“Bella?” Atticus asks. Jaeger tries to stop me, but I slip away and throw myself between Kaiser and the rest.
“He’s not going to die. He can’t.”
The men are all staring at me.
“Bella—” Atticus tries again.
“You have to help him,” I scream. “Don’t give up. Don’t let him die.”
Father Francis moves closer. I back up as if he’s going to attack. “No one’s giving up on Kaiser. Atticus will do everything to keep him alive.”
“You have to help him.”
“We are, Bella,” Atticus says. “He’s our brother. We’re doing everything.” I look around desperately. I need to do more. “Did you call my father? He might be able to figure something else out.”
Father Francis looks grim. He motions to St. James, who steps forward into the light. “That’s why we’re here to speak to you. We need to tell you something about your father.”
“Come,” Father Francis beckons. I let him and St. James lead me to a side room for a private conversation. “Men went to your father’s house in New Rome. Frankie Vesuvio and a force of fifty men. They busted down the door.” I brace myself, waiting to hear what happened next.
“Three minutes later, the house exploded. It took out Frankie and at least half of Vesuvio’s best men, as best we can tell. There are no remains.” My face feels frozen.
“He set a trap.” I can imagine him doing that. He lay in wait, like I did in the greenhouse, only on a bigger scale.
“He did. And it worked. But I’m sorry, there’s no sign of your father.”
“I understand.” He was the bait. Now everyone thinks he’s dead.
I think my father’s smart enough to fake his death, but I don’t need to tell St. James that.
“NRPD is all over the site. We have some spies who will keep us informed if they find anything. Once the cops clear out, we can try to access his underground labs?—”
“Okay.” They’re not going to find my father. I don’t believe he’s dead, but I doubt I’ll see him again.
I let my head droop, like I’m sad. And I am. Whether or not my father is gone, I’m on my own.
“We will honor the contract,” St. James says. “Your safety is our priority. Fraternitas will stand with you against your enemies.”
I don’t give a fuck about the contract, so I say nothing.
One day, I will die, my father told me. When that day comes, it is my final wish that you remain in an alliance with Fraternitas.
He knew this was coming. He planned for it.
The fucker. He left me. As soon as he knew he could trust Kaiser to protect me, he left me.
I don’t know whether to scream or cry, and I’m empty from everything that happened tonight, so I allow myself to feel nothing. I’ll save my tears for someone who deserves it. Like Kaiser.
St. James sets a box down in front of me. “We also intercepted this package. It was sent to Club Inferno, care of Lucifer. Lucy opened it and saw the contents were addressed to you.”
My father’s handwriting. I don’t have to fake the tears clogging my throat. Finally, he sends me something. “Can I have a moment?”
“Take as long as you need.” He and Father Francis leave.
My father didn’t send me much. Inside the box is a thick envelope. As soon as I open it, a few rose petals fall out. The rest of the contents are stacks of paperwork. I skim a few documents that outline my inheritance. I now have ownership of all Bosco holdings, including a few warehouses and farms I didn’t know existed.
I look for a note from my father, but there is none. Next to his signature, though, he taped a dried flower. Lily of the valley. The sweet scent clings to the paper. I page back through the packet, skimming the list of properties. One that I can’t find listed is the family farm, Flowerwood. It belonged to my maternal grandparents, who farmed it and then gave it to my mother as a wedding gift. It was probably in my mother’s name.
Maybe he sold it?
