Page 3 of Sins and Secrets

“Beneath all those bandages, he’s pretty badly beaten, but like I said, nothing you need to worry about. I made sure he has the best care available.”

His tone is final, so I nod, keeping my head down and allowing my blonde hair to fall like a curtain in front of my face.

I’m still as worried about Papa as I was before this conversation, but Alessio is a dangerous man, and causing more trouble will only get us under permanent surveillance. I don’t want that. I can talk to the doctor later and avoid prolonging this conversation.

As I head back into my father’s room, I can feel his gaze burning a hole in my back. I try to keep myself looking small and meek — like a woman who has been thoroughly chastised — until the door is closed behind me.

The moment I’m alone with Papa, I drop the act and stride over to the seat beside him, taking his fragile hand in mine.

God, I hope he pulls through this.

He looks so bad. His face and knuckles are bloodied and bruised, and I suspect, so is the rest of his body.

Everything is going to be okay, Papa. I’m going to make sure that this never happens to you again.

Emilia is waiting for me when I get back home several hours later. She meets me in the driveway with a sad smile, pulling me into a tight hug the moment I step out of the car. Her flowery perfume wraps around us, washing away the scent of antiseptic and blood that’s been invading my senses for the last several hours.

“How is he?” she asks, stepping away from me. “Is Arturo going to be alright?”

“Sorry I scared you with that text,” I say, leading the way into the house. “I would have told you more at the time if I could have, but it’s a lot to process.”

“Come on, you can tell me all about it over dinner and a glass of wine. I made chicken parmigiana.”

Emilia loops her arm through mine and tows me to the kitchen, though all I want to do is go to bed.

Being in this house without Papa doesn’t feel right. He should be here right now, singing along to the old Italian songs I’ve heard throughout my entire childhood. We would talk about my business plans while he cooked, always planning for a future that may not come.

“Papa is in a coma. They don’t know when he’s going to come out,” I say as she pours me a glass of white wine. I take the glass and down it all before handing it back to her for a refill. “A job that went wrong was what Alessio told me. The men who attacked him are dead, but what good will that do if he doesn’t come out of the coma?”

Emilia refills my glass before pouring one of her own. “I’m sure that Arturo is going to pull through. He always does. That man is a tough bastard to kill.”

I laugh and nod, even as my vision starts to blur with the tears pooling in my eyes. “I know he is. And as soon as he gets out of that hospital, I’m getting us out of here.”

Emilia’s eyes go wide, and her mouth drops open. She takes a long sip of wine before going to the stove. Her entire body is tense as she puts some of the food on plates and brings it to the island.

“You know that trying to get out is more likely to get you killed, right?” she says, her voice soft as we dig into our meals. “Besides, what makes you think that Arturo would leave this time? He’s never wanted to before.”

I lean against the counter as I cut my chicken into small pieces. “I know all of that, but I still have to try.”

“The only way out is death.” Emilia shakes her head. “Billie, it’s too dangerous. Your papa is the consigliere. He doesn’t get to leave. Not without a special pardon from Alessio. It’s treason.”

“If he stays, he is likely to die just as easily. And with all the shit that’s going on among the capos and soldiers right now, this is going to be the only chance I have to get him out. You know that all the tension among the ranks is going to come to a head sooner or later. If Papa is better by then, the chaos of what is happening will be enough to allow us to disappear.”

“If your papa even wants to. And what about money? You don’t have enough to make that happen.”

I shrug and look down at my food. My chest constricts. I know she’s right. If I touch any of the money Papa has for working for the mafia, they will call it theft and add on yet another reason to come after us. Kill us.

There is no way for us to start over if the mafia is hunting us.

All my dreams of a normal life, settling down, having a family, opening a resort will go down the drain. I won’t ever get to see Papa living a life without stress and the threat of being killed around every corner. And that’s all I ever wanted for the two of us.

“I have to find another way to earn a lot of money in a short amount of time. Something that is going to be enough to get us overseas and off the grid. When I finally make my move, I want me and Papa to disappear completely.”

Emilia moves the pieces of chicken around on her plate, biting her bottom lip. When she finally looks up at me, there is hesitancy shining in her eyes.

“What is it?” I ask, reaching for my wine.

“I may know of a way that will get you at least two hundred thousand dollars. Though it can go as high as a mil.”

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