Page 120 of When She Tempts (The Fallen)
“Talk to me,” I say.
“I don’t want to distract you.”
“Please. Hearing your voice helps. God, Gio, I can’t believe he killed them.”
“Are you certain Allegra and Tommaso are…”
I bite my lip to hold back a new slew of tears. Not now. I need to see the damn road. “Yes. He slit their throats.”
“Pezzo di merda.”
“He told me he’s your half-brother.”
“Not anymore,” Giorgio’s voice is pure ice. “Soon, he’ll be nothing but a pile of ash. That fucking boy killed two people who respected and loved him. And he did it all for a man who never will.”
I pass a car. “Polo’s mom asked you to take him in. She knew you were also Sal’s son?”
Giorgio sucks in an audible breath. “Yes. Our mothers were friends. They lived in the same neighborhood in Naples. Sal would often come to the neighborhood to find his nightly entertainment. Usually, he stuck to hookers, but he didn’t really care. If he saw something he wanted, he took it. To him, women were never more than objects to own and discard.”
A tear escapes my eye. “Polo doesn’t care that his father is a monster.”
“He is his flesh and blood. That’s always meant more to him than it ever did to me. I have another father, Mari, so I’ve seen just how useless they can be. After my childhood, I never craved that kind of figure in my life. But Polo’s mom wasn’t married when she became pregnant with him, and she stayed alone her entire life. Polo romanticized the notion of what a father is.”
“He’s fucked up. Tommaso and Allegra—” An ache moves down my throat. “I just left their bodies there.”
“I’ll take care of it. I’m already driving back.”
“What?” I ask as I drive past a sign with an image of a plane on it. I must be getting close.
“I’ll bury Tommaso and Allegra and then come straight to you and your brother.”
I pull my lips into my mouth. The image of the two of them lying on their bed will forever be seared into my memory. I won’t forget the kindness they showed me.
Kindness I repaid by bringing death to their doorstep.
“Two more lives lost on my account,” I whisper as the realization cascades through me.
Oh God. I’m cursed. I must be.
“Stop it,” Giorgio growls through the receiver. “If you want to place blame, place it on someone who deserves it—me.Cazzo, Mari. I should have known. There were signs, and I ignored them. I thought we were the same. Same history. Same original sin. Deep down, I was sure Polo would reject Sal the way I did, but it was wishful thinking. Turns out, we couldn’t be more different.”
I spot another sign for the airstrip, this one with an arrow. I take the next turn, and the airfield unfurls ahead of me. “I’m nearly there.”
“Park behind the hangar so you can’t be seen from the road,” he instructs. “Do you see anyone following you?”
In the rearview mirror is an empty road. “No. There’s no one.”
“Did Polo say he told Sal you’ve been with me or give him any information about where you are?”
“I don’t think he did. I think he wanted to be the hero and be the one who delivered me to the don.”
“He wanted to get all the credit. We’re lucky. It would be far worse if Sal’s men were the ones looking for you. They would have been far more competent than Polo.”
The hangar’s bulky form grows closer and closer, and I veer off the paved road onto the grass behind it. After parking in the building’s shadow, I turn off the ignition and reach behind to check on Sophia. She’s lying curled up on the floor between the seats. What if she’s hurt? I didn’t have time to check her when we were running away.
“What’s happening now?” Giorgio asks.
“I’m parked, but I need to take a look at Sophia. She may have gotten injured when Polo kicked at her.” I run my hand over her fur.
