Page 119 of Empire of Temptation

The lines around his eyes deepened, like he was irritated, but he didn’t argue. “I grew up in a small town in Southern Italy?—”

“I don’t have time for your life story. Skip ahead already.”

“Valentina.” He slapped his palm on the table. “You will listen. It is relevant to why I am here.”

I folded my arms and cocked my head, saying nothing. Flavio took this as his opportunity to continue. “Where I come from, figlia, there are no jobs. No opportunities for young men. Everyone is broke and the ’Ndrangheta? They suck you in as babies. I never had a hope of another life. And what did I care? I was able to feed my mother, my sisters. My father was dead and if joining the ’ndrina saved my sisters from being sold off to predatory men, I would gladly do it.” He inhaled then let it out. “I was good at being a soldato, too. Kept my head down, did what was asked of me. Soon I rose higher and higher, until I was part of the Padrino, the five men who reported directly to the capobastone.”

Was he trying to justify being in the mafia? Or impress me with his rank? I didn’t care. I didn’t want to know anything about him or his motivations. “Good for you,” I said sarcastically.

“Then I met your mother.” He paused and stared down at the tabletop for a moment before meeting my gaze again. His expression was sad, a strange light in his eyes reminiscent of bitter and happy memories. “She was . . . Well, you know. Abby was the prettiest, most beautiful woman I had seen. I was struck from the first second I saw her. Like Cupid’s arrow, no? Smart, too. We met in the bar of a restaurant when she was out with friends. I worshipped at her feetlike she was Mary and I was a sinner begging for salvation. Did I lie about my vocation? Of course I did. I couldn’t tell this woman I was a killer, a demon among angels. I was stupid and selfish.”

We could definitely agree on that.

“But I loved her,” he continued, placing his hand on his chest. “If you believe nothing else, please figlia, believe this. Your mother was the other half of my soul, the pure half.”

“So why didn’t you stay with her? Why did you let her go?”

“Men in the ’ndrina don’t leave. There isn’t a way to get out other than death. Women join our world, not the other way around, and your mother wanted nothing to do with that life. It wasn’t like I didn’t try. Talked until I was out of breath, but Abby wouldn’t bend. I had to let her go.”

This matched with everything I knew about my mother. “She said to stay away from men who want to control me.”

Surprisingly, this made him laugh. His weathered face transformed to make him look younger, more carefree. “I never wanted to control her. She was too tough for that.”

My chest ached, the ever-present grief rising up to remind me that she was really gone. But even in this, I didn’t want to share her memory with my father. He didn’t deserve her. I lifted my chin, ready to move this along. “So you let her go and found out thirteen years later that I existed.”

“I was sent to prison shortly after Abby left. I was young, angry that I’d lost her, and I did something stupid. For four years I couldn’t get to her even if I had wanted to.”

“What about when you were released?”

He tapped his fingers on the tabletop and stared through the window. “Men like me, we are a cancer, a poison to the decent and vulnerable. She was innocent. Why would I drag her down into the pits of Hell with me?”

Hard to argue with that. “How did you find out about me?”

“I came to Canada on business and had a moment ofweakness. I decided to check up on her. I couldn’t stop wondering about Abby, even all those years later. I never planned on speaking to her.”

“But then you learned about me.”

“I knew the instant I saw you. Your eyes are your mother’s, but your nose and chin are from my side. You look like my mother.”

A warmth spread through my chest, unbidden and surprising. “Is she still alive?”

“No, figlia mia. She died before I met your mother.”

I tried not to be disappointed, but it was hard. This man was my only family—and he was a monster. “Okay, keep going. Let’s finish this.”

“I approached your mother and you might guess how such a conversation went. When I returned home I decided to get out. I didn’t ask permission from the capo because I wouldn’t receive it. So I went dark. To find me, they fabricated lies to turn everyone against me. Said I was a traitor. But it wasn’t true. It took some time, but I finally settled here.”

My jaw fell open. “You’ve been hiding in New York forsevenyears?”

“Five, but yes.”

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. “What the fuck? Did she know?”

He folded his hands, then placed them on the table. Then folded them again. It was clear he was stalling.

I sucked in a sharp breath, realization dawning. “She knew. You two were talking.”

He dipped his chin in acknowledgment, but didn’t meet my eyes. It was a red flag. My voice rose dramatically. “And more?”

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