Page 74 of Wild Card

We talk for a little while longer, and I feel like a huge weight has lifted off me. I’m safe now, and cutting my father out of my life, fully. No more Sunday dinners where he hurls demeaning insults at me. No more trying to prove to him that I’m good enough. What in the world do I have to prove to a man like that?

Gio is still with me when Callan leaves.

“Is your grandmother okay?” I ask.

“Cristo! I almost forgot.” Gio gets up and grabs a bag from the counter near the door to my room. “I heard your father saying those terrible things to you and I lost it. Nonna would have my head if I didn’t get this to you.”

He opens the bag and pulls out some Tupperware containers with cheerful red covers, placing them on the tray table next to my bed.

“Mushroom risotto and a nice arugula salad.”

“Thank you,” I murmur. “That’s so kind of her. Especially after everything...” I don’t finish that thought.

He taps one of the containers.

“Cannoli. Made that myself. Hopefully it’ll help you get back on your feet.”

He shoots me a wicked grin.

“If I recall correctly your cannoli is more likely to keep a lady off her feet.”

“Any way you want it, Beauty.” He takes my hand and kisses my fingertips.

My skin flushes, and if I were still on a heart monitor someone would probably see a spike in my pulse rate and come rushing in. There’s so much I want to say, and I’m frustrated when a giant yawn comes out instead. Gio puts my hand down and sits next to me again, wrapping his massive arm around my shoulders. I lean against him.

“Nonna was thrilled to be able to send some food to you. She’s a tough gal. She’s sad, but she’s alright. She says hello, and you’re welcome to stop by for dinner any time you’d like.” Gio sighs, stroking my arm. “Lorenzo invited his own death in, Catriona. I’m just so sorry you got dragged into it as well. And I’m sorry for everything you suffered.”

He takes a deep breath.

“And I’m sorry for my part in it. I was trying to do the right thing by everyone. I was angry at your family when I should’ve been asking you how to go to them for help.”

“Gio, you know what they say about hindsight. You had no way of knowing that my brothers wouldn’t dispatch you and your grandmother to save me. I don’t blame you for not trusting her protection to just anyone. I know what a special person she is.”

He tangles his fingers in my curls.

“You’re a special person too. What happened to you was wrong, and I’m sorry I didn’t get you out sooner.”

I’m sorry too, but he also saved me. Was he complicit? Yes. But Birdie told me how he was willing to sacrifice his life to free us both, and I know that he’s a good man. He was just trying to fix everything for everyone, which wasn’t possible.

I probably shouldn’t ask this next question, but I need to know.

“What you said to my father. You went to visit him?”

He nods.

“I was hoping he’d work with me to buy some more time. Luckily I ran into your brothers after. And luckily they didn’t kill me on sight.” He gives me a crooked smile. “Patrick came close.”

So many unknowns. So many ways in which things could’ve gone wrong, costing Gio everything. He was willing to work with the man who stole his parents’ livelihood to help me? I know it was for his grandmother too, but I’m not used to people fighting for me at all.

“What did he say, Gio? What did you mean about all that good will?”

“Piccolina, are you sure you want to hear this?” He rests his head against mine, the easy affection in that one gesture nearly breaking me. “You’ve already decided to write him off. Do you really need more confirmation that he’s worse than shit on the bottom of your shoe?”

But the shoes still get ruined if you don’t address the issue.

“I don’t want to know. But I have to know. Otherwise I’ll always wonder, and it’ll get worse and worse in my head.”

“I’ll never lie to you,” he whispers. “But I don’t want to say the words he said. I can’t.”

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