Evelina

(iii)

Evelina

"Tony, get me my gun," I hiss into my earpiece, my eyes locked on the warehouse ahead, every nerve on high alert.

"Aren't you supposed to be at home, pretending to be the perfect housewife?" His voice comes through, dripping with sarcasm.

"Sweetie, if you don't want me dead before giving you any heirs, then don't get me a gun." I roll my eyes, even though he can't see. "Besides, any mafia wife worth her salt knows how to handle a gun."

"Love, I'm sorry. Gotta ditch. Something really important just came up," he says casually.

The nerve of him. He knows I can't hurt him without hurting myself worse. "Antonio Giannino, if you don't bring me my gun this second, I will give you the cold shoulder for weeks and—"

"Here's your gun," he interrupts, appearing behind me like a ghost.

I snatch it from him without a glance. "Have I really messed up this time?" he whispers, trailing behind me as I stalk towards the warehouse.

I nod curtly, keeping my eyes ahead. "Shut up and concentrate."

He tugs my sleeve, trying to pull off his innocent act. "Forgive me, my lady. I can't live without you. Please, no cold shoulder."

"We'll deal with that later," I mutter, slipping into a shadowed corner. My hands move with practiced efficiency, tying my hair back, positioning the gun. Silencer, check. Target, check. Time to take out some traitors.

"Tony, I'm ready," I murmur into the earpiece, lining up my shot.

"A go from me too," Vincenzo's voice crackles through.

"Alright then, compagni. It's a go," Tony confirms. (Companions.)

Three soft pops sound as we pull our triggers in unison. Three of the four targets collapse, lifeless. The fourth man stands frozen, wide-eyed in shock. Before I can react, Vincenzo strides forward and delivers a swift blow to the back of his head, dropping him like a sack of bricks. He's down, but not dead. We'll need him for later.

"Move, move!" I whisper sharply, signaling Tony to cover our rear.

We move through the dimly lit warehouse, shadows cloaking our movements. I catch a flicker of motion in my peripheral vision, spin on instinct, and fire twice. Two men fall, their weapons clattering to the ground.

"Clear on my side," Tony reports.

"Clear here too," Vincenzo echoes.

We converge on the unconscious man, and I kneel beside him, checking his pulse. He's alive. Just as planned.

"Wake him up," I say, stepping back and reloading my gun.

Tony grabs a nearby bucket of water and splashes it over the man's face. He sputters awake, coughing, his eyes wide with terror.

"W-what do you want?" he stammers, glancing between us like a trapped animal.

"Information," I reply coldly, leveling my gaze at him. "Who's the mole in our organization?"

He shakes his head violently, pure panic setting in. "I don't know! I swear!"

I nod to Vincenzo. He cracks his knuckles, stepping forward slowly. "We can do this the easy way... or the hard way," he says, his tone low and threatening.

The man's resolve crumbles almost immediately. "Okay, okay! I'll talk! Just—don't hurt me!"

"Start talking," I order, my voice ice-cold, as I lean back against a crate, gun still in hand.

He starts spilling everything—names, details, betrayals—and I can see the terror in his eyes as he speaks. But my mind's already racing ahead. I glance sideways at Tony. Despite all his antics, there's no one I'd rather have at my side in moments like this. Still, his earlier cheek won't go unpunished. Oh no, I'll deal with that once we're safely back home.

For now, we've got a job to finish. And there's no room for mistakes.

---

"Where are we going?" Tony asks as I steer away from the route home.

"I'm taking you to a place where there will be no witnesses when I kill you," I say, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I will be there. I can't let you hurt my fratello," Vincenzo pipes in from the back seat. (Brother)

I glare at him through the rearview mirror. "Then maybe I should get rid of both of you," I say, my voice seeping with anger.

"Love, calm down. What's wrong?" Tony asks, his voice softening.

I exhale sharply. "I don't know. I just wanted to go to the grocery store, but you both always ask so many questions."

Tony rubs my arm soothingly. "Everything is alright, sweetie. Everything is fine. Calm your nerves. Don't beat yourself up. Just because Papà's most trusted right-hand man is the mole doesn't mean you were wrong."

Aiden Russo, Papà's most trusted right-hand man and a second father to me, is the mole. He wants to start this American-Italian mafia and for that he has to take down either the American or the Italian Mafia. The Italian seemed easier since he knows how it works.

"I don't know. I just feel like it's all my fault. Papà hinted at it when he told me he could only trust you and me, and after the step-down happened, I should've taken it as another sign. This is just too much information."

"The Evelina I know wouldn't get tense with this information," he says gently.

I smile half-heartedly at him. "Maybe the Evelina you know has changed."

"Even if she has changed, I'll love her forever."

God, I'm falling for him all over again but I should really tell him the reason why I am acting up. We soon pull up by the supermarket.

"Anything you boys want?" I ask as I get out of the car.

"I'm coming with," Tony states. Of course, he is. He can't let me go to a supermarket alone.

"Enzo?"

"I'll come too."

"Well then, race you to the doors," I say, sprinting towards the entrance.

Sadly, I don't reach first because midway, my amazing husband wraps his arms around my waist to help his brother win the race. "Give the boy a chance. We can also have some 'us' time," he says.

Seriously, that's what he says every time. I pull myself out of his grip and hold his hand as we walk to the supermarket.

Inside, the bright fluorescent lights and the mundane sounds of shopping carts and chatter offer a stark contrast to our adrenaline-fueled life. We move through the aisles, grabbing essentials and a few treats.

Tony picks up a jar of my favorite pasta sauce, waving it in front of me. "For our special dinner tonight?"

I nod, smiling. "Sounds perfect."