The Fall(65)

“Such hardness of heart.” Her eyes closed as her frail body trembled a little. It wasn’t from fear, I could tell she wasn’t afraid of me. No, that was the weight of the lie she’d been keeping. “I didn’t want this for you. None of us did.”

“Well tough shit, because when you dump a kid into the system it’s not going to end up like it does in a Disney movie. So take a good look, because you’re as much to blame as anyone else.”

My past was my past and I didn’t believe in looking back. It changed absolutely zero. And usually I was better at keeping a handle on my emotions. But as she sat there with that f*cking look on her face, like she’d somehow had it worse than me, I wanted to snap her neck right off her spine.

“I’m sorry, we just wanted to protect you.” She bowed her head, her voice almost a whisper.

“Protect me from what?” It didn’t make sense. They had bundled me off to stop something bad from happening? Well bravo, bitches, because you’d put me straight from the frying pan into the fire. I couldn’t believe this indignant cunt.

She brought her knees closer together, her feet shifting uneasily as she clamped her mouth shut. Yeah, she was done talking.

“It doesn’t matter now does it?” I snapped, the stroll down memory f*cking lane had been a real treat—not—but I was done jerking around. “Water under the bridge. But you still owe me and I’m here to collect.”

“I’m not sure there is anything I can do for you,” she whispered softly, her fingers locked so tightly in her lap her knuckles had turned white.

“It’s not for me, it’s for a . . . friend.” I coughed out the word, not sure it felt right given the situation. Not that I had a better substitute, so it would have to do. “And she is the one who is going to need protecting. Hopefully this time you won’t screw it up.”

They’d done such a stellar job with me I wasn’t sure they were up to the task. But they’d managed to keep their mouths shut for a long time about me and the piece of shit who birthed me, so at least they had that going for them. This would be the last place Jimmy would look. Sofia would be safe until I could figure out a way to get her out of the country.

“She needs sanctuary? Is she in trouble? Who is this girl?” The questions came out in a rush, more flustered than she’d previously been.

She couldn’t help herself, because as much as she probably hated me, she wouldn’t turn her back on someone in need.

“Jimmy Amaro’s daughter.” I didn’t bother elaborating, everyone in the city knew of him and his reputation.

There were even rumors that he had clergy on the payroll. He’d obviously bought into the lie, thinking he could cleanse his f*cking soul by giving the church a new candelabra. “I need her out of sight and as far away from me as possible for the next few days. You can hide her in the back like you did my mother.”

“How do you—”

“Know?” I finished the sentence for her, my smile creeping at the edges. “I have my sources. But more importantly is that you are no longer denying it, which is good. It will save us a lot of time.”

The look on her face said it all. Defeat. Worn down by thirty years that she and the rest of her sisters hadn’t been able to breathe a word about my existence, she was giving up.

“What has she done?” She spoke slowly, not knowing that Jimmy was capable of killing his own blood.

“She was born to the wrong man,” I answered drily, wondering how different her life would have been if she’d been born to someone—anyone—else. “Now he wants her dead, so her only hope is to leave.”

She winced, sitting up straighter in her seat. “You care for this girl?”

“Not your business.”

She closed her eyes slowly, taking a deep breath before reopening them and focusing on me. “Bring her here; she will be safe.” Another deep breath. “I promise you.”

“I don’t care for your promises.” I waved my hand dismissively. “But you will keep her safe, or I’ll come back and cut that lying tongue right out of your mouth.” Her eyes widened as she trembled in her skin. It wasn’t a threat, it was consequence and one I would have no problem carrying out if something happened to Sofia while she was with these *s.

“We’ll be back in a few hours, and it goes without saying that the fewer people that know the better.” I rose off the pew, my legs coming to full height as I looked down at her. “I’d say keeping that number to single digits is in your best interest.”

There wasn’t anything left to say, and the sooner I left this place the better, so without bothering with a goodbye, I turned to leave.

“She loved you,” she called from behind me. “She gave her life for you.”

“Who?” I turned, wondering what the hell the old woman was going on about.

“Your mother.” She rose slowly, her small feet padding across the floor to stand in front of me. Her eyes started to pool at the edges. “She loved you even before you were born, and when the time came she sacrificed herself so you would have a chance.”

Lies.

All of it.

The only thing that bitch had cared about was protecting her own reputation. She’d spread her legs and let some * fill her with his seed and what a f*cking surprise, she got knocked up. So she did what she needed to do to protect herself. Because if she’d given two shits about me, she would have given me a f*cking last name so I wouldn’t have spent the first fifteen years of my life wondering who the hell I was.