Page 39 of Of Beauty, Brains, & Bravery

“No, I don’t want to be rude.” I shook my head.

“Answer it, Callie.”

“Okay.” I didn’t want to do this over the phone, but I was kind of dying here.

“Hey, Dad,” I said abruptly, annoyed.

“Hi, Callie. Sorry I missed your call earlier. I was—”

“Dad, I want to ask you something, and I want you to tell me the truth,” I said succinctly.

“Sure. You know you can ask me anything, Callie.”

“Did you cheat on Mom?” There was silence on the phone. “Dad, are you there?”

“I’m here,” he said. “Well, what’s that question?” he started.

“Did you cheat on Mom?” I said slowly. The phone was silent again, and my heart sank. I knew, based on the silence, that the answer was yes. If my dad hadn’t cheated on my mom, he would’ve denied it vehemently. He would’ve been annoyed, pissed off, wondering where I got that from.

“Why, Dad?” I asked. “Why would you?”

“What are you talking about, Callie? What—”

“Did you sleep with a woman named Emilia Marchesi, the wife of a Mafia don, who had two young sons, Antonio and Alessandro?”

“What do you know about Don Roberto?” My father’s voice changed.

“So that’s true, then. You did. Dad, how could you do that? Mom had cancer.”

“You don’t know what was going on. You don’t understand, Callie. I need to know. How do you know about Don Roberto?” he said, his voice suddenly nervous.

“Dad, what is going on?”

“Callie, there are things you don’t know. There are things you don’t understand. Where are you right now?”

“I am at a pizza place with a friend.”

“I need you to give me your address, and I’m going to come get you.”

“I don’t want to see you right now, Dad. I’m pissed off. Did you kill Antonio’s mom? Were you in a car crash?”

“Callie, where are you getting this information from?” My father sounded angry and nervous. “Who have you been in contact with? You are not safe. I need to come and get you. Tell me where you are right now.”

“Dad.” I could hear my voice crack, and tears streamed down my face. “It’s true? Oh my God. How could you? And you left her? How?”

“Callie, please. We have to talk. If you know this information, you are not safe. What is going on?”

“I met Antonio Marchesi, Dad.” I told him the words I promised I wouldn’t tell him, but Antonio almost knew me better than I knew myself. There was no way I could hold this in. There was no way knowing what I knew now that I couldn’t tell my dad what was going on.

“He wants revenge on you, Dad, and he was using me to get to you.”

“What revenge? What has he done? I will kill him with my bare hands if he’s laid a hand on you.” My father’s voice changed suddenly. Gone was the loving, sweet man I’d grown up with. He sounded deadly. He sounded ferocious. He almost sounded as evil as Don Roberto. I shivered slightly.

I didn’t recognize this man. Did I not even know my father? He had raised me by himself. He had loved me. He’d given up his life for me. I thought he was this sweet, unassuming man who’d been grieving his whole life for his lost wife. But based on the way he was acting and talking now, I didn’t know my father at all.

“Callie Rowney, I’m going to give you one minute to tell me where you are.”

“I have to go, Dad,” I said, hanging up quickly. I looked at Josh and blinked.

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