Page 48 of Vicious Secrets
“Um, I’m going to run to the bathroom before I drink this.” I side-step to the table and set the glass down by the pile of corks. “Be right back.”
The door to the kitchen swings open, and Mom steps through. Her face is flushed, and her hair frizzy around her ears. The second her eyes land on me, she claps her hands together over her heart and walks with a bounce toward us. I sigh and decide to stay put for an extra minute. Otherwise, she will follow me to the bathroom and barge right in.
“I can get you out of Vegas before the gloves come off on January first. Permanently,” Oscar says around the rim of his own glass. “You just have to ask.”
The room’s various pieces of furniture and decor blur as my eyes scan the room for other guests. We’re alone. A shake starts in my fingers and works its way up to my shoulders as the weight of Oscar’s statement hits me. The cocktail in my stomach lurches up my throat and stings the back of my tongue.
“Robyn!” Mom gasps and reaches out for a hug.
“Ex-excuse me?” Another glance around the room and hallway shows me no signs of Fabi. My body feels like I spent all day playing on the beach in the ocean’s waves. I stumble back and narrowly dodge Mom’s arms.
Oscar lunges forward and grabs my wrist in a bruising grasp before tugging me back to Mom. She latches her arms around me like her husband isn’t holding me hostage.
“I’m sorry, Robyn. For everything I’ve put you through. Let me fix things.” Oscar releases my wrist as if my skin stung his fingers.
“Okay, Ireallyneed to pee. I’ve only had booze today.” I say and sway slightly in Mom’s arms, pretending to be way drunker than I am.
My mom leans back to look me in the eye. An ear-to-ear smile on her face. “Hurry back. The chef’s plating the appetizers right now.”
A plated meal? Since when did we do that for Thanksgiving? Or any other holiday?
After another squeeze, Mom lets me go. I force my legs to walk me to the bathroom, not run. Fabi’s not anywhere in sight, but I’m too scared to actively look for him and risk drawing attention to myself. Mom’s nonchalantness at my stepdad’s weird apology ratchets up my nerves to levels I haven’t felt since I took my nursing certification exam.
Once I’m safe in the bathroom with the door locked, I struggle to retrieve my phone. The jitters in my muscles make undoing the clasp on my purse a herculean effort. I finally get my phone out and tap out a text to Fabi.
Need to leave ASAP withOUT a shootout. Oscar and Mom acting weird. Can’t hide for too long, or they’ll notice.
I flush the toilet and wash my hands in case someone’s listening. Thankfully, Fabi responds before I finish up.
Plan in motion. Give it 10-15. Sit and play nice with Mom in the living room.
Doing as he says, I take a seat next to my mom on the couch and turn my attention to her as she babbles on about one of her book clubs. Fabi stands a few feet behind me, leaning against the wall facing the windows with an untouched drink in hand.
My phone buzzes in my purse, and out of habit, I dig it out.
“It’s been ten weeks since we’ve seen each other, Robyn! Put the phone away for tonight!” Mom leans over and looks at my phone.
“I’m just checking to see if it’s Siro,” I mumble and turn the screen away to prevent Mom from reading it.
The notification is just an email about a Black Friday sale. A pang of disappointment stabs my heart. I miss Siro. This dinner doesn’t feel the same without him. My stepdad hinting that he can help me escape Siro doesn’t sting as much as my recognition of the truth. I can’t imagine a life without Siro, and I didn’t consider Oscar’s offer for a single second before panicking.
“That’s not the name I saw, and your husband’s not here tonight.” Mom waggles her eyebrows. There’s a handful of chuckles around us.
A flush burns my cheeks, and anger plucks at my fraying nerves. “You read wrong, and he’s not here because he’s working.”
“Eh, cheating on Siro is a good thing to do for yourself. I know a few guys out east who like mob girls. Want me to introduce you?”
My chin tilts up, and my head turns towards her in slow motion. Each blink of my eyes feels minutes long. What has gotten into her and Oscar? They sold me to pay off a debt, and now they want to, what? Win me back? Help me run?
“I’m sorry, Mom. You think cheating on the Boss of the Fedeltà is smart?” I whisper hiss.
A heaviness pulls at my limbs. Pointing out Siro’s reputation and career as the primary reason not to cheat makes my skin crawl. For a guy who was handed a bride, he puts more effort into our marriage than I do. My lack of effort is starting to eat at me, and there’s an even louder want to let myself fall in love with Siro. But I don’t think Mom wants to hear the truth.
Even if I want to let myself fall in love with him, he might not want me to. After all of the neglect he suffered, he might find true love stifling.
“He’s barely the Boss, and who knows how long he’ll get to keep the title.” She takes a sip of wine and smacks her lips. “Seriously, Robyn, how many made men have you met who are my age?”
My heart sinks into my stomach, hollowing my ribcage and sucking all the warmth from my body into the void it leaves behind. She’s right. Siro’s chances of making it to his dad’s age are slim. But that doesn’t guarantee that whatever time we get together won’t be worth the eventual heartbreak.
