He instructs me to shuffle my feet to obscure any shoe prints on our way out, and we walk back to the car in silence, driving out with the headlights off just to be extra careful. There’s nothing out here though. I doubt anyone else has even driven down this road in years. It’s pitch black, overgrown, and forgotten. Fetterman may never be found, and even if he is, he’ll be nothing but bones. They’ll find his phone with all its disgusting contents on it, and they’ll wonder how he ended up out here. Or maybe they won’t even care. One less pedophile to deal with.
I lean back against my seat, feeling oddly calm. “I can see why you do it. There’s a sense of accomplishment, despite the gory details.”
“Yeah. How do you feel?”
“Sore.” I chuckle. “But emotionally, I’m fine. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel, but it almost feels like we prevented a crime instead of committing one.”
“It does.” He reaches over and squeezes my hand. “But I promise to let it go. I’ll do what I have to do.”
“It’s the right thing to do. Getting caught would be devastating, obviously. None of them are worth ruining your life over.”
“You’re right.” He blows out a breath. “Thank you.” His voice cracks slightly.
“For what?”
“All of it. Showing me who I am and giving me a glimpse of who I might be. I don’t know the future, no one does, but I know mine includes you. If you’ll have me.”
My heart flutters in my chest. “Of course I’ll have you.”
“For the first time in years, I’m hopeful again. For so long, I’ve been running on a treadmill, getting nowhere. I just stepped off.”
“You can do anything you want, Van. Anything.”
He nods. “I know. It helps having you in my corner.”
“I’ll always be here.”
By the time we pull onto the family compound, the adrenaline is long gone and exhaustion has taken over. I’m dirty, sore, and spent, but despite all that, I feel amazing. I could use a good shower and some sleep though.
Vanian parks in front of the house and we step out. I stretch, leaning my head back to look at the moon. It’s finally nice at night; just cool enough to be a pleasant break from the daytime heat.
I startle at the sound of gravel crunching behind me. When I turn around, I see a small figure ambling towards us. As she passes one of the path lights, I realize it’s Nonna. What the hell is she doing out here this late at night?
“Hi, boys,” she says cheerfully. “I made some chocolate-hazelnut cornettos. They’d make a great late-night snack.”
“Nonna, what are you doing out here?”
“Saw you come in. Figured you might be hungry.”
I glance at Vanian, who’s standing behind the car, clearly nervous.
“You should be sleeping.”
“I don’t need you telling me how to live my life, kiddo.” She hands me the plate. Her eyes roam from my face to my feet and back again. “Looks like you had an exciting evening.”
I mentally scramble for a plausible lie to explain my present appearance, but she simply smiles and pats my arm.
“You’re the ones who need some sleep. A shower wouldn’t kill you either.” She smiles at Vanian. “Night, boys.”
“Night,” I mutter, watching in awe as she walks back towards her cottage.
“What was that about?” Vanian asks.
“I’m not sure, but I think Balt was right. There’s a lot I don’t know about my nonna.”
“Right. Should we go inside?”
Nodding, I round the car and enter the house. We both stand in the entry for a few seconds, clearly still processing that interaction. Vanian reaches out and squeezes my shoulder.
