Chapter 29
Javier left fairly early in the day, because he had to drive two hours to where my father is staying. They had plans to talk to a few people and check into a few business deals before needing to drive another three hours to meet with the boss of the Mancini family.
It’s already a quarter past nine at night, and I haven’t heard anything. I don’t know if any of these meetings went bad. I don’t know if whoever is after us found them and they’re both already dead, and the lack of communication is starting to wear on me.
However, having all day to myself has been nice. It’s been a day full of reflection and thought. And now, as I’m worried that something might have happened to Javier or my father, the emotions swirling inside me add an additional layer to my thought process.
Because not only do I fear my dad dying, regardless of our tumultuous relationship, I now have to be concerned about where that puts me. And if Javier is also killed, I’m left with no one I can trust.
A sense of disappointment also floods my brain, because as cliché as it is, life is short.
We don’t know when we can go, but in this life, your odds of dying early are greater.
I’ve had one experience with Javier, and thinking that could be the only one is like a fire under my ass.
I have to make a decision and stop pussyfooting around.
My parish is large, and considering the town is small, almost everyone knows who I am. I’ll never find a guy willing to look past the priesthood in order to have a secret hookup with me.
But it’s not even about knowing I’ll never find a random guy to sleep with.
I don’t want a random guy. It’s Javier. He’s the one I’m interested in.
He doesn’t care about the fact that I’m a priest. He wouldn’t care about my dad’s profession, even if he didn’t know him, and it’s for the same reason I don’t judge what he does. It’s what we know.
Yes, we seem very different, but are we?
At nine-forty, my phone rings. I quickly go to snatch it up, but freeze when I see Johnny’s name on the screen. I ignore it and decide to text my dad. I was trying to avoid reaching out due to the nature of their meetings today, but this is important.
Johnny’s calling me.
I don’t have to wait long for a reply. About two minutes later, my phone rings.
“Hello?”
“It’s me,” Javier says, calling from my dad’s phone.
“Do I call him back?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ve never not answered one of his calls. If anything, I’ve always had to wait for him to get back to me. He might get suspicious.”
“We’re getting in touch with someone who should be around him. We found the guy he sent to pick you up. Talked to him for a little while.”
“Talked to him?”
“He’s not saying much anymore.”
That statement is loaded.
“So, it was Johnny.”
“Yes, but there’s a lot more information we have. I can’t talk about it right now, but I’d say Johnny is reaching desperation at this point, and that’s not good.”
“I think I have an idea.”
“We can talk about it later. Don’t answer his calls and don’t call him back. Wait until I’m there.”
“When will that be?”
“A couple hours maybe.”
“Okay.”
He ends the call, and a text from Johnny immediately comes through.
Hey, kid. You okay? My guy said you weren’t home yesterday.
I’m afraid you might be in danger.
I sigh as I read them over and over. I can’t believe a man I thought of as an uncle when I was growing up is trying to get me killed. The betrayal sends fury through my veins. I can only imagine how my dad feels.
Javier and my dad don’t want me making decisions without them, but I know going silent will only draw suspicion and I have to keep Johnny from suspecting that I know anything.
I think it over for almost two hours before I type out a response.
I’m okay for now, but I think you might be right.
I put the phone down just as Javier walks through the door. He looks exhausted as he makes his way to the kitchen sink.
“You okay?” I ask.
He nods, turning on the water.
When I come to a stop next to him, I can see the dried blood on his knuckles and around his fingernails.
My eyes flicker up to his face but he doesn’t look in my direction. I grab a couple paper towels and hand them to him when he finishes scrubbing his hands.
“I’m glad you’re alive,” I say, actually feeling the relief in my chest.
He turns, his lips curving up on one side. “Oh yeah?”
I nod. “I was worried. Just for a second.”
Javier chuckles. “You ever worry about me before? When I’d disappear on you for days or weeks?”
“No.”
“Hmm.”
I slide my hands under his jacket, pushing the material over his shoulders. He shrugs it off until it falls to the floor. I put my fingers under the leather straps of his holster, and I wonder which gun he used today, or if he used one at all.
Javier expertly removes the holster, laying it on the counter, his eyes never leaving my face.
My hands curve around his waist, but my fingers bump into something along the back of his belt.
“Knife,” he says simply. “It’s sheathed horizontally. You won’t cut yourself.”
I move past it and run my hands up the middle of his back. “I really hope my father doesn’t kill you.”
He grins, understanding what I’m saying. “Try to make it worth it then.”
I look into his eyes and then move in closer, my lips hovering in front of his for a few seconds before they meet.