Page 12 of Heartbeats Amidst Chaos: Part 2
“Well, you are a part of it now, grandson,” Angelo snapped. “You may as well accept that. Somehow, all our current troubles are connected to you. And when you are completely better,” he motioned awkwardly to the leg Elio still limped on, the most obvious of his current injuries, “I will expect you to take a more active role in family matters.”
Family matters.An innocuous enough phrase, but Elio knew what it stood for. He rose to his feet, his heart pounding. “I’m not going to do that,” he said, struggling to keep his voice calm.
Angelica huffed and pursed her lips. Vince’s face remained blank as if cut from stone.
Angelo shook his head sadly, his dark eyes penetrating. “You can only turn your back on your family so many times, my boy. Eventually, something will send you runningtothem for good. I believethisis that thing.”
He held up his hand before Elio could protest again. “No, I know everything you are going to say.” He sighed heavily. “I have heard it all before.” Rising to his feet, the old man stalked out of the room, and after casting Elio an angry look, Angelica followed.
Only Vince remained, and he rose slowly to face Elio.
“I don’t care if you come back to the family business or not, cousin,” he said coldly. “Frankly, I think Angelo places too many of his hopes in you as the son of his son. He should be looking to me, his oldest grandson.”
“I agree.” Elio scratched his head, rethinking his statement. “Although I don’t want you embracing a life of crime any more than I want to do it.”
Vince laughed without humor. He stepped closer, and Elio frowned.
“I don’t care what you do with your life,” Vince grunted. “But I do care what you do with ours.”
“What do you mean?” Elio shook his head, bewildered.
“That doctor you’ve been watching, meeting, maybe fucking—”
Elio opened his mouth to object, but Vince’s glare dissuaded him.
“Did you know she has a friend who’s a journalist? And that she has been meeting with her as often as she meets with you?”
“There’s no reason why she shouldn’t meet her friend.” Elio felt anger and trepidation rising within him in equal measure. “And how do you know this? Have you been spying on her?”
“Someone needed to do it right,” Vince snapped. “Ask your girlfriend abouthergirlfriend, Elio. Find out what they know.” He gave Elio a scathing once-over that briefly made Elio feel like they were, once again, ten and thirteen. “Make yourself useful.”
Chapter eight
Rissa lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling of her room.
Ishould go out for a walk, she thought.Or read a book or order food. But all she wanted to do was daydream about her secret rendezvous with Elio and how they continued to flummox her.
Rissa had never been a daydreamer. She had always been too busy, too focused on what was right in front of her. But without work or any meaningful connections other than Elio and Reagan, she suddenly found herself with long periods alone and little to distract her from her rambling thoughts. It was both enlightening and frightening as she discovered things about herself that she had somehow never known.
Her phone buzzed on the table next to the bed, sending Rissa rolling quickly to her stomach to grab it. It was a text from Reagan.
We need to talk.
Directly after, a text from Elio popped onto her screen.
When can we meet up next?
Rissa smiled. Feeling guilty for doing so, she answered Elio first.
Don’t expect that kind of treatment every time we meet up, big guy.
Then she answered Reagan.
Dinner tonight? I’m tired of eating alone in my barricaded house.
She got a laughing emoji from Elio followed by a crazy face. Then he texted.
For real, though. We need to meet.
