I nodded, trying to stop from glancing around. “Izzy and I would come every Sunday morning after church. The éclairs were my favorite.”

“Why didn’t you order one?”

“I don’t feel very hungry.”

“Take one.” He raised his hand to get the waitress’s attention.

“No,” I reached out to make him take his arm down, to not draw any additional attention to us, but the waitress was already coming over.

“I don’t think I can eat anything, Salvatore,” I whispered.

He studied me, his eyes curious. Concerned? “Your niece will be there today, right?”

I nodded, glancing up at the waitress who stood quietly, clearly not happy about having to serve a Benedetti. Did they see me as a traitor? Did they know I’d been made to do this? To be with him? It was in that moment I realized they likely did not know about the contract. But even so, wasn’t I myself confused?

“Let’s get six of those éclairs boxed up to go too,” he said to the waitress, then turned to me. “She has a sweet tooth from what I saw.”

I smiled. “That’s nice. She’ll like that, and so will Izzy.”

The waitress returned and delivered the coffee and Salvatore’s pastry and set the additional box of eclairs up at the register. Salvatore took a big bite, and I chuckled.

“What?” he asked, looking for a napkin.

“You have some cream,” I pointed, then reached over to wipe it off when he missed. “Right there.” I pulled my hand away and without thinking, licked off the cream. He watched me, and as soon as I realized what I’d done, I pulled a napkin out of the dispenser and wiped off my finger.

“They’re very good,” Salvatore said, not commenting.

“You don’t care that no one wants you here, do you?”

He raised his eyebrows and picked up his espresso. “No. Why should I? Besides, I’m not even sure it’s true.” He looked around the café. “What happened, happened five years ago.”

That was when things had been at their worst. When fighting on the streets had turned this neighborhood from a quiet, safe place to a bloody one.

“And we’ve kept peace since.”

“By killing off most of your enemies.”

“Both sides lost people, Lucia. We just won the war your father started.” He drank the last of his espresso and stood, looking pissed. “You finished?”

I rose to my feet. “I need to use the bathroom.”