Page 85 of Sins of the Son

When I came, I refused to pull out, keeping her bound to me.

Rolling onto my back, I pulled her on top of me, holding her close.

I drew a blanket over the two of us then wrapped an arm around her middle and, cradling the base of her skull with my other hand, pressed her head to my heart.

We stayed like that for hours.

We made love two more times that day. We didn’t speak. We didn’t eat. We just held one another.

Finally, we fell into an exhausted sleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

When I opened my eyes to the first rays of sunlight, I realized with a start I hadn’t put on a light or opened a window for her before falling asleep.

I then realized she had slept through the night, regardless.

I was emboldened by the minor victory until I reached for her… and felt the cold sheets.

I sat up in bed. Written on the mirror in red lipstick was a note.

Sorry.

-Milana

She was gone.

I looked around the empty bedroom.

She was gone… and she had taken my clothes, mobile, and car keys with her.

CHAPTER 30

CESARE

I sighed. “Stop laughing.”

Enzo slapped the top of his thigh, howling with laughter.

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously, stop laughing.”

Enzo schooled his features and stared at me solemnly for all of two seconds before he burst out laughing again.

My eyes narrowed. “You’re fucking lucky I don’t have a gun right now.”

Enzo wagged his finger at me. “A threat I would take very seriously—if you weren’t wearing a pink, 'I heart Italy' T-shirt that’s about two sizes too small, and a bedsheet.”

Not wanting Sal to know how my protection of Milana was going, I had snuck down into his shop and stolen the only attire I could find and made my way through the back alleys to the other side of the piazza to bang on Enzo’s door.

Pushing him aside, I sprinted up his stairs and marched down the hallway to his room to raid his closet.

Enzo followed. “I called Papà. Tracking on the car has her heading to Rome.”

I pulled on a pair of dark denim designer jeans as I let the bedsheet fall away. I turned to face him as I pulled up the zipper. “Does Amara have any idea who Milana may know in Rome?”

“She says Milana doesn’t know anyone that she knows of.”

“Can we trust her answer?”

---