Page 113 of Priest

I laugh. “I think we need a vacation.” I kiss her again.

“I can bring the bags,” Nevada offers. “Where we talkin’? I’ve never been to Hawaii if that helps.”

“Shut the fuck up and drive.”

There is only this moment. That’s all we have.

Me and her.

And I’m not going to spend a single second wasting it.

Living my life from this day forward includes her.

Now and forever.

That’s what I know.

25

ISABELLA

One month later

I pull out the locked box from the vault and set it on the table inside the private room. Whatever my mother was hiding from my dad, she sure did a good job of it. It’s taken multiple steps to get this far, even with ID and the key. Whatever it is, she wanted it to be a surprise.

I see an envelope inside with her writing on the front. I sit at the table, taking Priest’s hand as he gives me a gentle nod to open it. Of course, I wanted him here. We’ve grown even closer this last month. Those few days at the clubhouse went by in a blur. We had to stay in lockdown until the mess at the dock was cleaned up and Cash gave the okay for us to leave. It’s been all over the news.

The Italian mafia taken down by one of their own. Decades of sordid family history blown to pieces in one evening. Gone forever. Along with the memory of a bad family who took everything and gave nothing back.

Leo’s body was washed up on the shore of the Mississippi a week later. I guess I had a pretty good shot after all. Knowing he’s dead and gone from this earth gives me peace of mind. I no longer have to live in secret and look over my shoulder. And I can’t even form words to say how that truly feels.

I’m finally free. For real this time.

I take a breath, sitting in the chair opposite Priest as he watches me with trepidation; his eyes soft with a little curve to his lips. “You can do this, little one.”

I nod. “I can do this.”

I open the letter and start reading.

My darling Isabella,

If you’re reading this, it means something happened to me and if that’s the case, I want you to know everything.

By now you’ll know who your father is — and he’s a bad man. When I married him, it was because I was pregnant with you. I was young and naive and I thought that he’d change. I was wrong. I was so very wrong.

You should also know that he fathered other children besides you, and because I wanted to wait until you were twenty-one to tell you any of this, I desperately need you to find them. They’re twins. Boys. Their mother was named Gemma. They were taken into a home, I hope for a better life, but by the time you read this, they’ll be grown men. I never wanted to keep this from you, but if your father found out then it would be worse for the two of us.

I may have hated your father, but it isn’t any child’s fault how they are born or what circumstances.

I just hope that you can forgive me for bringing you into this life with so much destruction. That burden has weighed on me since you were born. If I could’ve run away with you, I would have. I could never leave you, my darling little girl, not with that mad man.

I also want to give you everything I have. Your grandmother has what little money I’ve saved, and this small token that may be worth something someday. I put it in your name, for your future because I know that you’ll break away from the Caruso family.

You never belonged with them anyway.

I love you, Isabella. Whenever you look up at the stars at night, think of me.

I’m looking down on you, smiling. Knowing that you will do very good things in the world because the world needs people like you. It always needs good.

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