by Nicole Fox
As he shifts, I notice that one hand is tightly bandaged. Blood has soaked through the stump of his severed finger.
I hiss in horror.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asks in a broken voice.
Relief clouds my vision for a moment. He doesn’t know me.
I try to linger in the shadows so he can’t see my face. Maybe I can pry the information I need out of him without ever revealing my identity.
I have to stay the course.
“No one important,” I say in a faux-deep voice.
“No one important?” he repeats. His speech is kind of slurred, a result of the swelling around his mouth, but I manage to understand him anyway. “Why don’t I believe that?”
I grind my molars. “He just wants information, you know,” I say in a sudden rush of pity for this battered, doomed son of a bitch.
“I don’t have shit to give him,” he snarls exhaustedly.
He’s trying to sound threatening, but his words fall flat in light of the injuries he’s sustained.
“You’ll think of something.”
“Why are you here?” he asks.
“Wanted to have a conversation.”
“You wanted to have a conversation with the prisoner in the basement?”
He staggers to his feet. Instinctively, I take a step back. I’m starting to realize what a horrible plan this is.
“Does the big man know you’re here?” he asks.
I don’t answer, and he attempts a smile. Given the condition his face is in, it’s actually terrifying.
“Of course he doesn’t,” he continues. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here in the middle of the fucking night.”
“Who do you work for?” I interrupt.
“I’m starting to think I work for the same people you work for.”
Shit.
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
He laughs. It’s the manic laughter of someone on their way to the gallows. Someone who knows he’s going to die soon.
“We both made the wrong choice,” he sighs, clinging to the grille that separates us.
“You’re assuming I had a choice at all,” I snap before I can stop myself.
“Ah. I see.”
“No, you don’t. You don’t know a fucking thing about me.”
“I know you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t scared,” he tells me. “Which means the thing you’re scared of is… me.”
I feel my body freeze, but I manage to keep my expression intact.
“I had no idea who you were when you walked in here,” he tells me. “But I do now.”
He’s threatening me. I can see the flare of life in his eyes. He thinks that I’m his ticket out of here.
“It’s not gonna work,” I say, infusing my voice with false confidence.
“Oh, no?”
“No,” I echo firmly. “He trusts me.”
“He trusted me, too,” the prisoner counters. “Until he didn’t.”
“You betrayed him,” I scowl. “I haven’t.”
“Not yet, anyway,” he muses. “You know, I was around when you were brought in here. I know the story. Always seemed kinda suspicious to me. Unless, of course… you were planted.”
I flinch back further into the shadows. “I wasn’t.”
“Just an unlucky coincidence, then?” he says. “Doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you and I are the same.”
“No, we’re not.”
“Oh, yes, we are,” he insists. “The difference is that I’ve been found out. And you haven’t.”
“You think you know about me? Well, then you’ll know that I look after his child. Do you think he’d trust me with her if he didn’t trust me at all?”
The mole shrugs. “Men can be stupid when it comes to a big ass and a nice pair of tits.”
“Not men like Lucio Mazzeo,” I hear myself saying. “He’s smart.”
“Smart enough to realize that he’s got a snake in his midst. A pretty snake, but a snake all the same.”
I shudder. “You’re going to die tomorrow.”
“True,” he admits, resigned to his fate. “But I can do a lot of damage before I go.”
I tense, but I refuse to give in. “Do your worst,” I say with fake bravado. “He trusts me.”
“Keep saying that,” he drawls sarcastically. “Maybe I’ll actually start to believe you.”
“Fuck you,” I snap. “We’re done here.” I turn for the door.
“Wait! Let me out of here,” he says suddenly, gripping the grille a little tighter. “Let me out of here and I won’t say a word. I won’t be here to out you.”
I look at him over my shoulder. I consider it for a full five seconds.
Then I make my decision.
“You’ve made your bed,” I tell him.
Then I step out the door and close it on him.
I meant what I said: he made his bed.
And now, I’ve made mine.
28
Lucio
The Next Morning
My head is pounding as I walk down the broad hallway towards the kitchen.
I register laughter.
Evie.
Charlotte.
Who else can twist the silence in this house on its head?
I follow the laughter and find them in the room next to the kitchen. They’re sitting on the carpeted floor with their heads together.
Apparently, they’re watching internet videos on the iPad I had Enzo purchase weeks ago.
“It’s so funny, Charlotte!” Evie cackles.
Charlotte’s laughter tinkles like wind chimes, and it keeps me standing there, watching them from the threshold of the door.
Paulie is reclined on my daughter’s lap and Evie strokes him periodically without even thinking about it.
But every few minutes, Evie touches her hand to Charlotte’s, too. Almost like she’s trying to reassure herself that she’s there.
Paulie’s my best friend, she’d told me. Well, him and Charlotte.
Looking at them should just amplify the warm glow I’ve been living with for days now. But it doesn’t.
It kills it.
All because of one undeniable realization: I’ve fucked up.
I understand that in this exact moment. Seeing them together, enjoying each other’s company…
I’ve fucked this up royally by finally laying claim to Charlotte.
I shouldn’t have touched her. Shouldn’t have kissed her. Shouldn’t have fucked her.
Hell, I shouldn’t have spent a single second alone with her. I knew damn well just how tempting she was.
But I’d been weak.
I’d been thinking with my fucking dick.
A weakness I didn’t think I had… before her.
My father’s words ring in my head, the same as they’ve always done:
Your vulnerabilities make you a pussy.
And your aggression makes you a ticking time bomb.
No woman is ever gonna love you, you little motherfucker.
So why bother?
The only future you have is the future I give you. You belong to this mafia—not the other way around. Even after I die, you’ll belong to me.
I repeat the words in my head again. Strangely, they help me focus.
Still, I hate that he’s the voice in my head. My fucking father and his ‘pearls of wisdom.’
“Papa! Come here!”
Evie sees me lingering in the doorway runs towards me, her blonde curls flying behind her. She grabs my hand and pulls me into the room with Charlotte.
I try not to wince when she calls me ‘Papa.’
The one small comfort I have at the moment is knowing that I haven’t fucked her up too much. She doesn’t seem as terrified of me as she did yesterday.
“Good morning, tesoro,” I murmur. “Slept well?”
“Mhmm,” she says. “I had a nightmare, though.”
I frown and sit down while she st
ands in front of me. Charlotte’s eyes are on me, and I can sense nervous energy wafting off her.
I can’t look at her.
Not yet.
“Do you remember the nightmare?” I ask.
“Not really,” Evie admits. “Just that it was really scary. I woke up crying… but Paulie was with me.”
“He always has your back, huh?”
“Yup,” Evie says. “I wanted Charlotte, but she wasn’t in her room.”
I glance up and meet Charlotte’s eyes. Had she been with me when Evie had had her nightmare?
“I was in the bathroom, Evie,” Charlotte mumbles. She almost sounds guilty.
“Well, I was super scared,” Evie says with a shrug.
“But I bet you were brave?”
“Very,” Evie boasts. “Right, Charlotte?”
“The bravest,” Charlotte confirms. She gives Evie a little wink and the girl beams.
“Are you gonna have breakfast with us today?” Evie asks me. Her little fingers reach out and settle in my open palm.
I look down at our entwined hands, and something inside me kind of snaps into place. As though holding Evie’s hand is the most natural feeling in the world.
“I wish I could, but not today,” I say regretfully.
It’s not even a lie.
I actually do regret that I can’t have breakfast with her.
But I have business to sort out. And a sexy fucking nanny to avoid.
Speaking of the sexy nanny—she’s wearing a pair of denim shorts that end right below her ass, and she’s paired it with a tight gray t-shirt whose neckline is just low enough to reveal the tops of her breasts.
I should have sucked those tits raw last night.
No! Shut the fuck up, Lucio.
What the hell am I thinking?
I need to get out of this house. Away from these women.
Each of them is tearing me down in their own irresistible way.
“Aw, why not?” Evie pouts.
“I’ve got some work I have to take care of,” I tell her. “Another time, okay?”
Her cheeks fall with disappointment, but she nods. Then she turns and walks right to Charlotte’s side.
The two of them are like peas in a fucking pod.
Charlotte’s eyes meet mine. Her blue irises seem kind of muted today, and her forehead is wrinkled in what looks like pain.
“You okay?” I ask.
“Fine,” she mumbles. “Just a headache.”
Something about her seems off, but I’m sure I’m just projecting.
Regardless—it’s time for me to get some distance from this house.
For everyone’s sake.
I get to my feet and head for the door. I’m almost at the threshold when my phone starts beeping. It’s an email marked as important. I open it up immediately.
It turns out to be an acceptance letter from Staffordshire Preparatory Academy, informing me that Evelyn Mazzeo has been admitted for their upcoming school term.
I stand there, surprised by the strange feeling that’s expanding through my chest.
Is it… happiness? Not quite.
Indifference? Definitely not.
Pride?
Yeah. That feels right.
It isn’t an emotion I was expecting, but it’s more powerful than I would have thought. I find myself turning back, walking towards Charlotte and Evie.
“Lucio?” Charlotte asks in alarm. “Everything okay?”
I smile. “Congratulations, Evie,” I announce. “You’ve been admitted to Staffordshire.”
“The big school with the big garden?” Evie asks, her eyes going wide.
“That’s the one.”
There’s two seconds of silence and then Charlotte erupts with a scream of delight as she grabs Evie and hugs her tight.
“Evie!” she exclaims excitedly. “Did you hear that? You’re going to start school soon… and a pretty great one, too.”
Catching on Charlotte’s enthusiasm, she smiles and starts jumping up and down the moment Charlotte lets go of her.
Then she stumbles into me and hugs me awkwardly around the waist.
I pat her head as she looks up at me.
“I’m really going to the big school?” she asks.
“If you’re ready for it,” I say, letting a little note of challenge slip into my voice. “Are you?”
Her gray eyes sober a little and she steps back. “I think so,” she says honestly and bravely. “Will I be able to take Charlotte and Paulie with me?”
I cringe inwardly.
Apparently, Charlotte has become just as much a security blanket as the damn platypus has.
I squat down and take Evie’s hand. “You won’t be able to take them with you,” I tell her. “But they’ll both be waiting for you here when you’re done. And so will I.”
Evie frowns, as she realizes the independence she’d be gaining with this latest change—and the cost of it.
“But what if I’m scared?”
I glance up and notice that Charlotte is watching us both. She’s hanging back, though, giving me the space I need to be the parent.
If only I knew what the hell I’m doing.
Her blue eyes soften as they land on me. She gives me a reassuring little nod, and then she starts to mouth something.
You can do this.
I turn my attention to Evie, whose hand is still clasped in mine.
“Evie, I haven’t said this to you before,” I start. “But I think you’re one of the bravest people I know.”
Her eyes go wide. “I am?”
I nod firmly. “Without a doubt.”
Her face falls a little. “I’m really not,” she says, as though it’s hard for her to admit. “I’m scared of a lot.”
I smile. “Being scared doesn’t mean you’re not brave, Evie,” I tell her. “I mean, you walked up to the gates here on your own. You were in the cellar alone. And you dealt with all those things. You were brave for all of them.”
She thinks about that for a moment.
“You got through them,” I say. “School is going to be a breeze for you.”
I see the smile coming on the corners of her lips. She asks, “Will I get to play in the garden?”
“I’m sure you will,” I answer. “You’ll get to make friends your own age. You’ll get to learn tons of new things. And I’ve even heard that they have a little pet sanctuary somewhere in the school. They have hamsters and tortoises and caterpillars.”
“Wow!” Evie exclaims. Her eyes light up immediately. “Really?”
“See? There’s tons of things for you to look forward to,” I tell her. “It’ll be an adjustment, but you’re brave enough to get through it.”
She smiles and nods. “Okay. But after school is over, I get to come back here?”
“Of course.”
“And Charlotte will be here waiting for me?”
Guilt. What am I going to do with all this fucking guilt?
The kid had been abandoned at my doorstep all by herself. She’s terrified of losing anyone she bonds with.
And I’ve gone and fucked the one person she trusted in this house.
“Yes,” I lie.
Reassured, she beams and turns to Charlotte. “Did you hear that, Charlotte?” she chirps.
“Every word,” Charlotte says.
But she’s looking at me.
“I’m so excited!” Evie says, clapping her hands together. “Can I have a cookie?”
Charlotte laughs. “Okay, just this one time, because we have to celebrate your acceptance into big girl school,” she says. “And while you’re getting the cookies, you can offer some to Enzo, too. I bet he’s hungry.”
“Okay,” Evie says as she scampers off in the direction of the kitchen.
The moment she’s gone, Charlotte gets to her feet. The air between us is thick with tension. Uncertainty.
“She’s left behind her rat,” I remark, breaking the pregnant silence.
; Charlotte smiles. “Platypus.”
“Same difference.”
She shakes her head at me. “She’s getting less and less reliant on Paulie,” she tells me. “I think it’s because she’s getting more comfortable here. More comfortable with you.”
“I can’t take all the credit,” I point out. “She loves you.”
“What’s not to love?” Charlotte says lightly, and I know she’s trying to cut through the tension just like I am.
Then her expressions irons out into seriousness.
“I’m serious, though. The fact that you’ve been spending time with her has helped make her feel better about being here.”
“Well, I was the recipient of some good advice.”
She smiles and offers a small mock curtsy. “But for real: that was really good,” she tells me. “How you handled Evie just now. You told her exactly what she needed to hear.”
She’s standing maybe two feet away from me.
All it will take is one move from me.
One small little outreach and she’ll be in my arms, her body pressed up against mine.
I can feel my hands twitch towards her, greedy to take her like I had last night.
But I have to fucking resist.
For Evie.
I take a step back. “I should go,” I say, refusing to address the giant elephant in the room. “I have business to take care of.”
“The traitor in the cellar?” she asks, her eyebrows knotting together.
“Something like that.”
“You’re leaving now?”
She’s trying hard to hide her expression, but her nerves are evident. She’s tense. Does she expect me to address what happened between us last night?
That’s not happening.
All the more reason for me to leave now.
“That’s the plan,” I say vaguely. “I’ll need you to keep Evie in the garden for the next hour at least, until I take care of the… houseguest.”
She cringes for a moment, and I wish I’d left the last part out. I turn for the door, but her voice has me stopping again.
“Lucio?”
I frown, as I realize how hard she’s trying to keep me in the room with her.
“Maybe, given everything Evie went through yesterday, and with school starting soon… Maybe you could spend some time with her today?” she suggests, tripping over her words.