Page 27 of Charity's Redemption

I smiled, then rubbed my sweaty palms over my jeans, and folded them in my lap, away from his sight. It was one thing for the guys to know my bad tick, it was another for him to know it.

“I… can I talk to you about something?”

My heart thundered in my chest as I paused, thinking about the repercussions of this conversation.

What I was about to do was disrespectful in all ways of life. There was a ‘chain of custody’ if you will, that we had to abide by. Going over Luca’s head was something you didn’t even dream of doing.

So why did I feel this was the right thing to do? Because I didn’t see myself as just anyone? It wasn’t as though I were Gavino or Ignazio… No. I was… a lover?

As I stared into Arturo’s eyes, the same eyes that Luca and Nico inherited, I suddenly felt insecure about my decision.

Being closer to them didn’t guarantee my safety, especially if I didn’t follow the rules. Just look at why Arturo is in prison. It was too late to turn back now. This could go one of two ways. Arturo agrees with me, and Luca gets pissed, or Arturo disagrees with me and Luca gets pissed. Either way, I was now facing his wrath, but it could be worth it if I could convince Arturo to talk his son out of this disastrous decision.

“Straight to business, yeah?”

I tilted my head to the side as he frowned.

Shit, I guess I should have buttered him up a bit. “Yeah. I um… I got myself into…” I paused and glanced at the guard from the corner of my eye, “a business deal, I don’t know how to get out of.”

His gaze narrowed. “Okay.”

“Your son thinks he has the solution tobreakthe contract, but in doing so, we could loseeverythingif it wentsouth.” I emphasized the words that had special meaning, knowing he was smart enough to understand.

“You think he doesn’t have the expertise to make these decisions?”

I chewed on my cheek. “I think he does, but I think this one is too personal and has him thinking funny.”

“Is that right?”

I shrunk down in my seat, wishing Nico was beside me to comfort me like he did before. He didn’t seem happy. Of course, why would he? I basically insulted his son and, in turn, insulted him. Arturo raised Luca to be just like him. By insulting Luca’s intelligence, I essentially insulted his… Well, this was turning out to be fantastic.

“It’s just, there is a much easier avenue, and it seems like he’s letting his pride get in the way.”

“I see. Do you trust him?”

“Yes. But…”

He nodded.“Quando finisce la partita il re ed il pedone finiscono nella stessa scatola.”

I shook my head, “I don’t… I don’t know what that means.” I chewed on my cheek until the copper taste hit my tongue.

“Have you ever played chess,gioia?”

“Briefly. Luca said he’d teach me, but we’ve been a bit preoccupied.”

Arturo pulled in a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. “By the time the game ends, what are the two things in common?”

“I… I don’t know, Arturo.”

“At the end of the game, the king and the pawn end up in the same box.”

My head spun as I tried connecting the dots he spread out with riddles. “What does that mean?”

“It means no matter what decision you make, we all end up in the same place in the end.”

Shit. His riddle told me everything I needed to know. I risked Luca’s wrath and fell flat on my face with nothing to show for it. Arturo didn’t care that I just wanted someone to see reason. He trusted his son’s judgment. And why wouldn’t he? Luca was a reflection of himself, and Arturo would never question his own decisions.

“I’m disappointed in you,gioia.”

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