How many have?
And the one woman who has ties to me won’t even speak with me.
"Why did you keep my earring?" she asks suddenly.
I consider lying, but there's no point.
"Because some moments are worth remembering," I say, and I think fondly of how I wished for months after that encounter that I'd have found her.
She was a ghost in the wind and I looked for her everywhere.
She doesn't turn around.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that night mattered to me."
"Clearly, not enough," she grumbles, and she still doesn’t turn around to face me.
I detect hurt feelings but more than that, I detect a wall between us I'm determined to break down.
"I didn't know you were pregnant. If I'd known, I would've found you."
"Would you?" She finally turns to face me and I see the fury in her eyes. "Or would you have done exactly what you're doing now? Locked me up and taken my daughter?"
"I'm keeping you safe."
"You're keeping us prisoner."
I stand and move toward her.
She doesn't back away.
We're inches apart now, close enough that I can see the vein in her temple throbbing.
"Are you comfortable here?" I ask.
"Does it matter?"
"Answer the question."
She looks away.
"The room is fine. The food is fine. Everything is fine except the part where we can't leave." She meets my gaze again. "I want to go home, Dante. I want to take my daughter and go back to our life in Naples. I want to forget this ever happened."
"That's not an option, Angelica."
I want to reach up and cup her cheek tenderly, push her hair behind her ear and comfort her, but she'd probably bite me.
"Is it really that bad?" I ask quietly, and her anger softens into fear.
"Yes." She wraps her arms around herself. "How long do we have to stay here?"
"Until I eliminate the threat. Until Gerard is gone and my suppliers are secured and the missing shipment is recovered."
I watch her eyes dart around and her jaw work as if she's trying to bite back words.
Then she says something that shocks me. "Thank you."
