Page 715 of The Tempted

Chapter Sixteen

The first time Victor was shot the girls were young. Nikki was still in diapers and Adrianna was in pre-school. In those days, Vic worked nights, he’d leave right after the girls were tucked in for the night and return in the morning just in time for breakfast. It was a Tuesday; I had overslept and was frazzled, trying to get the girls dressed so Adrianna wouldn’t be late for school. I was used to doing things for the kids on my own and instead of wondering why Vic hadn’t returned I went about my day feeding and dressing both girls. I didn’t bother dressing myself and hurried out the door with mismatched pajamas only to find Val’s car blocking mine in the driveway. He and Maryann got out of the car and started for me.

He didn’t need to say the words, I knew something was wrong the minute my eyes met Val’s. Maryann took Nikki from my arms and bent down to talk to Adrianna

“Come on, sweetheart, Mikey is in the car. Aunt Maryann will take you guys to school,” she said before peering up at me. “Give your mommy a kiss,” she added.

I snapped out of my trance, smiled when I felt like dying because I was a mother and my job was to shield my daughters from the world Victor and I brought them into. I kissed Adrianna’s head and watched Maryann lead her away.

“How bad is it?” I questioned, keeping my eyes trained on Maryann as she peeled out of the driveway with our kids.

“He’s okay. He took a shot to the stomach, but he’s going to be fine,” Val said as he placed a hand on my shoulder.

“This time,” I muttered numbly as I finally lifted my eyes to his. “Until one day you knock on my door and tell me it’s not okay.”

“Not on my watch, Grace. You won’t hear those words from me,” he promised.

It would’ve been easy to believe his words, after all, they were exactly what I wanted to hear but I knew better. Even then I knew one day this would all catch up to us. Val was true to his word, he never delivered the words he promised he wouldn’t. I wish Victor made the same promise to me but he was too busy making other promises he wouldn’t keep.

That was the first time Victor cheated his fate. He’s been shot a total of six times, arrested over twenty-three times and has beaten sixteen cases. Each time I got a visit or a phone call from one of his guys and each time I wondered if that would be the time I had to sit my girls down and tell them their daddy wasn’t coming home.

Now the time has finally come and all the preparing I’ve done throughout the years is lost. I have no idea how to do this. They’re going to have questions, ones I don’t have the answers to. I wonder if I knew thirty years ago this was how it was going to end, if I would’ve married him and vowed to stand by him until death do we part.

“Ma, how many times do we have to tell you to lock the door?”

Adrianna’s voice startles me and I jump before spinning around to face her and Anthony.

“She’s right, Grace,” my son-in-law adds before bending down to kiss my cheek.

“I could’ve sworn I did,” I mumble, forcing a smile as I wrap my arms around my daughter. “Thank you both for coming. I hope Maria didn’t mind watching the kids?” I turn to Anthony and question him with my eyes.

“Watching the kids keeps her out of trouble,” Anthony replies with a shake of the head. “Or at least it stops her from breaking Riggs’ balls.”

That made me smile genuinely as the back door swings open and my youngest storms in like the tornado she was, my smile widening ever so slightly.

“I’m fucking late and I suck but I’m here and I brought Dunkin,” She exclaims waving a Box of Joe enticingly.

“Where’s Mikey?” Adrianna asks, grabbing the mugs from the cabinet.

“He’ll be here, he had to see a customer about an estimate,” Nikki explains as she hugs me. “I miss you,” she whispers against my hair before she pulls back a fraction and smiles. “Where are the crazies?”

“They took Nana to bingo at the church,” I explain, laughing at her reference to my in-laws.

“When are they going back home?”

“That depends on when you’re getting married,” I tell her. I’m not pressuring her to get married but a part of me is worried she’s stalling because of Victor. I want to reassure her it’s okay for her to move forward and her father will be there in spirit.

Spirit.

That word makes it sound like he has already passed.

We pull apart as I clear my throat and tip my chin toward the living room. “Why don’t we all have a seat?”

“Ma, I’m not going to lie, you’re freaking me out,” Nikki says warily.

“Yeah, what’s going on? Why the family meeting? Did something happen with dad?”

I avert my eyes between my two girls before turning to Anthony. It hadn’t dawned on me until now that he may already know about Victor’s condition. Staring at him he looks just as anxious as the girls and it became clear that Victor faded Anthony out of the limelight of the organization just as he a promised. I guess there were some things he kept his word about.

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