“Eat, drink, and then we talk.” I almost smiled at her non-nonsense tone. It was the same quiet, authoritative voice she’d used when I was a cranky child.
We quickly polished off the pastries and then the guys stood.
“We’ll go outside and leave you to talk for a while. Call us if you need anything, princess.” Declan kissed me and then dragged the other two out. I could tell Ronan wasn’t happy about abandoning me, but Conal shoved him outside anyway while muttering something about co-dependency.
Once the door closed and silence fell once again, I turned to Mrs. Gia.
“I dreamed about you for years.” I admitted, swallowing hard. “I always thought he’d killed you as punishment for losing me and Thea.”
She reached out and took hold of my hand, her skin warm beneath my fingers.
“The fires caused chaos that afternoon. His man, Torrance, took you away.” Her lip curled at the memory of my father’s hated enforcer, and I wondered if she knew he was dead, but decided not to interrupt. “I hid under a chair while Francesco screamed at his men. The smoke had got worse and I knew I needed to leave, so when his back was turned, I took my chance and ran. He was too busy trying to get to the bottom of who’d attacked the house to care about me. I ran into the garden, following some of the other staff. There was no sign of you or your sister. Everything was chaotic, and then I saw you girls being bundled into a van. I recognized Dario and knew those men who came weren’t the bad ones. I could tell from the way they took care of you both, so I left.”
“It was Dario and Kyril who rescued us, along with Declan’s men.” I pointed toward the door. “Declan is my husband now.He’s Irish mafia.” I blushed at the admission I’d married another mobster. Mrs. Gia must have thought I was so stupid for not getting out of the life.
“Which one is Declan?” She winked at me.
“Erm, the one in the black suit.”
“And the other two?”
“Um, they’re my husbands, too. It’s, um, complicated.” I hadn’t planned for this. How embarrassing. Thea wouldn’t have given a rat’s ass what Mrs. Gia thought but I cared. I didn’t want her to think I’d turned into a massive slut.
“Cara, I can see how much they all love you.” She patted my knee and smiled. “And they’re all very handsome, so that’s a bonus.” My blush deepened, and I nearly choked on my lemonade.Kill me now.
“So, what happened after you left the estate?” I blurted, wanting to get off the topic of my three husbands before she came up with any more embarrassing questions, such as which one of them had fathered our baby (no idea).
“None of the guards followed those of us who left via the back service road. By the time Francesco’s men began combing the estate for stragglers, I’d walked into the nearest village. I knew he’d come after me if I didn’t get away. He’d have wanted to use me as leverage against you girls. So I asked Pietro the butcher for help. He and I had had a thing a few years previously and were still close.”
“Pietro?” I recalled a large, jolly man who used to deliver meat to the house once a week. He’d sometimes come up to the attic with a tray of sliced ham and pastrami, telling me it was a special treat. Now I knew why.
This time, it was Mrs. Gia’s turn to blush. Then she sighed. “He wanted to run away with me, but I knew it would be easier for me to disappear if I left on my own. He wasn’t happy but he gave me some money and smuggled me out in one of his vans. Wecrossed to the mainland that evening and the following morning, I took a bus from Naples up the coast.”
“Papa must have looked for you.” We both knew Francesco hated to lose. He’d have been furious once he realized she’d gone.
“He did,” she confirmed. “His men questioned everyone but nobody said anything. Then the DIA came and arrested him, and that was that. Most of your father’s men disappeared not long after. A few hung around, hoping for his return, but that never happened.”
“He escaped two years ago, but the authorities caught him again.” I didn’t elaborate, but she looked concerned.
“Did he find you,cara?”
I nodded. “I was in Sicily at the time, but it turned out fine. The guys rescued me. He won’t get out again.”
She scowled. “Good. That man deserves to rot in jail for the rest of his life after the things he’s done.” The edge in her voice told me she’d experienced more than I knew.
She asked me about Thea, and I filled her in, then she told me about her life since leaving Sicily. She and Pietro had eventually reconnected. He’d moved here, to this remote little house, but their relationship had ended amicably three years previously. She was now alone, but more than happy with her life.
She taught at the small school in the local village and played cards with her friends every week. After years of taking care of me, now she only had herself to worry about.
I was happy for her.
By the time we’d covered all our news, I’d cried so many tears that I felt utterly drained, but I was thankful for the gift of knowing she’d survived my father. Unlike the many other poor souls who’d suffered at his hand.
“Thank you for making my childhood less awful,” I told her through my tears as we hugged on her doorstep.
“You were the sweetest child, Verity. It was a privilege and a joy to raise you, and I’m so proud of the beautiful, brave woman you’ve grown into.” She kissed me on both cheeks and stepped back. “I look forward to meeting your little one when she arrives.”
“Maybe you can come and be our nanny,” I joked, while also not joking. I wasn’t confident my mothering skills would be up to scratch.
