Page 94 of Absolution

I smile through the tears. “Yes, you do. Do you want to see what the boy has?”

Cecilia nods and squirms to get down. She looks tired, but she trots after Benjamin, and Carmen and I follow. I am not letting her out of my sight again.

“It’ll be all right,” says Carmen and lays a hand on my arm as we settle on the couch next to the playing children. “Children have an incredible ability to compartmentalize, and rationalize. She’ll heal, probably faster than you. You should let her take the lead.”

I wipe tears off my cheeks. “No, it won’t,” I say dully. “Nothing will ever be all right. There’s always going to be something new. A new disaster. I can’t live like this. What if this happens again? What if someone else wants to hurt her?”

“Kerry.” Carmen’s voice is sharp. “Don’t bury yourself in ‘what ifs’. Live your life, savor what’s given to you and don’t mourn what you don’t have. You have something beautiful,” she nods toward Cecilia, “there, and you have a man who will quite literally kill to keep you safe.”

I flinch.

“That’s all he is,” I whisper. “A killer.”

“No, that’s not all he is, and you know it. Stop it now. Take your girl, and go rest. I’ll show you to a room.”

I glance down at Cecilia, who is leaning against my legs, her little body warm and her moves sluggish. “Come baby.” I pull her up in my lap and then rise to follow Carmen through the house.

We’re shown to a large room with a king-sized bed, neatly made.

“Go rest, Kerry. Don’t think too much. It’s not good for you. Sometimes you have to play the cards you’re given.” She begins to pull the door shut behind her.

“Carmen,” I blurt out. “Thank you!”

She smiles beautifully, displaying an even row of white teeth, her dark eyes flashing.

Cecilia sleeps. I pull the comforter over the both of us and hug her tight to me, my mind spinning with feelings and images. I’m too tired for words to form.

I fall asleep with one vision burned into my retinae. A wild-looking Christian, carrying our child, coming toward me, beautiful, lethal. Mine.

Christian

We reunite with Ivan, Johnny, and Adrian in Salvatore’s office.

“Linden,” I say. “Evan Thomas.”

Johnny nods and taps on the laptop that’s standing with its back to me on the desk. Lots, and lots of shady business has taken place in here, lots of decisions that have destroyed people, and even empires, decisions that have made the Russo clan climb to the top.

My uncle is an evil genius, as is his sister Bianca, the woman who birthed me.

We have everything, and still one single weasel of a man came so close to destroying us today. My lips curl in fury as I think of Kerry’s fucking ex-husband.

“Christiano, are you all right?” Salvatore lays a hand on my shoulder in a rare display of something akin to affection. The only time Salvatore seems to touch someone is when he fucks them or when he beats them.

I pull myself out of my reverie. “Yeah,” I grit out. “Let’s go do this.”

Salvatore pats my back. “Atta boy. We’ll pass The Milane, you and I, while our boys here track down Linden.”

Francesco sits with his feet on a table with a beer in front of him. Opposite him sits a nervous girl who twines her hands in her lap.

“Staff started arriving. Not sure what to do with her.” He jerks his head in her direction as he jumps to his feet with surprising ease despite his size. “Heard you got the little one back all right!”

Salvatore walks up to the girl who stares at him with wide eyes. “Sugar, why don’t you take a fifteen-minute walk around the block? Hm?”

She darts to her feet. “Okay, Mr. Salvatore. Of course.”

We watch her back as she hurries out of the venue. Francesco grins when he turns back to us. “Cute girl.”

“Mind out of the gutter, boy.” Salvatore slaps him on his back. “Is he tender yet, our dear Rusty?”

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