Page 57 of Unholy Union

I nod. “All right. Good enough. Make them look legit. No sloppiness, you hear.” I slide over some cash.

Freddie starts counting it. “Yeah, I hear. See you in a couple days, Theo.”

I shake my head as I leave. Getting into my car, I groan a little. I’m mostly healed from my surgery, but sometimes, the soreness returns. My escapades with Cecilia yesterday probably didn’t help.

I still can’t believe we did that. This past year when I couldn’t stop thinking about Cecilia, I never imagined I’d get to go down on her or she’d give me a hand-job, but here we are. Soon, it will just be her and me forever in each other’s arms. I know I love her. I just don’t know when to say it.

Next stop, I go to the bank and take out some money, enough to get us by for a couple of months until I can get a new job elsewhere. Private guards make good money, and they’re in high demand. It shouldn’t be hard.

But just in case, I start calling some of my old contacts about possible jobs in other states. Possibly in other countries as well. I’m not sure how far Cecilia and I will have to run to escape Salvatore’s wrath, but something tells me we’ll need to run far so he doesn’t catch us.

I go over to my mom’s house in case this is the last time I get to see her for a while. She answers the door right away.

“Theo.” She pulls me into a deep hug. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Yeah, I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

She shakes her head as she motions me inside. “I’m doing okay, but you already knew that. And no, you don’t get to pay my bills for me. I don’t need your help.”

“Got it, got it.” I sigh. “Mom, I love you, you know that?”

“Of course, I know that.” She frowns, eyeing me over. “You don’t normally say that. What’s going on?”

I try to laugh, but it’s strained. “Can’t a man say he loves his mom without there being an issue?”

“Is this about your job? I never agreed with you working for those people. If somethings wrong …”

“Mom. Stop. Nothing is wrong. Just … if I have to leave, know that I chose to leave. I wasn’t forced to. I wasn’t threatened. I wasn’t killed.”

“Theo, what are you talking about?”

I grab her arm. “Mom, this is serious. I’m moving.”

“What?” She jerks away from me. “What do you mean, you’re moving?”

“That’s all I can say. But you might not see me for quite some time. I know it’s not ideal. I know you have a ton of questions. I can see it in your eyes. But I’m just asking you to trust me on this, okay?”

“Is someone threatening you?”

“No.” Yes. Salvatore. But it’s better if she doesn’t know much. “I can’t say where I’m going. I’m not quite sure yet. But by the end of next week, I’ll be gone. Once I’m somewhere safe, I’ll call you. I need you to not do anything. Don’t call my employers. Don’t tell anyone about this. I know I’m asking for a lot.”

She huffs. “You are asking for a lot.”

“Just trust me, all right?”

She stares into my eyes, searching for something. When she seems to get it, she nods. “All right. You’ve been doing your own thing for years now. Why would I get in the way of that? Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Of course. I’m leaving with someone, and I would never risk them getting hurt.”

For a moment, nothing happens. Then my mom blinks, and tears start to spill down her face. I pull her into a hug. “It’ll be okay,” I tell her. “I’ll call. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not,” she says, trying to sound brave. “When you went to Afghanistan, I was terrified. But you survived. And I know you’ll do it again. I’m just going to miss you.”

“I love you.” After that, I leave. My heart is heavy, but I push the feeling aside. My mom will be fine. Cecilia won’t be. Not without my help.

And I can’t imagine my life without her.

When I showup for my shift at the Moretti house the following day, Antonio is there. He’s standing in the foyer, almost like he’s waiting for me.

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