Chapter Sixteen Angel’s Fear
Maya
I was a bit startled when Mr. Mancini reached over to kindly pat my hand.
I felt like he could somehow see right through me.
As if he knew my dark secret. One that only Henry knew.
How could this be? I held this crime close to myself.
Of course, I had. I literally beat those two old women to death with a shovel.
Then I covered up the killings by burying them.
I was not sorry that I saved the twins from such a horrible end.
But I never once believed in my planned life of being a schoolteacher that I would ever kill someone. Let alone two people.
“You avoided detection of the League while living right there in Catemaco. And that is a feat,” Mr. Mancini stated as he interrupted my fearful worries of discovery.
I had no idea about this League while I lived there with the twins and the old women from hell. Although, I knew someone had murdered that detective and my brother Rafael. “The house the Castillo women had was in the slums and very plain. They also were part of it somehow.”
“Part of the group who organizes the blood moon?” he asked.
I nodded. “So that is probably why I never gained attention. I found out that they were like messengers for that group. I tried for a long time to find out what the messages were, but I never did. No one in that area would ever look at those two as part of anything like that. Si, they were sinister and vicious, but they seemed too flighty and well…far too stupid to be with a dark, powerful group. They were loud and they cackled like real brujas, they were lazy and selfish…” My hands clenched into fists as I went on with the list of their black hearted traits, “They were cruel and mocking. They punished the twins for made up infractions as if they needed to punish them for something or anything. I do not know. I tried hard to deflect their rage and make them happy too so they would be distracted. The many times they taunted and put those sweet kids down made me just want to…”
“…to kill them?” Mr. Mancini asked as he stared into my eyes.
I looked up at him. Again, I felt like he knew everything.
As if you could not hide any secrets. I raised my gaze to Michael and Rain, not knowing what they would think of me after this.
“I am sorry to have that on my soul. But I am not sorry I stopped them. They were going to give the twins a treat for the first time in ever, I think? A cake. Only they’d laced it with poison.
When I discovered them in the basement in the middle of the night, they were laughing about it while standing at two freshly dug graves.
Proud to have the twin’s resting place all set.
Then they caught me listening and made me dig my own grave as one of them held a large gun on me.
I was never so afraid in my life. Until they taunted me about how much the kids would suffer before they died…
” I looked away from everyone at the table staring at me and added, “I saw red and I lost my mind, I think? I used that shovel to end those evil monsters.”
A noise came from the kitchen doorway.
I gasped in fear about what I just said and who might have heard it as I looked over.
Gabriela stood in the entry now. She stared at me as her face went ashen.
“My sweet Gabriela,” Mr. Mancini greeted her as he looked concerned. He stood from his chair and went over to take her hand.
The woman was very pregnant and she looked very upset.
Mancini led her over to the table.
Nudging him aside, she leaned down to embrace me as she cried. “I knew you took care of them and made sure they were safe. But I never guessed…” She wept openly. “That you did that for them!”
“And... I-I never want them to know,” I told her as I cried with her. “Yes, I had no choice but I also killed them violently. I wanted them to die. I wanted their black souls gone forever.”
“The same as I felt about Santiago,” she told me. “Black hearted and cruel to the bone. He taunted me for years about my children. Making me feel unsure if they were even alive. He and his sisters were not happy unless they could make someone else unhappy.”
Mr. Mancini took Gabriela by the arm. “Bella, please stay calm.” He did seem concerned about her in this late stage of her pregnancy.
“I-I can’t,” she replied as she kept on crying. “To think that if not for the goodness of this girl, I never would have seen them again.”
“Mrs. Mancini. I murdered them. I am not a good person.”
“The hell you’re not,” Henry exclaimed before anyone else could speak.
“You took their crap for years. You stood between them and the twins. I just know that you gave up your food and clean water to give it to those kids. You aided them to be the special kids they became for three years. Please do not downplay this, Maya. They called you their angel and that is just what you are.” He took me into his arms and held me as I cried openly.
“Thank you is not enough,” Gabriela said as she wiped her tears from her cheeks.
“No, it isn’t,” Mr. Mancini agreed. “You shall have a team to aid you in your rescue, Miss Maya. Mr. Rainmaker and Sir Henry are skilled and brave. However, the League will possibly be at a dozen or more to guard this event. Each person up for bloodletting will have a skilled guard on them until the very end.”
“Bloodletting?” Gabriela asked as she looked stunned.
“I will explain it to you later, tesora.” Her husband took her hand and looked over at Henry.
“I am also thinking of having that blood moon group wiped out. I usually do not get involved in this type of nasty skullduggery, especially in another country. But now I cannot ignore this craziness.” He nodded his head at Henry and Rain.
“We shall have a meeting this afternoon about summoning a team after I make some calls this afternoon. You do not have much time now.” He looked over at Michael.
“Figlio, can you have Mrs. Santorini feed them please?”
Michael nodded at him.
Mr. Mancini escorted his wife out as he explained it to her, “These pazzo stronzos run a group that takes people and…” His voice faded as they exited through the kitchen door.
Michael tapped his phone and looked up at us. “Your breakfast will be set up here.”
“We do not need her to go to so much trouble,” I said. “We were late and that was our doing.”
Michael smiled at me as he shook his head.
“Miss Maya, I don’t think you truly understand.
You will be treated like the queen you are.
Don’t bother to try and stop that. Berto, as Gabriela calls him, has one weakness.
Her. Well, all of his family. And I admit before I met and married Sia, I would not have believed it.
But when he agreed with you about family.
He meant it. So now you will be family for the rest of your life.
” He paused and then added, “Actually, since you are with Henry and he is my brother, you already are.” He chuckled.
I knew my cheeks were pink now. Being with Henry was still so new.
Henry held me on his lap and hugged me. “He is right. Not that I ever guessed that I would come here to help deliver the kids and find my brother married into the Mancini family.”
Michael raised his hands up. “Can I help it if fate has a soft spot for love? I never had to leave New Orleans but I also never saw myself marrying into a crime family. But you, Henry, think of the fact you went to help rescue Carlos’ niece and nephew in another country, no less.
Then you found Maya.” He looked right at me now.
“You have to be something special too. I never believed that Henry would ever trust another woman again.”
I admit that I felt curious about this awful woman Henry had been with.
“Bon journo.”
We all looked up.
The cook, Mrs. Santorini came in with a huge smile on her face. “Bene bambinos, I hear that you are hungry.”
I still felt like we were the ones in the wrong here by missing breakfast. I had been a servant and it was not an easy job. “We were late to breakfast, so we can just––”
“What? Starve?” The cook scoffed as she shook her head.
“O via, family gets fed well here. Guests get fed even better. Figurati.” Don’t worry about it.
She laughed as she went over to the large side by side fridge.
“I have a large tray of fruits here. Then I have sausage and bacon. The scrambled eggs are here as well. It has not been long since breakfast was served, si? Bene, it will be a feast.”
“Non vedere l'ora,” I told her. I can’t wait. She reminded me of my mother somehow. Maybe it was the Italian sayings, gestures and the way she spoke? My eyes got moist again. I missed my mother more than anything.
“Are you okay, Maya?” Henry whispered into my ear.
I swallowed heavily and nodded.
Mrs. Santorini looked over at me. “Va tutto bene?” Is everything alright?
I stared at her. “Mi manca mia madre.” I admitted that I missed my mother deeply.
She came over and took my hand. “A mother is something we all need. I am sorry you are parted from her.”
“We are going to correct that,” Henry vowed.
Mrs. Santorini swung her kind gaze over to him. “I heard Miss Selena refer to you as Sir, that you are a Knight.”
Henry opened his mouth to deny this.
Raising her hand up, she shushed him. “Silenzio. It is an endearment. Si, she explained that to me. But I can see why they call you this.” She motioned over at the counter. “The plates are there and you simply choose what you want.” She squeezed my hand and added, “Bless you, Maya Angel.”
I blinked at her and smiled a bit. “You have been talking to the twins.”
She laughed as she dropped my hand. “Si, I have. Much like Sir Henry, you have earned this name. Ti auguro buona fortuna, angela.” I wish you luck, angel.
Turning, she gave Michael a nod. “If they need anything please let me know? Grazie, Mikey.” She gave him a warm smile and a fond look as well.
She then headed across the kitchen and out the door.
“She reminds me of my mother, so much,” I spoke softly. “She is also a fabulous cook. Then the sayings and advice. It is how you say, inquietante …uncanny.”
“Well, she is like a guiding light here,” Michael said. “Alberto lost his wife when the kids were all very young. She has been more than just a cook or housekeeper. She is the keeper of the house, period.”
“I can see that,” I told him. “I’ve only seen her a few times now and every time she has made me feel better.”
Henry agreed, “A very comforting person. I even feel better when she comes around.”
Rain smirked. “That is a compliment for sure coming from Mr. Grumpy here.” He motioned at Henry. “I am also glad to see…” he paused. “That you found your angel, Henry.”
Henry stared at Rain for a full minute as if he was waiting for the joke or the taunt to come.
When none came, he looked surprised and covered it as he chuckled.
Then he did as I noted before whenever he was upset or moved by something, he quoted a poem, “While there, they'll talk you dead. For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”