Running his lips along the length of Letty’s jawline, Miles lost himself in the gentle scent of her shampoo as he left a trail of kisses along her jaw. Letty gasped as he sunk his teeth into the flesh of her neck, delicately nipping, seeking to get a rise out of Letty. It wasn’t hard. She was a woman whose blood ran hot, and Miles loved to see her passion boil over. Wrapping her legs around Miles’s body, Letty gave in, her need as desperate as Miles’s own. Every touch was a reminder, a flesh memory. Digging up reminders of the spark they shared in their youth. But this was much more than a spark, as they rediscovered each other’s bodies and reattached their souls to one another, a wildfire spread.
The desperate loneliness and need and yearning that had tortured them for seventeen long years caused them to break into a frenzy. Passion washed over them like a wave, teetering them closer to the edge of combustion. It was a precarious balance between heaven and hell, insanity and ecstasy. As their bodies reached the boiling point, Miles laid a final kiss on Letty’s mouth before falling exhausted upon her breast. As her body quaked beneath him, Letty whispered in Miles’s ear, “Welcome home, baby.”
Letty had fallen asleep next to Miles, as he lay on his back, eyes cemented to the ceiling. The hum of the ceiling fan above his head did nothing to lull him into slumber. Instead he watched the blades of the fan circle round and round, letting the cool air hit his face. Sleep never came easy for Miles. A great release of pressure had come with his first day out of prison. He could move about freely. He could do what he pleased. He could lie in bed next to a beautiful woman who was unquestionably devoted to him. Despite the freedom that he had earned though, Miles knew, there was still a set of shackles on his feet. The law no longer owned him, but the Capadonnos still laid claim to him. There were two ways out of the mob: die by the gun you lived by or enter witness protection. Neither of these options worked for Miles. In the wee hours of the morning, as Letty slept silently next to him, Miles cemented his plan.
As the gears in Miles’s head churned, a high-pitched cry sounded from the next room over. Miles sat up in bed, looking over at Letty, who was sleeping soundly. It was a trying day for her as well.
She must be exhausted, Miles thought as he climbed from the bed. Pulling on his jeans from yesterday, Miles quietly walked from the room to check on G. Cutting across the dark room, his bare feet hitting against the soft carpet, Miles turned on the lamp next to G’s crib. Upon doing so, the loudest of belly laughs emitted from the child, followed by a high-pitched squeal.
“ILES!”
“Yeah it’s me, kid. Early bird, huh? It’s only five thirty.”
“Haha yeah…” G replied, clearly finding the situation amusing.
“All right, lil’ man, come on. I might as well get up, too. Not like I’m getting any sleep,” Miles said as he lifted the little man from his crib. Lying him down on the changing table, Miles quickly changed the kid’s diaper, and tossed the old diaper into the pail that sat next to the door. Carrying G out of the room, Miles walked down the hallway and descended the staircase in search of something to eat.
At around quarter to ten in the morning, Letty stirred in her bed. Reaching across the sheets for Miles, she was immediately panicked that he wasn’t lying next to her. Rising up in bed with a start, Letty looked around the room sleepily.
“Jesus…” Letty said as the daylight blinded her sight. “What the hell time is it?”
Looking over at her alarm clock, her eyes bugged when she read the 9:46 A.M.
“What? Oh for fuck’s sake!” Letty snapped as she jumped out of bed. “What day is it? Holy shit, I’m losing it. It’s Saturday.”
G typically woke Letty up well before dawn and that was fine by her, because she had errands to run before heading to the Capadonno compound to take care of Michael at noon each day. But on the weekends, she just needed to stop by to manage his medication and make sure his vitals were okay. There was a stand-by nurse that filled in for Letty on the weekends, but Michael didn’t like her much, and generally sent her home when any company arrived at the compound. The fact of the matter was, Michael trusted Letty, and that put enormous pressure on her shoulders to make sure that his medical care was handled appropriately seven days a week, twenty four hours a day.
Rising from bed, Letty quickly pulled on her bathrobe. As she went to open her bedroom door, she found a note that was attached to the door with scotch tape. Pulling the note off the surface of the door, Letty unfolded the note immediately recognizing the handwriting as Miles’s.
Letty,
Little man got up at the ass crack of dawn. We ran out for a bit so I could get clothes. Knowing you, we’ll be back before you wake up. Maybe when you wake up we can go get some breakfast.
Love,
Miles