The Message That Deleted Itself

I read the warning twice and then it vanished. And the man who had warned me not to trust Dante was now awake and watching me read it.

My phone screen went black. I pressed the button again. I opened my messages. There was nothing there. No unknown number. No warning. No mention of the community center at noon. It was as if I had dreamed it.

But I had not dreamed it. My hands were still shaking. My heart was still beating too fast. I could still see the words in my mind. Do not trust him. He did not pay your mother bill out of kindness. He paid it because he needs you alive. If you work for him you will never leave Chicago alive.

Dante was awake now. He was sitting up straight in the chair. His eyes were on my face. He had seen me look at my phone. He had seen me go pale. He had seen me hide the phone under my mother blanket like a child caught with something she should not have.

He lifted his hands and signed a question. Who was that.

I wanted to lie. I wanted to say it was no one. I wanted to say it was the hospital. I wanted to say it was a wrong number. But I have never been good at lying with my hands. My hands always tell the truth even when my mouth tries to hide it.

I signed that it was nothing. I signed that it was a spam message. I signed that I was just tired.

Dante did not believe me. I could see it in his eyes. He tilted his head slightly. He studied my face the way he studies a contract before he signs it. He knew I was hiding something. But he did not push me. He just nodded slowly and signed that we should let my mother rest and that we should get coffee.

We walked to the small cafeteria on the second floor. The hospital was quiet at six in the morning. The lights were too bright. The coffee was too bitter. I held my cup with both hands because my hands would not stop shaking.

Dante sat across from me. He did not drink his coffee. He just watched me. Finally he signed a sentence that made me look up.

You are afraid of me.

I signed back quickly. I signed that I was not afraid. I signed that I was grateful. I signed that he had saved my mother and that I would never forget it.

He signed again. He signed that gratitude and fear can live in the same heart. He signed that he was used to it. He signed that everyone who worked for him was afraid of him at first.

I wanted to tell him about the message. I wanted to tell him that someone had warned me about him. I wanted to ask him if it was true that I would never leave Chicago alive if I worked for him. But I was afraid that if I told him he would think I had betrayed him already. I was afraid that if I did not tell him the stranger would come for me at noon anyway.

So I did nothing. I drank my coffee. I watched the clock. I counted the minutes until noon.

At eight o'clock a nurse came and told me my mother was awake. I ran back to the room. My mother was sitting up slightly. She looked tired but she was smiling. She took my hand and she said my name. She said she had dreamed about Marco. She said Marco had been signing to her in the dream. She said he had told her that I would be okay.

I cried then. I cried because I had missed her voice. I cried because she was alive. I cried because for the first time in months I did not have to worry about money.

My mother looked past me and saw Dante standing in the doorway. She looked at him and then at me and then back at him. She said who is that handsome man.

I laughed through my tears. I signed to Dante that my mother thought he was handsome. Dante looked embarrassed. It was the first time I had seen him look embarrassed. His ears turned slightly red. He signed back that my mother had good taste.

My mother held my hand tighter. She said take care of him Elena. He looks lonely.

I did not know what to say to that. Dante did not know what to say either. He just nodded at my mother with respect and then he stepped back to give us privacy.

At ten o clock Dante signed that his driver was waiting. He signed that I needed to go home and rest and pack a bag. He signed that he would have his men move my things to the estate while I slept. He signed that I would start work tomorrow.

I nodded. I kissed my mother goodbye. I promised I would be back tonight. I walked out of the hospital with Dante beside me.

When we got to my apartment building Dante stayed in the car. He said he would wait. I went upstairs alone. My apartment was small and cold. There were bills on the table. There were dishes in the sink. There were photos of Marco on the wall. I packed one suitcase. I packed clothes, my brother photo and my mother's blanket. I did not pack much. I did not have much to pack.

At eleven thirty I looked at the cloc,noon was in thirty minutes. The community center was ten minutes away. The stranger had said come alone. Do not tell him.

I stood at my window and looked down at the black car. Dante was sitting in the back seat. He was looking at his phone. He was not looking up. He was trusting me.

I had a choice. I could get in the car and go to the estate and start my six months. Or I could walk to the community center and meet the stranger who had warned me.

I chose the stranger.

I left my suitcase by the door. I wrote a note that said I went for a walk. I walked out the back door of the building so Dante would not see me. My heart was beating so loud I was sure the whole street could hear it.

The community center was empty when I arrived. The lights were off. The door was unlocked. I walked inside and called out hello. No one answered. I walked to the room where I used to teach sign language to children. The chairs were stacked in the corner. The whiteboard still had my handwriting on it.

Then I heard the door close behind me.

I turned around. A woman was standing there. She was tall and beautiful and cold. She wore a black suit and black gloves. She was holding a phone in her hand. It was my phone. The same phone I had left in my apartment.

She smiled and she said Elena Rossi you should not have come alone.

I backed away. I said how did you get my phone. I said who are you. I said what do you want.

She did not answer my questions. She walked closer and she said one sentence that made my blood turn to ice.

She said my name is Agent Rachel Hayes. I work for the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And Dante Moretti did not pay your mother's bill to save her. He paid it to buy you. And if you go with him today you will become his property.

I looked at the door. It was locked. I looked at the windows They were covered. I looked at Agent Hayes She was not smiling anymore.

And then she held up a small device and she said if you want to live you will wear this wire when you go.