Jack set a cold beer in front of me. I nodded thanks, twisting off the cap and taking a long swig, letting the cool bitterness settle in my chest.
Lee hesitated, then pulled out a chair across from me.
“I’ve come to ask you a favor,” he said.
I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
Lee reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope, setting it on the table between us.
“This is a letter for Marcellious.” His voice was quieter now, tinged with something raw. “The boy I raised—the child I loved—has been gone for so long. I need to see him again, to talk to him.” His fingers brushed the letter’s edge. “This explains everything.”
A weight settled in my chest.
I picked up the envelope, turning it over before setting it back on the blue-and-gold placemat.
“I don’t even know if he’s alive, Lee.”
Lee winced, his face like carved granite. “I pray that he is. Find him and give him this letter.”
I tapped the envelope, considering. “I’ll take it—but there are no guarantees I’ll find him.”
Lee nodded. “That’s all I ask.”
I turned to Jack. “Have you checked on our prisoner?”
Jack sighed, rubbing his temples. “Oh yes. He was bellowing for food and water, so I fed him a peanut butter sandwich and gave him a waterbottle.” He frowned. “He doesn’t look so good, Roman. He looks… ghastly.”
“I wish he looked worse,” I muttered, rolling the beer bottle between my hands.
Jack cringed slightly. “We’ve learned to be kinder in this century. We don’t take matters into our own hands.”
I scoffed. “That’s ridiculous. That makes you depend on others to secure your land and property—to protect your family.” I picked at the beer label, irritation prickling beneath my skin.
Jack let out a chuckle. “Yes, it does.” He glanced at me, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “I’m sorry we won’t have time for me to share this land’s rules and customs.” His smile deepened, though it was tinged with something almost melancholy. “Perhaps when you return.”
I was going to miss them—Lee and Jack.
And though I didn’t know when or how, I hoped to return to this place someday.
With Olivia by my side.
When the time was right.
***
On the morning of the full moon, after breakfast, I secured my packages, straightened my bed, and did my best to leave my room in order.
Then, I made my way downstairs to the basement.
Tristan sat slumped in the chair, his face swollen and discolored, a patchwork of black and blue. The gashes on his skin had started to heal, crusting over with scabbed flesh. He looked miserable.
I leaned against the doorway, arms crossed.
“Hey, asshole.”
Tristan’s bloodshot eyes jolted up, burning with resentment.
“Are you ready for our little trip? We’re heading to Italy.”
