Chapter Eight
Chiara
Lily picks up after the second ring.
“Lee?” I am breathless. I can hear her squeak and there is a rustle, before she replies in a hushed tone.
“Sis? Where are you? I was so worried!”
My eyes sting from hearing her voice. God how I’ve missed her! “It’s me, and I’m good. Can you talk?”
“Yes. I went into the bathroom to be sure.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Sorry for the hassle, I hate to have you worrying or hiding things from Damiano.”
“Don’t worry,” she replies softly. “I understand and your secret is safe with me. Although Dark has asked me to update him, I refused.” She snickers, and I let out a breathless laugh.
My sister might look sweet, but she is a badass through and through, and there is no way her husband will be able to bully her into telling him anything.
Still, I hate to put her into that position.
“Sorry about that… I had to do it. For me…” My throat constricts. How do I explain such a selfish act?
“I understand,” comes her quiet reply. “Whatever you decide, I’m there for you, you hear me?”
I sob, feeling tears trail down my face. “Thank you for being the best sister,” I whisper.
“Are you safe?” she asks quietly.
“I am, don’t worry.” I hear her relieved breath. “I can’t tell you where I am, but trust me, it’s safe and I’m okay… I guess.”
She doesn’t reply immediately but lets out a soft sniffle.
“I’m sorry for being this selfish, Lee, and for putting you into this position. I…need some time to figure myself out.”
“It’s fine. The men are antsy, though,” she states quietly. “Erin and I won’t be able to hold them back for long.”
“Don’t worry, things will blow over soon and they’ll find new things to occupy them.” I try to sound upbeat, but my stomach sinks.
“Mmh,” comes her doubtful reply. “Lucas blew up last Sunday, I doubt that he will let go.”
My breath hitches in my throat. “He…he did what?”
“He demanded to know where you were and Dark dragged him to his office. Let me tell you, it almost ended in blows.”
“What?” I whisper. “Why does he even care?” Then I reconsider. “Never mind, I don’t want to know, let them wonder. I called to let you know that I am good and that I miss you and Dante so much.”
“Me too… Let me know when I can see you. Or if you need anything.”
My heart melts. “Thank you, I will. For now, I can’t tell you where I am, I’m settling in. And in case the conversation is traced, they shouldn’t bother, I’m not calling from where I will be living, and the phone goes straight into the trash after we hang up.”
Lily lets out a little laugh. “Wow, looks like you’re well prepared.”
“Yup! It’s so exciting, it’s like I’m James Bond.”
This time Lily laughs out loud, and the sound makes me giddy. My grin spreads over my face and my heart lifts after a week of uncertainty.
“Well, try to avoid killing someone,” she teases. “You don’t have a license to kill.”
“I can’t promise anything,” I shoot back and we both laugh.
We talk some more, she updates me on Dante’s latest progress and of trivial things back there, while I assure her that I will update her on my adventure as soon as we see each other.
After a while, I can’t hold back the question anymore: “Did-did you see Father recently?”
There is a pause on the line, then she says in a quiet voice, “He has a drinking problem, you know?”
“I…yes.” I feel terrible for bailing, I should have stayed to look after him.
“Don’t sweat it.” She must’ve sensed my thoughts. “He is being taken care of, he was admitted in the clinic and is being monitored round the clock.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Thank you… I haven’t been able to convince him to go and I asked the housekeeper and driver to look after him.
I’m sorry again for leaving you with this mess.
I wanted to come back soon…” I trail off, shame creeping up my neck.
I can’t seem to do the right thing. Now that I know he is being taken care of, I could stay under the radar a while longer until I figure out what I want to do with my life.
The word permanent had been circling my mind for a while now.
“It’s no trouble at all.” Lily’s voice rips me out of my musing. “In fact, Lucas was the one putting everything into motion.”
“He was?” I am dumbstruck. But then again, as the famiglia’s second, it’s his job to look out for his flock. I wonder how he found out.
“Yes, although he hasn’t been himself lately…” Lily’s voice is soft and probing.
“He hasn’t?” Ugh, my brain is fried. It seems that repeating her words is all I manage where he is concerned.
I want to ask her so many questions, but then again, I don’t want to know.
How is he? Is he taking care of himself?
Is…someone else, maybe Tiffany, taking care of him?
No. I won’t ask that. I left everything behind, especially him.
“No,” comes Lily’s quiet reply.
What were we discussing again? Oh yeah, Lucas not being himself.
“He’s restless.” Lily’s voice is hushed. “He’s prowling around like a caged animal, scowling and growling.”
I snort out a laugh. “You got me there—Lucas never scowls or growls.”
“Now it seems he does. That’s what I’m saying, he’s not himself.”
Huh?
I shrug although she can’t see me. “It’s probably something work related. Or his drycleaner ruined his favorite suit.” I sound petty now, but I can’t help the disdained note from creeping into my voice.
“If you say so…” she carefully replies.
“Yep.” I try to sound cheerful. “Listen, I need to go now, but I’ll call back soon.”
“Okay, sis. Take care, and really, if you need anything, just call me or Erin.”
“Will do, love you. Kiss my favorite nephew for me.”
She laughs and we hang up. I start dismantling the phone like Erin showed me.
Remove the battery and SIM card and scatter the phone pieces into several trash cans throughout the city.
It sounds a bit extreme, but I don’t want to take any chances.
There is a risk Matteo has put Lily’s phone under surveillance, and he might trace the signal back to me.
Erin assured me she would tell him to keep out of this, and if she suspected anything she would sabotage his endeavor, but I still want to be careful.
The last thing I need is a bunch of intense Mafia men showing up in town, guns blazing, to drag me back to hell.
Hence, I drove an hour out to a nearby town to buy a burner phone and call Lily from there.
Now I am sitting in the car I bought with the cash I withdrew before I left Boston. It’s an old beater but still reliable according to the man who sold it to me. I lean back in the seat and frown, trying to process everything.
‘He has not been himself lately.’
What does this even mean?
He couldn’t be lacking for friends or female company, that’s for sure. He only has to snap his fingers and women will be falling to his feet. As for friends, he still has his close-knit group with the two men he grew up with, and Lily and Erin. So what is his problem?
A sharp pang of irritation begins to rise like every time I think of him lately. And I welcome the feeling, because I’ll take irritation over sadness and a broken heart any day.
I push the feelings down, deciding to go through them another day, and start my car to drive off.
I need to go back to the small town I have chosen.
I didn’t plan anything when I left and started circling mindlessly further and further away from Boston, I only felt I needed to put distance between my former life and my new beginning, a clean cut.
When I drove through that town that day, only one and a half hours away from Boston, things clicked into place and I felt like my future might be tied to that place.
I stopped and looked for a cheap apartment to rent.
I got lucky when I found not only an apartment to rent over the small coffee shop, but also a job at that same shop.
The owner, a motherly lady named Edna, has immediately taken me under her wing, and I will be eternally grateful to her and to fate for leading me to her.
Now I work at the shop five days a week and I have my evenings off since the shop caters to the day crowd.
That gives me the perfect opportunity to pursue my other plan. My hands go clammy and I nervously chew on my lower lip, because this is another meaningful step I am taking toward my new self. I hope that luck will be on my side again this time.