “Remember. You’ve got to keep quiet if there are any adults present.”

A woman walking in the opposite direction crossed the hall to get away from me. Apparently having my head bent and talking to myself made me look rather odd.

“Yes,” the lizard hissed with exasperation from his hiding spot, nestled between my breasts. “So you’ve said. Three times.”

At the sound of my chest squeaking the woman sped up, eager to put distance between us.

As I neared her room, I spotted Delveccio’s new bodyguard standing at the door.

He wasn’t there to protect Katie; he was there for Delveccio’s grandson.

I swallowed a groan. Not that I didn’t appreciate the extra security. I’d made enough enemies to know that an extra set of eyes looking out for the little girl I loved couldn’t be a bad thing.

I nodded at the man. “Morning.”

He didn’t even glance up from the newspaper crossword puzzle he held. “You know a four letter word for flair?”

I thought for a second. “No. Sorry.”

He shrugged. “Me neither.”

“Elan,” God squeaked.

The guard flicked his eyes upward.

“Elan,” I parroted.  After all, while the lizard sucked at his beloved
Wheel of Fortune
puzzles, he kicked butt when it came to
Jeopardy
.

“What?” The guard eyed me suspiciously,

“Four letter word. Elan.”

He looked down at his paper, his pen hovering over the grid. “That works. Thanks.”

I took that as permission to cross the threshold and enter the room.

I zeroed in on the adorable little girl sitting up in the sterile hospital bed.

“How’s my favorite niece?”

“I’m your
only
niece,” Katie replied with a grin.

“You’d still be my favorite.” Walking over to her bed, I bent to place a kiss on her forehead. The spot bandages had covered after the accident.  “How are you doing today?”

“I got an extra orange juice with breakfast.”

“Good for you.”

“I’m going to need it,” Katie informed me, her voice swelling with importance. “I’ve got extra PT today.  Juan says I’m strong enough for it.” To demonstrate, she flexed her arm and pointed at her bicep.

I nodded my approval. “I’m impressed. Did you eat your whole breakfast?”

“Every last morsel,” she said cheerily.

I smiled, even though my heart broke a little. “Every last morsel” was something Teresa, her mother, my sister, used to say.

I felt God pulling himself up my bra strap. “Guess who I brought.”

“Godzilla!” Katie clapped happily.

“But remember,” I warned, holding a finger my lips to shush her. “It’s our secret that he’s here.”

“Take me to the boy,” the lizard decreed.

I backed up a few steps so I could see the pale little boy lying in the other bed. “Good morning, Dominic.”

He didn’t respond, but I was hopeful he’d continue to make progress as Katie had and eventually wake up.

I walked over to his bed, and mimicked my actions, placing a soft kiss on his forehead before I grabbed his hand and held it firmly.

The lizard scampered down my arm, up onto Dominic, and right up to his ear.  The little guy stayed there for a long moment, tail twitching, as he whispered in the child’s ear. Before long, he ran right back up my arm.

“You are doing so well, sweetheart.” I pressed my lips to Dominic’s hand before laying it back by his side.

“How come no one comes to visit him?” Katie asked.

“People visit,” I assured them both hurriedly.

“Only Mr. D.,” she countered. “Not his mommy or daddy or anybody.”

“Maybe they’re just letting him get stronger,” I suggested.

Considering I’d killed Dominic’s father (but only after he’d tried to smother the kid with a pillow) and that I was pretty sure his biological mother was locked up in the loony bin, I didn’t think he’d get any other visitors soon.  Unless, of course, the woman who everyone
thought
was his mother came back, but I hadn’t seen her in weeks.

“They need to come now,” Katie insisted. “Otherwise he won’t have anyone to play Go Fish with once I go home.”

“We can come back to visit him,” I found myself promising, carefully placing the lizard on her bed.

She grinned at him. “Hi, Godzilla.”

He waved his tail in response.

“Yay!” Katie bounced in her bed.

“Motion sickness,” God groaned.

But to Katie it sounded like an excited squeak, so she bounced harder.

Scooping the lizard up, I suggested, “Let’s play Itsy Bitsy Spider.”

She shook her head. I didn’t know whether it’s because it’s what I’d been playing with her in the back seat of the car at the moment of the crash or if it was because she couldn’t make her fingers go through the necessary motions. Her therapist had said her fine motor skills were improving, but certain things were still a challenge.  Things like feeding herself with utensils and coloring were difficult, but we were all encouraged by how well she did playing cards.

“What would you like to play?” I asked gently.

“No time to play,” an aide in pink scrubs declared, pushing a wheelchair into the room. “It’s time to get Miss Katie to physical therapy.”

God jumped down my shirt. He rested in the hammock formed by my bra.

“Yay!” Katie cried, throwing off her bedclothes. “Let’s go.” She pushed herself out of bed and stood for a moment, wobbling unsteadily.

I stood there, holding my breath, hoping she wouldn’t fall.

Throwing out her arms like a gymnast on a balance beam, she shuffled over to where the wheelchair waited.

Both the aide and I watched her carefully, but neither of us made a move to help her. Everyone agreed that the more she did for herself, the quicker her confidence in her abilities would grow.

Reaching the chair, she executed her most difficult move, turning around and plopping into the seat. She spun around in slow motion, with only a minor wobble, lowering her butt halfway down, before allowing gravity to take over and falling the rest of the way.

She grinned at me triumphantly.

I gave her a thumb’s up. It wasn’t a performance worthy of a gold medal, but she was definitely improving. “See you later, alligator.”

“In a while, crocodile.”

Grabbing the wheelchair’s handles, the aide smiled at me. “One of my favorite patients to transport. She’s always so happy.”

I nodded my thanks as they backed out of the room.

“I’ll see you later, Dominic,” the little girl called. “Love you, Aunt Maggie.”

“Love you, baby girl,” I shouted back.

And then they were gone. I looked at Dominic and grabbed his hand again. “I’ll see you soon, kiddo.”

Encouraged by Katie’s progress, I was feeling pretty good as I made my way to the hospital cafeteria despite the fact I’d been summoned there. After all, of my three bosses—Harry, my supervisor at Insuring the Future; Ms. Whitehat, the woman who gave me my instructions from a shadowy organization; and Delveccio—I definitely had the best working relationship with the mobster. He’d never blown his top when I refused an assassination job and I got the impression he genuinely cared about my well-being.

“Remember,” I began again.

“Silence is golden,” the lizard muttered.

I crossed into the cafeteria and was greeted with the scent of stale coffee and recycled cooking grease. I made an effort to school my face into a blank mask.

After all, there was no telling what my next assignment might be.

I spotted Delveccio sitting in the back corner the moment I stepped into the cafeteria. Even if Tony (or maybe it was Anthony…. They were identical twins who even law enforcement couldn’t tell the difference between, so I didn’t even try) wasn’t on the news on a weekly because of his criminal career choices, it wouldn’t be hard to pick him out in a crowded room. An overweight man with a penchant for wearing his shirts unbuttoned halfway to his belly button, he always wears a gaudy, eye-catching pinky ring.

Meeting my gaze over the top of the newspaper he held, he inclined his head in the direction of the food line, indicating I had his permission to eat. I wasn’t hungry after Aunt Susan’s eggs and Templeton’s rye, but I did get myself a cup of coffee before meandering toward the mobster.

“Dominic looks good today,” I said as way of greeting.

“Docs think he’s getting stronger every day.” Folding up the paper, he indicated I should take the seat opposite him.

I slid into the seat and blew on my coffee, waiting for him to direct the conversation.

“Your niece is doing well?”

I nodded. “Going home soon.”

A dark look crossed over his face, but the words that came out of his mouth were “That’s good news.”

I sipped my coffee, savoring its hot richness.

“She’s gonna need a lot of specialists?”

“Uh-huh.” I knew where this was going. I’d originally begun working for him to earn the cash to pay for Katie’s hospital bills.

“That must be expensive.”

“It will be,” I agreed.

“I’m farming out a job,” Delveccio said slowly, twirling his ring. “I offered it to our mutual friend first, but he turned it down.”