Page 4 of Heartbeats Amidst Chaos: Part 2

Angelo rose to his feet as Elio approached, embraced him, and kissed him on the cheek. For a moment, Elio relaxed into the hug, breathing in the familiar scent of his grandfather’s cologne and cigars.

“I’m glad you are all right, Elio,” Angelo said gruffly. “Here, sit down. Eat. And we will talk.”

Elio obeyed, lowering himself into the straight-backed chair across the table from his grandfather. Vince was nowhere to be seen, but Elio was fully aware that his cousin would have already given his grandfather a report. He tried not to let his uneasiness about what was said or where this conversation would lead keep him from enjoying the food as he dug in.

Angelo let him get two bites in before commencing.

“There’s no doubt that you were set up to take the fall for that bombing,” he said without preamble. Elio glanced up, surprised.

“How do you know?”

Angelo waved a hand agitatedly. “The client to whom you were delivering that money at the concert hall,” he said. “They specifically asked for you.”

Elio lowered his fork. “And that didn’t strike you as suspicious? Who were they? What was the money for?”All questions I should have askedbeforeagreeing to have any part in that job,he berated himself.

“I don’t know who they were,” his grandfather growled. “That was supposed to be something you found out for me. A new group—a shadow gang. They would give me no names.”

A chill ran up Elio’s spine.

“What is going on here, Nonno?” he demanded. “Why did you send me into that? And what were they offering you in exchange for that money?” His voice was rising with his agitation, and Angelo glared at him, unused to being openly challenged.

“They asked for you because they believed—as I do—that you will be the next leader of the Accardi family—” the old man started.

“I’ve already told you that’s not going to happen,” Elio interrupted, his voice sharp. “I’m not interested.”

“Then why are you interested in what the money was for?” Angelo asked slyly.

“Because I almost lost my life delivering it!” Elio exclaimed, his appetite spoiled beyond saving. He pushed his plate away, letting it clatter against the other dishes on the table. “Because you’re telling me that whoever it was meant for set me up to be the fall guy for a mass bombing!”

“Calm down!” Angelo ordered, and the cold edge to his voice quelled Elio’s temper, just as it had when he was a boy. Some habits were hard to break. “I want to know just as badly as you do who is responsible for this and why,” Angelo said in the same taciturn voice. “When I find out who it is, I will end them.”

Elio shook his head. Why had he thought he could reason with his grandfather? Angelo Accardi was not a man to be reasoned with.

The old man leaned back in his chair, kneading the large, scarred knuckles of his right fist with his left hand. “For now,” he mused, “we need you to lay low. Perhaps we’ll get you out of the country. Then, we’ll find out what the police have on you and how they got it.”

“I don’t want to leave the country,” Elio interjected. “I want to help find out who the true bomber is.”

“Oh, so now you want to help,” Angelo scoffed. “Fine. You lay low then.” He cast a cunning side-eye in Elio’s direction. “Vince told me you escaped by taking a doctor from the hospital as a hostage. What does this doctor know about you?”

“Nothing,” Elio said doggedly, his heart rate spiking at the mention of Rissa. “She knows nothing, Nonno. She has no part in this.”

“And yet,” Angelo said distinctly, “I feel that she does. Vince shared his suspicions that you were attracted to this woman. Even, perhaps, that you confided in her.”

Elio could feel his ire for his cousin rising. How could he possibly have intuited that?

“We were together for less than twenty-four hours,” he snapped. “Vince has no idea what he’s talking about.”

“Then why are you being so protective of her?”

“She’s an innocent person. I don’t want anyone to be drawn into this that doesn’t have to be.”

“Hmm,” Angelo said. “And what of the fact that she was with you at the parking garage and saw you drive away?”

“The parking garage is already compromised because the police followed us there,” Elio said. “And she barely got a glimpse of the car, which I also dumped immediately. She’s not going to cause any issues, Nonno.”

Elio could see that Angelo wasn’t convinced. As he watched his grandfather scheme, his stomach revolted against the few bites of dinner he’d managed to get down.

“Nevertheless,” the old man said after a moment’s contemplation, “This doctor will need watching. I trust no one who was connected with this in any way. Especially not a girlfriend of yours,” he said with another meaningful glance.

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