Black Hearts

Chapter Twenty Four

Cece's POV:

I was sitting on my mattress in my shitty apartment, contemplating if I should call Roni. She was already out the hospital, and she had forgiven me and the girls, but I couldn't help but feel like all of us had still been split apart. Especially me. I knew everyone thought I was the one who was hurting the most, because I said I hoped one of them got shot.

I wanted to shoot myself for even saying that about my best friends.

I heard a tap on my window, and saw Rosa' face filling the clear glass. I looked over at her and looked back down on my phone. She slid open the glass, and jumped in.

She sighed. "You do realize that Roni still loves you, right? We all had that talk after her and Trey spoke in the hospital."

"I told her to die-"

"And so did Steph."

"That's not how friends should act around each other, even when they're mad. She could have actually been killed. And the last time we all spoke was at the hospital." I explain tossing my phone on my mattress. She comes to sit next to me.

"We all need some space. Don't think we will ever abandon each other. Because you know deep down inside, we have a bond that can never be parted. Heck, even Moses couldn't split us apart." Rosa uses a Bible reference.

"You're stupid as fuck." I chuckle. She taps my shoulder against hers. "There's something I still don't understand."

"What would that be?"

"Why the fuck do you have weapons in your house-"

Rosa automatically stood up and paced towards the window. She looks down, as if she was ashamed. "You... I know I said I would tell you guys, but I don't think I should."

"And why the hell not?"

"You'll think of my family differently. You'll think of me differently..."

"Um, you come from a family of Government Politicians and Agents"

"That's the thing, Cece... I don't. It's a cover up."

"Cover up for what?"

"My..." She starts off slowly. "My family comes from a lineage of... of businessmen. They do a lot of financial work... but it's illegal financial work."

"Does your family print illegal money and buy weapons?"

"They're in the Mafia, Cece. I come from a family of gangsters who did business with Paul Ricca back in Chicago, but my family decided to move to New York when he died." She blurts out ashamed. "I could be in big trouble for even saying this information..." She rubs her head vigorously.

Sweet little Rosa with a bitter dark background, caught in the middle of an crime nightmare which I know she would never volunteer to be a part of. With everything we've been through and met this past year, I wasn't terrified of her background.

"So, you're family does this business?"

"They..." She sighed again "It's not as bad as it was back in the 30's. My family just deals with sending people to different places so they can do the dirty work. They keep a stash of weapons in the shed for the workers. It's practically impossible to open that shed without the lock."

It was quiet for a moment. I could tell she was visibly distraught by telling me this.

"So, your family worked with one of the most dangerous Italian Mafia gangs to ever exist in American history..."

"If I wasn't the daughter of the Caporegime, I would be killed for exposing this information. This isn't like a street gang. This isn't like Cooper's gang. What my family does is way worse. We make so much money off of it. That's why we live in the richest neighborhood of Clear Lake."