Page 16 of Tempt Me (Dark Odyssey 4)

His phone rings, and he answers, glances at me, then starts speaking in Italian. That’s because of me. He doesn’t want me to hear what he’s saying, or rather understand it. But I do.

Mom wanted me to learn it, so I did. It’s one of the five languages I speak and understand so well I could be native.

Salvatore is saying he’s going home to his wife and child.

I notice a wedding band on his finger. What kind of woman would marry into this? The mob.

These men are all mobsters. The kind that frighten me. I’m well versed in their type. No matter where they come from in this world, they’re all the same. You can’t trust them.

It seems like he’s talking to Vincent. He asks about Dad but gives nothing away in terms of whether Dad’s alive or not.

Salvatore ends his call and returns his attention to me. “Stay here and do not move. Enough shit has already happened tonight. You understand me?”

I nod my understanding quickly, and he leaves.

There’s a chair nearby for me to sit on, a bed for me to lie in, a little sofa by the window bay, yet I move to the wall and sink down to the floor, resting my back against the wall with my knees hugged to my chest.

It’s then I allow the tears to truly come. The numbness leaves me as I cry. Someone does bring me food. I don’t know who it is because I’m too numb to eat. It’s the last thing I could possibly think of doing in a situation like this.

I don’t know if Dad is alive or dead. I have no idea.

All those things he did, all those people who were hurt by it. He’s right. He did do terrible things. It’s terrible. All so terrible.

I can’t excuse his behavior. How could I? It all involved money. All of it, and there’s only one thing Dad uses money for: drugs.

Nobody would have two million dollars in their possession and live in that gritty little apartment. It’s drugs. He used all that money to buy drugs, and there was mention of prostitution.

It makes me sick to think of him with hookers, but shit, I’m not even thinking of the glaring thing I never knew. Dad worked for mobsters.

Vincent is his boss.

Why would he take a job like that after all we’ve been through?

He’s been working with Vincent all this time at Renovata, and I didn’t know he was working for a mobster. I thought he had a normal job. I’m so stupid. Dad’s the kind of man who does what he has to, to survive.

Mobsters though? And, they seem to be the worst kind. They have serious money.

Now, what the hell’s going to happen?

I’m still trying to figure out how I missed all the signs that Dad was in so much trouble. Have I been so wrapped up in myself that I didn’t see all the signs? This occurrence tonight isn’t just a sudden thing that’s happened. It’s been brewing a while. I’ve had my own stuff to deal with at work though.

The opportunity that would change everything for my career came about a few months ago, and I got sidetracked. I know I did. I won’t deny it.

There was a competition to do the special edition issue on Coral Winters, and I got down to the final two. It was something I could only dream of. I was excited, and apart from getting to study at Browns, it seemed like the first time I was truly getting to do something I loved. Browns was the steppingstone. The place that furnished me with my journalism talents. But coming home and landing the junior editor’s position atEscada, one of the most prestigious women’s lifestyle magazines, was something else. It almost felt like I could have some part of my life back.

Now this…

What am I going to do?

Assuming they don’t kill me, what will I do?

Hours pass while I sit and worry. The tears dry up, and my head dips as sleep claims me.

I must have been out for a few minutes when the door creaks open. It startles me, and I jump.

It’s him.

Vincent.

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