Chapter 21
Tessa kept Mia confined to the third-floor suite. They stopped using the kitchen. Carmine sent meals up through the dumbwaiter. The house felt like a submarine descending into dangerous water. But there was 1 unresolved problem. Tessa’s apartment lease expired on the first day of the month. It was Friday. She had effectively abandoned the apartment and taken only what she and Mia could carry. But several things remained. Mia’s birth certificate. The original paperwork from her diabetes diagnosis. And a small wooden jewelry box containing the only photograph Tessa still had of her dead brother. It was hidden beneath a loose floorboard in the bedroom closet. Tessa could not leave it. “Absolutely not.” Zo sat behind his desk examining a ledger. He did not look up. “You do not leave this house.” “Mr. Rossi, the landlord clears the unit tomorrow.” Tessa stood in front of the enormous desk.
“He throws everything into the dumpster. I can replace the medical records eventually, but the photograph—” Her voice tightened. “I can’t lose it.” She took a breath. “It will take 20 minutes. In and out.” Zo finally looked at her. The same desperate light he had seen in the mudroom was back in her eyes. She asked him for very little. She demanded nothing. He exhaled and rubbed his temples. He was due at a Commission sit-down in 1 hour to finalize the terms of the Moretti surrender. It was a delicate, high-stakes meeting. Zo pressed the intercom. “Gabe.” His second-in-command arrived a minute later. “Take Thomas and 2 others.” Zo pointed at Gabe with a pen. “Take the armored SUV. Take Tessa to her old apartment.” Gabe listened. “You clear the building before she gets out of the vehicle. You stay with her. You bring her directly back.” Zo’s eyes hardened. “If 1 hair on her head is out of place, I’ll put you in the ground myself.” Gabe nodded. “Yes, boss.”
