Page 61 of The Forbidden Secret
I closed my eyes and allowed a few tears to fall. Was it possible this was over after I killed Clide Newton? I knew my father was still out there, but he no longer had a reason to hunt for me.
“I don’t know if I want to ask any more questions,” I admitted. “But I need to know what happened after I… killed him.”
“Don’t tell me you feel guilty.”
I shook my head immediately. I didn’t. I knew what he would have done to me had I fallen into his hands. It would have been much worse than the quick death I had dealt him. If anything, I wished it would have taken longer for him to die. Iwanted him to feel my long-suffering while running from him. The fear.
“Not at all.”
“Good.” He settled gently on the side of my bed, not taking his hand off my skin. “It’s been a few days. Jaimie got checked out by Giovanni’s personal doctor, but I brought you here. Your lung collapsed. You have four broken ribs, and one of them pierced your lung, but they didn’t think you needed surgery. You have some severe bruises, and they took a look at where the bullet grazed your arm to make sure it wasn’t infected. As long as you take things easy and take your antibiotic, you are going to be fine.”
“I’m more concerned about everyone else,” I told him.
He straightened, pulling his lip ring between his teeth. “Clide is dead, and Giovanni… well, he’s not happy about how this turned out. He wanted a phone call as soon as you woke up. Jaimie is back to her usual duties. Alonzo is pissed, but we haven’t heard anything from him. All of our reports are secondhand.”
“Have you spoken to Giovanni yet?”
He shook his head. “I had more pressing matters on my mind.”
“Call him. Then, this can finally be over,” I told him.
The thought of continuing running and hiding had my chest constricting. It wasfinallytime to get my daughter back and have a life outside of my father. Though I didn’t doubt he would want revenge, he wouldn’t have enough resources to both fight Giovanni and hunt for me.
Zeke pulled out his phone, and within seconds, Giovanni was on the line.
“Is she awake?”
“Yes.”
Did Zeke sound pissed off?
“Is she on speaker?”
Zeke grumbled his response, and Giovanni’s voice sharpened.
“Before I decide what I plan to do moving forward, Ms. Evelina, I would like to hear your rendition of events.”
Zeke spoke. “She doesn’t need to relay anything to you. You’re the one who put her in the fucking position to begin with. You could have easily moved her far away and helped her, but you were too concerned with your own interests.”
“Zeke,” I whispered, shaking my head. He ground his teeth as I tried and failed to lean forward. I must have audibly groaned because Zeke moved forward and pressed the bed’s incline button to raise me up a bit.
And then I told Giovanni Rissi everything. I spared no details. From the moment I was taken and held in a cement room all the way to the moment I pulled the trigger and killed Clide Newton, I told him all of it. I left out a few choice details about Zeke and me—most notably, the relationship that had grown between us. But I didn’t leave out all the emotions involved in my journey and the dangers I experienced.
I didn’t expect him to care. I knew how careless the mafia boss types were, but he needed to know.
When I stopped speaking, he responded immediately. “I’m sorry you had to go through all those trials and tribulations, Evelina. I sincerely am. Rest assured, I have a dozen guards surrounding your sister and daughter at all times to ensure their safety.”
Nothing else mattered more to me, and I gave a small smile, though he couldn’t see it. “Thank you, Mr. Rissi.”
“I have a few things I want to discuss with you,” he said. “First and foremost: now that Clide Newton is out of the picture, assisting you is no longer a risk.”
“But it was whenever she actuallyneededhelp?” Zeke blurted.
“We have gone through this, Coleman. If I put my neck out for her, I would be losingsubstantialassets—enough that we would be susceptible to a gruesome takedown from Alonzo Bianchi. I will not go into details about how it would have played out, but rest assured, it was not an easy decision. I’m trying to help in whatever way I can.”
I placed a hand on Zeke’s arm, and he closed his mouth.
“Now, Evelina. I plan to book you and Beatrice a plane ticket to wherever you want to go alongside a few trusted guards who can help you settle into a new life. I will arrange childcare, and I would be happy to pull strings and get you a job in your preferred field. I just need a location.”
