Some Lines Cannot Be Crossed Chapter 01

Some Lines Cannot Be Crossed Chapter 01

My family, the Castillos, was the biggest mafia family in New York. We lived by a rigid hierarchy. We ruled with an iron fist. No compromises.

In one week, the family’s leadership restructure, held once every ten years, would finally arrive. As the senior Consigliere and a high-ranking member of the Family Office, I had to be there to approve the birth of a new Don.

I told my housekeeper to pack my bags. “Janice, help me pack. I’m heading into the city on Friday.”

The housekeeper let out a cold laugh and flung my clothes to the floor. “An old woman with no kids wants to travel? Give me a break. I’m about to marry rich, my fiancé owns this whole building. What makes you think you can boss me around?”

She shoved me. I hit the floor hard, a searing pain ripping up my spine and pinning me in place. “You’re not going anywhere. You’re staying put.”

I lay there, unable to move. Fine. I wouldn’t go.

So why was she on her knees in front of me on Friday morning, sobbing and begging me to attend?

***

The pain in my back crackled like an electric current. I tried to push myself up, but my arms had no strength left. Cold sweat slid down my temples.

“Janice… help me up…”

“Help you?” She let out a laugh. “Help you? And why the hell would I do that? Let’s get one thing straight, this apartment is practically mine.”

She bent down and snatched my phone off the side table.

“Give it back!” I reached for it.

“Get off!” She stomped on my hand. A brutal shock of pain shot through me, and my vision blurred white.

“What, you gonna call the cops? Don’t waste your breath.”

“Go ahead, call the cops. See what happens.”

She shoved my phone into her pocket and headed for the door. The deadbolt clicked into place, and her keys jingled in her hand.

“What… what are you doing?”

Janice glanced back, a triumphant smile spreading across her face. “What do you think I’m doing? Making sure you don’t wander off, obviously.”

“My wedding is on Friday. I can’t have you running your mouth out there, ruining my future, now can I?”

I lay on the floor, the air in my lungs turning to concrete. “I’ve been good to you… nine years… and I paid you more than fairly…”

“Oh, save it!” She waved me off. “That’s ancient history. I’m about to be Mrs. Lorenzo Castill.”

“You’re just some tenant. You don’t get to tell me a damn thing.”

Tenant? I froze. She thought I was just renting this place?

“I’m not…”

“You’re not what?” Janice strode back over and crouched in front of me. “Not a tenant? Then what are you?”

“My fiancé owns the whole block. You live here. You’re a tenant. Simple as that.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but nothing came out. If I told her I was the senior Consigliere of the Castillo family, would she even believe me? No. She’d just figure I’d finally lost my mind.

After I retired, all I ever wanted was a quiet life. And now this…

“Don’t bother. Just stay put.” Janice stood up and dusted off her hands. “I’m heading out. Lie there and think about what you’ve done wrong.”

She was gone. The door was locked from the outside. I was alone on the floor, fire blazing through my spine, paralyzing me. Tears soaked the corners of my eyes.

Nine years. I’d treated her like family. And now…

I clenched my jaw and dragged my broken body toward the bedroom. I had to get up. I had to contact the family. The assembly was on Friday. I had to be there.

I grabbed the bed frame and fought my way upright. My back screamed, forcing me into a hunched crouch. Janice had my cell phone. So, the landline… I shuffled toward the living room.

The phone cord had been ripped from the wall. The jack was smashed.

She’d planned every detail.

I collapsed onto the couch, my mind blank. Then I remembered something.

There was a burner phone under my bed.

Ten years ago, when I stepped back from the front lines, Don Leo Castill had personally handed it to me. “Ms. Castillo,” he’d said, his voice deadly serious, “emergencies only. You dial this number, it rings straight through to my office.”

Now, it was my lifeline.

Moving was pure agony. I lay flat on the floor, every inch of progress sparking a fresh wave of pain. I trembled as I groped beneath the bed until my fingers closed around cold plastic. I pulled it out. Dust swirled in the air.

I hit the power button, and the screen flickered to life. Five percent battery.

My heart slammed against my ribs. I had to make the call. Now.

My shaking fingers tapped out the first digit, then the second…

Creak. The front door burst open.

Janice stood in the doorway, shopping bags in hand. Her face twisted the second she spotted the phone.

“Where did you get that?”