Page 12 of Tainted Ties

I wondered how she ended up here.

Smiling, I took the tray of food from her. “Thanks.”

When she turned to leave, I grabbed her arm. “Is Chiara here?”

The one thing that plagued my conscience heavily was that I had never contacted Chiara after settling in New York. Even though I had no way of reaching her, I felt guilt chipping away at me constantly.

It didn’t matter though, because now that I was here, I would make it right. She was the only person in this family who loved me as much as my mother had.

The girl put her hand over mine and before she had a chance to speak, I could tell by the way her face masked a pitying expression that Chiara was gone.Dead.

A loud shatter startled me and when I searched around, trying to find the source of the sound, I found the tray I had been holding seconds ago scattered across the floor.

It was an out-of-body experience as I knelt, frantically picking up pieces of glass. As if I weren’t even there. Unwilling to accept the brutal reality.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to no one.

“Stop! You’ll hurt yourself!”

The voice sounded distant, as if I was in a trance, unable to stop. I needed to clean up the mess I had made.

Chiara was dead. She was dead and I’d never see her again.

“Ouch,” I yelped when a piece of glass sliced my palm.

The housekeeper reached for my hand, but I turned away from her touch and got up before walking the few steps into my bathroom.

The rush of blood pounded in my ears as I slid down the door and clutched my wrist, watching the crimson liquid pool in my palm.

Hot tears sprang from my eyes as I breathed—inandout—slowly like Irina had taught me.

When the room stopped spinning, a grunt escaped my lips as I held in my sobs.

Chiara always tended to my wounds; she knew my fear of blood. And here I was in my childhood home, alone.So alonethat being in my own skin felt foreign.

* * *

The small amount of energy I had left was drained on the bathroom floor.

I wasted time that I had meant to use toward meeting preparations.

However, I couldn’t bring myself to care, not even the slightest, not even as we drew closer to the nightclub where the meeting would be held.

I wasn’t sure what I expected, but I had hoped for something less sweaty and loud.

“Are you feeling better?” On my right, dressed in all black with a gold watch around his wrist, sat Enzo. He appeared the part of a mobster determined to take power.

I matched his appearance, wearing a short black dress with a deep neckline stretching to my naval.

It was a risky dress with the amount of cleavage shown, but risky business called for risky attire. “Not one bit,” I sighed. “I wish you had told me about Chiara.”

Enzo had found me curled up on the bathroom floor and carried me to my bed, where he sat next to me as I dozed off to sleep.

“If it brings you an ounce of peace, she died painlessly in her sleep.”

It didn’t. It still hurt the same, if not more.

“Have you seen our father? I know you’re avoiding him. He know’s it, too. That’s why he’s not here.” He paused for a second. “And I think he’s avoidingme. Has been the whole day, now that I think of it.”

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