Rocco and I reached the car doors at the same time. I pulled out of the long, winding driveaway in a rush, losing our detail in under a matter of seconds. They’d meet up; they all knew the ending destination.
“Tell me what is going on,fratello. Scarlett is in danger?”
“Yeah,” I said. A little more pressure and I felt like I could break the steering wheel in two. “I received a call last night from Burgess.”
On the short ride over to the church, I filled him on the call. Passing a slower vehicle on the road, I was able to see his eyes. They were on fire. So were my heart and soul.
“We kill his loved ones,” he said, as calm as if we were talking about the weather. “Poi lo uccidiamo.”Then we kill him.
The Faustis had rules. No women and children. Unless ours were threatened or hurt, then all bets were off. Ruthless is ruthless; and if our enemies brought it to our table, we’d serve our own justice.
The scene in front of the church was entirely too peaceful for the amount of chaos erupting in my mind. There were too many people, not enough guards to keep her safe. I knew what was on her mind, but I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t wait for me to accompany her.
My feet stopped moving when I found her. Rocco stopped next to me.
“Che cos’è?” What’s wrong?
“Niente.” I waved a hand. “Eccola.” I nodded toward her tranquil form.Here she is.“La mia acqua santa.”My holy water.
Rocco nodded. He had found her too. He moved before I did. He genuflected, making the sign of the cross, before he scooted into a pew, taking advantage of the time to find his own sense of peace.
Nino sat in the pew directly behind her, giving her space.
Her hair was covered by a black lacemantello, the flowers done in gold. It made an intricate halo around her head, covering her auburn hair. She wore a darker color to signify that she was married.
Head bowed, she kneeled with her hands together, a pearl and silver rosary dangling from her palms.
Staring at her, I was overcome with a flood of warmth.
She’s all right. I’m here to take care of her.
An amazing sense of awe took relief’s place. How such a creature could love me in return was one of life’s greatest enigmas.
The light breaking through the stained-glass windows painted in her a myriad of different colors. Gold seemed to be drawn to her, like soft candlelight shimmering against an iridescent pearl. Her profile was elegant, her essence graceful, and she wore her heart on her sleeve, offering it up to the belief that someone greater than her existed in the stillness, in her, through her.
I longed to live inside her heart, to feel what she did, to share the all-consuming peace she found in lifting her worries and offering them. In return, she’d receive sweet relief.
Nino turned abruptly, and two of the men stepped out of the shadows at the step I took. I lifted a hand, and after double checking it was me and Rocco, they melted into the darkness again. I held a finger to my mouth to keep Nino from getting up. He nodded, turning back around.
A group of tall candles burned in the corner; their wicks wavered with a silent breath before settling again, burning as bright and as hot as before.
She had been there. I could scent her, feel her there, lighting a candle in honor of all our burdens.
If I closed my eyes, I could see her face alight with the glow of it, hand intent on shedding light in the darkness of our lives.
Some of the tension tightening my shoulders, my heart, slipped away with the thought. I took a deep breath, and it came easy. Melting candle wax and something deeper, almost spicy, the ghost of incense, scented the air in a cool eddy of aromas.
As I slid in quietly beside her, she made no move to acknowledge my presence. I didn’t expect she would, but she had felt me as soon as I walked in.
Even before.
Sitting beside her, I stared up at the altar before removing my hat, setting it next to me on the pew. Then I got down on my knees.
Themantellodrifted over her head, one side of it over a shoulder, creating a lace frame around her face. She reminded me of a woman in a painting—one from long ago.
I knew then that her soul was ancient; so was mine, and we had loved each other through all time. What we had was stronger than seconds, minutes, hours, day, years.
Her right hand came over mine, her ring touching mine in a softtinkof metal against metal. She squeezed tight, not letting go, her touch as cool as the air. Veins branched off underneath the thin veil of her skin, an unearthly blue in this light.
