Page 17 of Blood and Penance
“Whenyouended things.” she says, correcting me.
“You’re right. When I ended things,” I say, correcting my comment and ignoring the bitterness in her voice. I know I hurt her, but I hurt myself too. “But we aren’t here to talk about that. I need to know what happened.”
She looks at me for a moment, and I wish I knew what she’s thinking. Does she look at me differently now that I’ve told herone of my secrets? Other than family, Father Giraldi is the only one who knows the struggles I’ve had with alcohol, drugs, and other addictions. It’s not that I’m ashamed of the person I was back then. I was in an awful place, and it pushed me to make a decision on what I want my life to be.
However, I am ashamed of the urges I have now. That I can’t control them because of her and the vow I’ve made to God. The issues with alcohol and drugs are behind me, but my need for her seems to be a curse I’ll die with.
“Have you heard of the De Maio Clan?”
My hackles rise at her question. I haven’t personally dealt with De Maio Clan, but everyone knows Vincenzo De Maio, boss of the De Maio Clan. He’s a ruthless leader. Rules his territory with an iron fist. Before I joined the priesthood, he married his wife Isabella, the daughter of the head of the Lombardo family.
“I’ve never dealt with Vincenzo, but I’ve heard of him. What’s he got to do with what happened?”
“My husband,” she says, and my entire body stiffens. I hate how easy the term rolls off her tongue, but I hide my displeasure as much as I can. I have no reason to be upset. “Lio D’Amico is…was… shit, I don’t know, Gianni,” she says her voice becoming frantic.
I grab her hand. “Calm down, Phoenix. It’s me. Just start at the beginning.”
I give her hand a gentle squeeze, before letting it go. She nods, then takes a deep breath before letting it out. “I started dating Lio a few years after we separated. At first it was magical, then everything went to shit. Excuse me for the language,” she says quickly, and I wave her off.
“You said you killed him?”
She nods. “Well, I planned to kill him, but I don’t know if it worked.”
“You planned to kill your husband?” I ask in disbelief.
Phoenix had been the most caring person I’ve ever met. She wouldn’t hurt a fly, but she’s telling me that she tried to kill someone. She had to have a reason.
“It was the only way to escape. I slipped him something, but I’m not sure if it did the job.”
Jesus Christ!
“You’re afraid he’s coming after you?” I ask, swiping my hand along my face.
This isn’t good.
“If he’s not dead, he will come after us. It’s just a matter of time.”
“Us?”
Her eyes widened, but she shuts down her emotions as soon as they appear. I’m not sure what she’s hiding, but she’s hiding something. If she doesn’t tell me, I’ll find out.
“We’ll talk about that later,” she says. “Right now, I need to know if you can help me?”
Now I know why she came to me—my name will give her the answers she needs. But if I contact my family to find out about this Lio D’Amico that may draw my father’s attention. And I don’t want that either. There’s only one person I can call who might know or get answers. But that will guarantee my father's involvement, but what other choice do I have.
“Where are you staying?” I ask.
“I rather not say. And before you think it’s because of you, I just want to make sure no one can find me, Gianni. It has nothing to do with you.”
Even though I don’t believe her explanation, I won’t push her. I think her keeping me from knowing where she's staying has everything to do with me. It shouldn’t make me angry, but it does.
“Is it safe?”
If she’s safe, right now, that’s all that matters to me. She doesn’t have to give me any information as long as no one can get to her, and that includes my father.
“For now,” she says. “I need to find out if he’s alive or dead, then I’ll get out of your hair and let you get on with your life.”
Get on with my life. She makes it sound so easy.
