Chapter Five

Camilla

A week had gone by since my talk with my Nonna. I was starting to get worried. Why wouldn't Michael call? Is he hiding something? Is he dead? What is happening that my own brother who I looked up to my whole life, would just disappear off the face of the earth. Or at least he disappeared out of my world.

I walked into our living area, my sneakers in my hand. I sat on the couch to put my shoes on. "Natalia, I'm going for a run," I hollered out to her. Natalia peaked around the corner from our tiny galley kitchen, a wooden spoon in her hand.

"Don't be too long, I'm making arroz con gandules and chicharon de pollo." She smacked her lips together and then turned back to the kitchen. I swear, her cooking was going to make me fat. Italians ate well, but she ate a lot of rice and beans. The chicharon was a deep-fried chicken, crispy and delicious. Nothing about it was good for you. It was a good thing I was a runner, I had to burn off this food somehow.

Natalia and I took turns cooking and most nights when it was her turn, there was always rice and beans involved. I hopped up off the couch, grabbed my phone and air pods and walked to the door. "I'll be back in thirty minutes," I hollered as I swung the door closed behind me. I made my way out to the street, put in my earbuds and cranked up my tunes. I started out in a slow jog to warm up my muscles before speeding up to a faster pace. No reason to pull a hamstring just for a quick run.

I kept a pretty good pace, usually an eight-minute mile. It was nothing for me to run four to five miles in a half an hour. I looked at my smart watch and saw that I was at two miles, so I sprinted across the street and turned back the same direction I had just come from. It was then that I noticed the black sedan. The same black car that had been outside our apartment on the night I saw our neighbor talking to someone as he leaned against the car.

I slowed my pace enough to look around, pulling one of my ear buds from my ear so I could be sure I could hear as well. I had always been overly cautious about my surroundings, especially after my parents were killed. I recalled that Michael had once said he thought it was no accident and to be diligent in knowing who was around at all times. This was one of the times I thought my brother would be proud to see that I had heeded his advice.

I could see that the sedan was idling, just sitting in the middle of the road. I abruptly turned the corner, going a route different than my usual route. I kept glancing over my shoulder to see if I was being followed. As I went to cross the street, I saw the sedan turning the corner coming in my direction. This was a one-way street, as they were common in Brooklyn. I took the opportunity to run towards the vehicle as fast as I could and flew past it and around the corner. I did not stop sprinting until I reached my block. Once I reached the middle of the block, I slowed to a walk. I had a stitch in my side and held my hand firmly against it as I attempted to catch my breath. Reaching our stoop, I sat for a second on the bottom step to try and calm myself. I didn't want Natalia to think I was paranoid.

I took a deep breath and stood up. As I turned to climb the steps to my apartment, the black sedan rolled by slowly. It stopped briefly in front of our building, and I threw the door open and locked it behind me. I ran up to our third-floor apartment and struggled to unlock the door, my hands trembling. I finally got the door unlocked and stepped inside to see Natalia singing and dancing around the kitchen, I finally felt safe and normal. I walked quickly past her, hollering that I was back and getting in the shower.

I quickly went into my room, shut the door, and hurried to the window. I parted my curtain just enough to look out. The car had parked across the street. I was starting to get creeped out by the whole thing, but I wasn't sure what to do. I decided to shower and change and then talk to Natalia about it. What else could I do?

Unknown

Initially we tried to be discreet while we followed Camilla Patron around the streets of Brooklyn. I knew she had seen my car at least twice. I was impressed when she noticed she was being followed and switched up her direction. It didn't matter, I knew where she lived. My driver made a couple of turns and then ended up on her block. I watched as she sat on her stoop, trying to catch her breath. She looked up and saw us as we slowly rolled towards her building. I couldn't help but think how beautiful she was, even in running gear and a ponytail.

She ran up the steps and out of my sight as she ducked into her building. I told my driver to park, and he managed to find a spot across the street from her building. I took out my phone, scrolled through my contacts and then made a call. "Daniel, have you been keeping an eye on Camilla Patron?"

"Yes boss, of course. I'm trying to get friendly with her roommate. It could make it easier to find out just how much she knows or doesn't."

"Very good. I'm outside your building. Come out and let's take a drive." I knew he wouldn't defy me. We don't play games in the mob, and I wasn't about to start now. I hung up before he could say anything further. We waited only a couple of minutes before Daniel came out of his basement apartment and strolled across to my car. He opened the door and slid into the back seat.

Daniel settled in to the car and we drove away. "How much do you think she knows?" I wanted to see how much he had managed to get out of the roommate. I had my guess, he was an accountant after all, but maybe he would surprise me.