Page 79 of Cursed Confessions

I nod grimly, unable to form words.

Jimbo’s weathered face softens. “You did the right thing, kiddo. Don’t worry, we’ll take care of this.”

His soothing tone breaks something inside me. Suddenly, I’m sobbing, the full weight of what I’ve done crashing down on me.

Angelo reaches for me, but Jimbo gets there first. He wraps his arms around me, patting my back awkwardly but comfortingly.

“I’m a murderer,” I choke out between sobs.

Jimbo chuckles softly. "Everyone in this room is, sweetheart. Doesn’t mean we’re bad people.” He pauses, then adds wryly, “Well, actually, Angelo and I probably are. But you? You killed someone because you and your little girl were being threatened. That doesn’t make you bad. It makes you a mama bear.”

I look up at him, surprised by the warmth in his eyes. It’s almost… fatherly.

“But Lou…” I start.

Jimbo cuts me off gently. “Lou has a mom who’d do anything to protect her. That’s something to be proud of, not ashamed of."

His words, so unexpected from this gruff man I barely know, offer a strange comfort. I lean into him, letting out a shaky breath.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

Jimbo patsmy back one more time before stepping away. “Alright, enough of this mushy shit. We’ve got work to do.”

Angelo approaches me, his eyes full of concern. “Fee, why don’t you go upstairs and rest? Jimbo and I will handle things down here.”

I shake my head. “No, I… I need to help. This is my mess.”

Jimbo snorts. “Kid, trust me, you don’t want to be part of this cleanup. Go on, let the professionals handle it.”

I look between them, torn between the desire to take responsibility and the overwhelming urge to escape this nightmare.

Angelo takes my hand, squeezing it gently. “Go, Fee. We’ve got this. I’ll come get you when it’s done.”

Finally, I nod. As I climb the stairs to my apartment, I hear Jimbo’s gruff voice below.

“Alright, Boss. Where do we start?”

I close the door behind me, sinking onto my couch. The familiar surroundings feel surreal after what just happened downstairs. I close my eyes, trying to block out the memories, but Jonah’s face keeps flashing in my mind.

I pace the tiny apartment, my mind racing. How can Angelo and Jimbo possibly clean this up? There was so much blood… And what about Jonah’s family? His ex-wife might not care, but he mentioned a sister. Won’t they wonder where he’s gone?

I hug myself tightly, Jonah’s harsh words echoing in my head. “You can’t keep her from me forever, Sofia. I’ll take Lou, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

A whimper escapes me as I sink onto the pull-out couch, staring blankly at the wall. Time loses all meaning as I sit there, trapped in my own thoughts.

Finally—what feels like hours later—a soft knock at the door startles me back to reality. I open it to find Angelo standing there.

“We’re all done,” he says softly.

I want to ask what they did, how they managed it, but Angelo shakes his head, anticipating my questions. “The footage has been wiped too. No trace of Jonah or you entering the store, or… what happened after.”

Numbly, I follow him downstairs. I’m shocked to see the shop spotless, no sign of the horror that took place here. Marco is there, running some kind of device over the floor.

Jimbo notices my confusion and explains, a hint of pride in his voice. “It checks for blood traces. But we did such a good job cleaning, not even the best forensics team could tell anything happened here.”

Angelo puts a hand on my shoulder. “Our next step will be to track down where Jonah’s been staying, erase any traces of him. Make it look like he left town.”

I nod, unable to form words. The efficiency with which they’ve erased a man’s existence is both terrifying and oddly comforting.

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