Page 72 of Poisoned Promise
“Because my grandparents died?”
Such a simple sentence sends my heart up into my throat and I nod slowly. “Yeah.”
“How did that happen?”
I have no words. The death of my family is hardly something to get into with Felix right there. It risks unraveling the one truth I’ve managed to keep hidden all these years but the deeper someone looks, the bigger the risk it’ll all end.
“We don’t know,” comes Felix’s surprising response. “The slaughter of the Healy clan is one truth that evades a lot of people.”
I gape at him. Does he really not know Caterina was behind the whole thing? That she hunted me and my family down like dogs? How has she managed to hide that from him all these years?
“No one?” Alex glances between me and Felix continues.
“Several families over the years have tried to take credit for it, and Caterina Salamone was there to pick up the pieces after she sent people to help, but every claim I looked into was false. No one knows.” Felix turns his gaze to me and sympathy floods his eyes.
“And I wasn’t there,” I lie weakly. “But after it happened, I ran.”
Is that how she spun it? Caterina the snake, pretending she sent people to aid us when she sent those same people to kill us. All these years, I thought Felix was part of the attack and when I learned at dinner that he wasn’t even there, it made no sense how he was still in the dark.
Now it does.
Caterina has her claws deep in Felix and he doesn’t even see it.
“That’s so sad,” Alex murmurs. “I’m sorry Mom.”
His words snap me out of my thoughts and I smile. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago.”
The meal eventually comes to an end and Alex retreats to bed after thanking Felix a final time for taking him to the funeral. Felix clears away the plates and pours us both a glass of wine when we retire into the lounge.
“Don’t know if I should drink this,” I murmur softly. “After last time.”
“If you feel the urge to drain the bottle, just let me know,” Felix replies.
I stand near the window, gazing out over the glittering city.
New York has always felt like my home, like part of my soul was created here, but now that I’m looking at it after everything that’s happened, I can’t bear to be here.
“I was serious, y’know,” I murmur, tracking Felix’s movements behind me with my mind’s eye. “Alex and I have to leave.”
“I know.”
“We can’t stay here.” Especially if Caterina really does control Felix. I can’t fight that battle for him, not at the risk of him finding out the truth about Nico.
“I know,” Felix repeats. He melts out of the darkness behind me and joins me at the window. “I told you I’ll help you.”
“You don’t understand.” I set my glass down on the table near the window and turn to face him. “We have to leave. Alone.”
Felix glances at me. “You don’t mean me, do you?”
As much as it pains me, I shake my head. “You have a life here, Felix. Power and responsibility. You will be looked for no matter where you go and then Alex and I will never be free. If you really care about me as much as you claim to…” My heart drops to my gut and I bite back the bubble of emotion rising in my throat. “You have to let me go.”
“I can’t,” Felix replies softly. He turns to face me. “You’re asking me to do something impossible.”
“You have to.”
“I’d give up all of this in a second if that’s what it takes.”
“No, Felix. You don’t understand.” I take his glass from him and set it aside, then clasp his hands between both of mine. “This world, this life? It won’t let you go.”
