Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75683 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
I wasn’t even aware that tears had flooded my eyes and overflowed until Nino’s fingers were catching them, wiping them away, then pulling me against his strong chest.
How was this happening?
Why would someone take my mom?
“Why would they take her?” I asked, never being one to keep my thoughts or worries to myself.
“To draw me out,” he said simply. “I clearly have something going on with you.”
“Why not come for me then? I’m alone a lot. At my house. An easy target,” I said. “Why my mom?”
“I’m figuring they were hoping not to involve you any further. But after the drive-by didn’t work, and they saw you leaving with me, and disappearing, then they likely figured your mom was the way to draw us back out.”
“Will they hurt her?” I asked, my stomach twisted in knots.
“They need her alive to get to you and me,” he said. “I know that isn’t much of a comfort, but it means the situation isn’t hopeless. And everyone is working on this now.”
“I want to be there,” I said. Then, corrected, “I need to be there when they find her. She’s going to need me,” I insisted.
“Sweetheart…”
“No,” I cut him off, surprised by how strong my voice sounded. “I am going to be there, Nino. All we have is each other. She’s all I have,” I said, breaking off on a little sob.
“Hey,” he said, reaching out to frame my face in his hands. “You have me now too. But I understand what you’re saying,” he said, nodding. “As soon as they have a location, I promise we will bring you. You’ll have to stay in the car where you’re safe, but you can be there for her.”
“Okay,” I agreed, believing him. Because when a man like Nino Grassi promised you something, he meant to keep it.
“I need to talk to Luca about that, though,” he said, pressing a kiss to my head, then moving away, then out the door to make his call.
I didn’t care if it was crazy, if they weren’t going to like the arrangement. I was going to be there for my mom. She’d always been there for me.
I knew Nino understood family and loyalty and responsibility.
But I don’t think he could truly understand the bond my mother and I had. We’d been everything to each other. There was no one else to lean on, no one else to pick up the pieces. No meal trains. No extra set of hands to help us move. We were it. And because of the way we so fully relied on each other, the bond was something else entirely.
Sure, she was my mom.
But she was also my best friend. My therapist. My nurse. My mentor. My whole life.
And I was many of those things to her.
She was the only family I had.
Losing her would be like losing a limb. Nothing would ever feel the same again.
Especially if losing her was because of me, because of who I’d chosen to associate with.
I should have thought about her right after the drive-by.
Logically, I knew it had been a mix of shock and liquor and the breakneck pace of change that followed.
But still.
I should have been able to realize that she was in danger as well. And insisted she was picked up immediately.
“Hey,” Nino called, voice close behind me, making me realize he’d someone come back in and approached without me hearing. “I can practically see the guilt dripping off of you,” he said, reaching out, grabbing me, and pulling me down onto the couch with him. “I know there’s no rationalizing with it sometimes, sweetheart, but this is not your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”
“That’s not—“ I started.
“Yes,” he cut me off, “it is true. My profession got us all into this mess. And my inability to stay away from you did too. But I’m going to fix it,” he told me. And something in his tone had me stiffening.
“You’re leaving?” I asked.
“Not for long,” he said, wincing, and it was clear he felt bad about leaving for even a minute.
“But, you said…”
“I know I did. And I stand by that,” he said. “I will take you to your mom. But I need to have a face-to-face with someone first. Luca needs me. But it won’t be long. An hour, two tops.”
An hour or two?
Short in the grand scheme of things.
But really, really long if something bad was happening to my mom.
Still, if him leaving would lead us closer to finding her, I had to understand that.
“Okay,” I said, nodding.
“That’s probably Dante and Santo,” he said as his phone beeped. “Bringing the stuff my mom picked up. And scooping me up. For just a little while,” he added again.
“Okay,” I agreed, nodding as he got up.
I was feeling a little numb right then, and I figured maybe that was the survival instinct in my body, shutting things down before it all overwhelmed me, made me completely immobilized with it all.