Isabella
“Have you checked with Matteo yet?” I look up at Ruben from my desk, the map of Chicago open on the tablet between my hands.
“I was going to call him on the way there,” Ruben says in his usually calm manner, standing in front of me with his shoulders straight but relaxed and his eyes set on me. Even though he takes up one of the highest positions in the De Lugo cartel, Ruben still acts like a subordinate-I guess out of habit.
I nod in agreement and straighten up, picking up the tablet and scrolling through the map, zooming out of familiar areas. There are at least fifty dark purple dots scattered over the northern parts of Chicago in a pattern known only to me. The borders of the old Escarra territories are still on the map, barely seen under a new layer of dark purple lines-the markings of the new De Lugo territories.
“Alright then, check with him first if the place is unclaimed and clear. The Messinas might’ve claimed it in the past, but I doubt it. It’s too far from their borders.”
I check one last time, scrolling the map from Bucktown to Edgewater. Yeah, I doubt Riccardo would want this specific piece of land, but it’s better to talk to the Messinas first instead of getting in trouble later. I put the tablet down, look up at Ruben, and he gives me a curt nod.
“Yes, senora.”
“Oh, and Ruben?” He pauses halfway to the door and turns around. “How is your son? Is he getting used to the new school?”
Ruben blinks, caught off guard for a moment, before his expression softens into a light smile reflected in his eyes. “He is, although it’s hard for him to speak English all the time, you know? So many unfamiliar words.”
I nod, unable to hold back a soft smile. “But he likes it here.”
“Oh, he does.” Ruben chuckles, slightly turning to face me better. “Ana took him to the lakefront the other day, and Leo got so excited! He couldn’t believe it wasn’t an ocean. He kept asking her what was behind the horizon and whether the ice ever goes away.”
I laugh, shaking my head as my hand instinctively rises to my belly.
Kids, huh?
“Well, sounds like it was fun,” I say after sobering up, and Ruben nods, the look in his eyes much warmer now.
“Yes. Thank you, senora.”
What is he thanking me for? But before I can ask, Ruben walks out of the office, leaving me with a perplexed frown on my face. Ah, well, it doesn’t matter. I’m glad he and his family are settling in, and I hope that it’s working out just as well for the rest of the cartel. Thankfully, now that the Escarras are out of the city, there’s plenty of space for all of them.
I hum under my breath and turn to the window behind me where the dim December sunlight is making its way through the blinds. I pull them up and the sight of Loyola Park opens up to me with the line of the beach barely seen through the trees. The dark mass of Lake Michigan is resting under the sky before slowly fading in the haze covering the horizon.
How long has it been since that night at Loyola Beach?
The image of Raul’s pale and heavy body in my arms, his blood running down my lap and painting my fingers red, squeezes my heart. My smile falters, and I press my palm closer to my belly, gaining comfort from the invisible presence inside of me. If only he was here, if only I could hold him…
The buzz of my phone brings me back to the present, and I blink through the haze of thoughts before grabbing it from the desk. Is it Ruben with new information from Matteo? Is it Giovanni checking on me again?
“Good morning, Mrs. De Lugo.” Oh. I blink. I don’t recognize the voice, but I recognize the fast and collected manner of speaking. “This is Sarah from the hospital. Can you talk right now?”
“Yes, yes, I can,” I say with maybe a little more hurry in my voice, but I don’t care. My heart picks up its pace and I turn away from the
window, gripping the back of my chair. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh, yes, don’t worry about it. In fact, Mr. De Lugo has been feeling so good lately that we think he is ready to be discharged. He has agreed with that too. Do you think you’ll be able to pick him up this afternoon?”
This afternoon? I lick my lips and nod a couple of times, only then realizing that she can’t see me. “Yes, of course. When?”
“He’ll be ready in about an hour. If it’s too soon, we can-”
“No, it’s alright.” I hurry to interrupt her, gripping the chair tighter. “I’ll be there.”
As soon as Sarah or whatever her name is hangs up, I put my phone down and just stare in front of me for a moment, listening to the frantic rhythm of my heart. Raul is getting discharged. Raul is coming home today. Isn’t it good and exciting? I swallow, looking down. Of course, it is-but I feel a nervous kind of tension in my guts at the thought of being with him
again.
Raul has been in the hospital for almost a month now, and of course I’ve been visiting him almost every day. After all, we have a cartel to rule over, enemies to chase, and new territories to claim and control.
After Gerardo’s death and the complete erasure of the Escarra bases from Chicago’s territories, some of the members of the Escarra gang managed to escape us-but they were too weak and lost to start things anew.
Some of them went back to Tijuana, where the remaining half of the De Lugo cartel has taken care of them. Some formed small criminal groups and joined the underworld of Chicago under their own names. But most of the Escarras, weirdly enough, pledged their loyalty to Raul and have been diligently working for us ever since. We’ve been keeping an eye on them, obviously, but so far it looks like they appreciate the De Lugos’ company more than Gerardo’s moody and violent leadership.
Even from his hospital bed, Raul has been working nonstop, sending orders and commanding every operation, while I’ve been supervising the De Lugos and keeping a closer eye on the rapid growth of their-or should I say, our-territories. Together, we have established a new order on the old Escarra domains and formed a peaceful alliance with the Messina clan and the Russian Bratva.
But between all these business matters, Raul and I have barely had any chance to talk to each other without Riccardo on the phone or Ruben in the hospital room. I still don’t know how he feels about me, our child, and our future together, and the thought is scratching me from inside as I drive into the parking lot of the hospital.
“And here’s Mrs. Isabella.” The nurse smiles at me, talking in a soft and slightly high-pitched voice that you’d usually use with children. Raul, sitting right next to her, grimaces, glancing at her with annoyance, and I chuckle. I can only imagine how hard it is for him not to snap at her.
“Hi.” I give the nurse a quick smile before turning to Raul. My hand automatically reaches up to shyly tuck a strand of hair behind my ear before I can stop myself. Damn it. “How are you feeling?”
“Ready to get out of here,” he grumbles, looking around with a frown, and I chuckle.
“Okay, old man. I got you.”
He gives me a glare, and I only grin back at him with satisfaction. It looks like some things never change.