Oh no. Here we go.
“I was in your shoes once, the only difference was that I knew who I was marrying and about the Cosa Nostra.” She reaches across the table and gives my shoulder a squeeze. “I can only imagine how overwhelmed you must feel right now, but I want you to know you are safe with us. No one on this property is going to hurt you. Okay?”
Hearing the truth in her words means a hell of a lot to me, and I exhale a relieved breath.
“Thank you.”
She shakes her head. “No need to thank me, Laurie.” Her eyes are a lighter shade of brown than Adriano’s, and as theystudy me, she asks, “I heard there was a shooting at the church. How are you holding up?”
I lean back in the chair and answer honestly, “I don’t know if I’m coming or going. It’s been a very weird, intense day.”
“Of course.” She scoots her chair closer so she can place her hand on my forearm, her touch so comforting, it eases some of the tension coiling inside me. “If you need to talk about any of it, I’m here, and if you have any questions, just ask.”
I stare at Tori for a long moment, trying to gauge if I can really trust her.
I don’t know what she sees on my face, but it has her scooting even closer and pulling me into a hug. “I know, sweetheart. It’s difficult right now, but I promise things will get better.”
Then she cradles me like I’ve never been cradled before, her palm brushing softly over my hair, and something just snaps.
Being neglected my entire life, it all crashes into me while I’m being held by a woman I’ve known for all but two minutes.
When the first sob sputters from me, the rest follow hot and fast, and before I know it, I’m ugly crying my heart out in her arms.
Not because of today, but because this perfect stranger is showing me more care in a matter of mere minutes than my own mother has shown me my entire life.
Without realizing I’m talking out loud, I whisper, “Please let this be real.”
“What do you mean, sweetheart?” Tori pulls back and uses her thumbs to wipe my cheeks dry.
“Are you really this nice, or is it all just a big act, and once I let down my guard it will bite me in the ass?”
The pretty smile returns to her face. “It’s real.” Her gaze searches mine. “But the fact that you actually want all of this to be real tells me you’ve had a bad life.”
“No one ever cared,” I sniffle while trying to compose myself.
Her expression fills with empathy, and she squeezes my arm again. “I know a little about that too. Life can be very lonely at times, but since I married my husband, I’ve only known love. I’m certain it will be the same for you with Adriano.”
It should scare me how quickly I feel comfortable with Tori, but it doesn’t. Instead, it gives me the guts to ask, “What about the mafia part and the killing?”
“We’ll talk about that in a second.” Tori sits back and nods, then Gia, whom I completely forgot about, appears with two glasses of lemonade.
“Afternoon, Laurie,” she says, a friendly expression on her face. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Hi, Gia.” I smile at her. “Likewise.”
“I’ll see you on Friday, then we can talk about how you like things done in the main house.” With that, she hurries back into the house.
Tori takes a long sip of her lemonade, then says, “The killing.” She lets out a sigh. “The way I’ve learned to live with it is by accepting that the Cosa Nostra is constantly at war. Our men don’t go around murdering innocent people, and I soothe my conscience knowing they’re ridding the world of some really bad people.” Her gaze inspects mine to make sure I’m following, and when I nod, she continues, “The family doesn’t deal in human and organ trafficking, and they don’t distribute drugs. They actually keep all that nasty stuff out of New York as much as they possibly can.”
Oh. That sounds good.
Her smile returns again. “So, if anyone in the family kills someone, it’s to protect all of us or to exact revenge because something horrible was done to one of us.” She tilts her head. “Every Sunday I attend the service in the church you were married in. Antonio could’ve passed by when everyone was leaving and killed an innocent person. Or me.” Her eyebrowsdraw together. “He could’ve killed you today, but Adriano dealt with him to keep himself and everyone he loves safe.”
No one’s ever made me feel protected before, and maybe that’s why Tori’s explanation sounds reasonable to me.
If Adriano really only kills to protect the people he loves, if the family truly goes after monsters instead of innocent people, then maybe I can accept it the way she has.
“Does that help?” she asks.
