Chapter Three
449 Words
My fingers curled around the railing of the balcony as I watched them head to their cars.
“Madam.” Oscar handed me a cup of tea before leaving me alone with Francesco. I stirred the sugar cube in a figure eight with the tiny silver spoon and narrowed in on my daughter as she slipped inside the front seat of Piero’s son’s car.
“Who is he to her?”
Francesco moved into my view and took out his phone to decline a call.
“I asked you a question, Cesco.”
Francesco’s jaw flexed as he looked at me. I couldn’t see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but I could tell my showing up unannounced had been a shock to him. “He’s her friend.”
“You promised—”
“And you promised me, too.” He looked back to the car as it disappeared down the hillside. “I think it’s safe to say a lot has happened, and a lot didn’t go as planned.”
“He’s reckless,” I snapped. “Let’s not forget what he got into when he was younger.”
“He needed an outlet. There was nothing wrong with what he was doing.”
“It was illegal.”
Francesco chuckled darkly as he rubbed his face. “Right, because what we both do isn’t?” He shook his head. “Besides, having allies in different countries is smart.”
“Right,” I scoffed, wondering how a gang could possibly be an asset to an Italian mafia syndicate.
I turned away, feeling a wave of emotion wash over me. I was used to dismissing the pain of leaving my child to fend for herself all these years, because it was the only choice I had. However, the strain of the day and how it had unfolded had left me exhausted. Francesco’s hand fell on my shoulder, and I flinched at his touch.
I closed my eyes, hating what I’d become, cold and unattached. “I wanted this day to go differently, but when I saw a younger version of Piero look at my daughter the way he did, I let my own issues cloud my judgement.”
“Elio is a good man, in spite of what you believe.” He leaned against the railing and folded his arms. “You don’t get to judge someone you don’t know, Elenora.”
My armor shot straight back up. Slowly, I leaned back to use the chair for support as the words leapt from my lips. “How long has my daughter known Elio Capri?”
“Here’s how this will work, Elenora.” He pushed off the railing, and as he towered over me, my men immediately tensed. I had to hold up a hand to stop them. “When I feel you’re ready for the answers, I will give them to you.”
“How is that fair?”
“Nothing about this has been fair.” A moment later, he was gone, leaving me to gnaw on his words.
- Writer
