Page 83 of Angelo

"It is thanks to you," the priest muttered.

His reply gave her pause. These were the first words she’d heard him utter in four whole days. Was he starting to trust her? Elyse tried to keep her excitement at bay. She needed to proceed with caution. One wrong move, and he might clam up again. For a godly man like Father Boselli, Elyse decided that a sincere approach would be the best way to draw him out of his shell.

"You shouldn’t thank me," Elyse murmured, "because I'm part of the reason why you were targeted in the first place."

Father Boselli's brown eyes grew round with panic. "Please do not misunderstand,Signora Vitale, I do not blame you for anything."

"Don’t worry, I know you’re innocent. If anything, I blame myself for bringing you into this mess."

The priest's expression pinched with caution. "You do not intend to threaten me for information?"

"No."

"I thought you were helping me for all the wrong reasons."

What he left unsaid made her feel sick.The priest had been assuming she was only healing his body so that he could be hurt again.Father Boselli must have been thinking the very worst of her these past few days.

"I used to be a surgeon before I married my husband," Elyse shared, "I promise you, I take the Hippocratic Oath very seriously."

"Ah," Father Boselli grunted as understanding lit up his aged features, "so you are an outsider."

"In a way, yes."

Her Graviano blood suggested otherwise, but she didn't feel the need to bring it up at the moment.

"I was wondering why you seemed different from your husband and his men."

"Please don't be so quick to judge my husband," Elyse implored quietly. "I don't know if you're aware, but Alessandro was the one who saved you from the fire at Vincenzo Vitale’sfuneral."

She’d helped move the priest's body to the opening at the window, of course, but, in truth, Alessandro did most of the heavy lifting.

Surprise flickered in the priest's brown eyes. "What?"

"My husband is nothing like the person who has been harassing you," she murmured. "If you're willing to trust us, we can help you. We can save you.Again."

Her words seemed to chip away at Father Boselli's fear, instilling him with a speck of confidence. Tentatively, he asked, "What do you want in return?"

"A name," Elyse responded. "I need to know who set the roof on fire at the church. Tell me who wants us dead."

In low, distressed tones, Father Boselli whimpered, "But I will be killed if I speak up."

"My husband will find them before they harm you."

Father Boselli smiled tightly. "I am sure your husband is a capable man, but I only place my faith in God."

Elyse picked up on the meaning tucked within his words. Apparently, whoever was terrorizing the priest seemed to intimidate him more than Alessandro. Who was this nameless, faceless fucker?

Elyse's mind spun with names and faces. Valentina's drunken almost admission popped up instantly.

I know Car—

Her attention snapped back to the priest. "Your faith in God is admirable, Father, but I can't help but wonder..."

He glanced her way with a question in his eyes. "What is it,Signora Vitale?"

She went on to test him, rattling off a list of names to gauge his reaction for each one. "Is your faith in God is greater than your fear ofCarmenVitale—"

Bewilderment marred his face at the mention of Cara's name.

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