A disgruntled-looking waitress named Rosa stopped by, took their orders and quickly brought them back their drinks. The bell over the front door rang again as a group of businessmen walked through the front door. Letty didn’t pay them any mind as she looked across the table at Miles.
The conversation continued at a steady pace. When there were lulls, they weren’t uncomfortable, and it felt like no time had passed at all between Letty and Miles. They were just as they had been when they were teenagers, only this time, they had the strength and resiliency to see through whatever struggles came their way. Miles reached for Letty’s hands across the table.
“Let’s go for a drive tonight. Maybe AC?” Miles suggested.
“That sounds like fun,” Letty said as she lifted her glass of water to her mouth. “We should take G to the park first, though.”
“PARK!”
“For sure…” Miles said with a laugh.
“Headed to the ladies’ room. I’ll be back,” Letty said as she lifted herself from her booth.
“Ma!” G yelled as Letty walked away.
“She’ll be back, little dude. Here, look,” Miles said as he reached for the kid’s menu and small pack of crayons. “Color something for your momma.”
With a set of the grabbiest hands Miles ever saw, G reached for the crayons and the coloring paper, excited for the activity at hand.
Letty peered into the mirror as she washed her hands. She quickly dried her hands on a paper towel and disposed of it before exiting the bathroom. With the lyrics of “American Girl” stuck in her head, Letty hummed along as she made her way back to her seat. Crossing the dining room, Letty had a smile on her face. She felt like nothing could wipe it clean from her face, but then, in that very moment, something did.
“MILES!!!!! NO!!!!!!”
Letty’s blood-curdling scream bounced off everything. From the floor to the ceiling in the restaurant, to everyone within two hundred feet of the diner. Standing just feet from Miles with his gun pointed at his head, Dante Sabotino had a look of pure vindication on his face. Everything was happening so fast. Miles saw the look on Letty’s face before he heard the shot cry out. With barely enough time to react, Miles ducked under the table, pulling G under with him, protecting the child from the blast of the shot. With his back towards the shooter, Miles held G under him, acting as a shield against the danger at hand. A bullet ricocheted off of the table just inches from where the child sat. It would have hit Miles for sure, had he not moved.
Dante didn’t have time to take another shot. As the shot rang out, a pair of cops walked through the door ready for their first coffee break of the day. Hearing the blast and Letty’s blood-curdling scream, the officers ran forward, service pistols pointed at Dante’s head.
“Freeze! Put the weapon down!”
One officer pointed at Dante while the other one approached him, ready to snatch the gun from him.
“Put down your weapon!”
G screamed in terror as Miles held him securely under the table, holding him tightly against his chest, their hearts thumping in unison.
“I’m not gonna ask again! Put down the fucking gun!” the cop screamed.
Not waiting another second, the officers tackled Dante, knocking him to the ground as his gun went flying across the dining room floor. It lay just inches from where Letty stood in shock.
While the one officer cuffed Dante, the other bent down under the table to help Miles and G up, and make sure that they weren’t injured.
“Go fuck yourself, Capadonno! You’re nothing! Nothing!”
As Miles rose to his feet, with G still clutching his neck, Miles simply glared at the man, not uttering a sound.
“Let’s go, Sabotino! Off to the Pen!”
“Don’t matter none! I was just one in line hoping for a chance to off that fucker! Even the scum up in New York wanna ice you! Just ask Knox!” Dante spat.
Not bothering to listen to what Dante had to say, Miles rushed to Letty’s side. She grabbed G from his arms, kissing the child’s face, then stepping on her tippy toes, she grabbed Miles’s face and kissed him on his cheek. Breaking her hold on his face, Letty grabbed her purse and let Miles escort her and G out to the car. As Letty stepped into the car, the shock wore off, as a scream ripped from her lungs.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR