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"Groceries will be arriving shortly," Liam says.
I keep my eyes on the microwave, watching as the mug goes around the carousel. "Does that mean we’re staying?"
"Unless you have any objection to this place. I know it's small, but?—"
"I don't have an objection."
He's quiet, and I imagine his jaw is tight at the curtness of my tone. I feel more than hear him leave.
When the microwave dings, I take the mug out and plop the tea bag into the hot water. I pick it up and go to sit at the table except I bypass it and go to the living area where Liam once again is staring out the window.
"What can you tell me about my father?" It appears that deep down, I want these answers now.
Liam turns, his brow arched, clearly not expecting that question. “What brought this up?”
What does it matter? Is this a topic he wants to avoid? “I had a dream about him. Whatever he did, he was a good father, and I owe it to him to learn the truth.”
He runs his fingers through his dark hair. "Honestly, Kate, I don't know what happened to your father. I only know?—"
"I don't mean that. I know he's dead. I want to know how he got involved. What was he thinking? You were in the FBI. Maybe you were a mole, or you were there only for your criminal friends, but you had to know something."
He looks down into his coffee for a moment, and I get the feeling he doesn't like how I characterized his time in the FBI.
He lets out a long sigh and then points over to the couch. "Why don’t you sit? I'll tell you what I know, which isn't a whole hell of a lot."
Being told to sit down makes it sound like I’m going to hear something I don’t like. But I already know that’s the case, so I sit, cradling my mug of tea in my hands to ward off the chill spreading from my spine.
"Your father was a good man, Kate. But even good men can be pushed into darkness."
Was Liam talking from experience? Had he been good and pushed into darkness?
I push the question away knowing the answer is no. Liam has always been in darkness.
23
LIAM
For nearly a year, I've done my damnedest to shield Kate from the ugly realities of organized crime. As I think over all that she's experienced—kidnapped more than once, her life threatened more than once—it's clear that I suck at protecting her. But knowing that doesn’t stop me from wanting to protect her from the truth about her father. There should be one thing in her life that is untainted. Sure, she's aware of the rumors swirling around her father, but not the details. To be honest, I'm not clear on the details, either. But I know a few things, and perhaps it's time for me to stop trying to shield Kate from the truth.
For a moment, I study her sitting on the couch. She's dressed casually in a pair of leggings and a large top that hangs down to her thighs, covering the small swell of her belly. Her hair hangs in long, damp, reddish-golden strands. Her expression is wary but doesn't take away from her stunning beauty. I rub my hand over my heart where the pain of guilt and regret and unrequited feelings live.
With a sigh, I sit on the couch, not so close to her as to make her feel uncomfortable, but close enough that every neuron in my body can sense her, feeling her heat, inhaling her fresh, sweet scent.
"I don't know the details on how your father got involved in organized crime. It's not clear whether his first interactions were with Tiberius Abate or Giovanni Fiori."
"Did they threaten him? Coerce him into helping them?"
I imagine that would make it easier to deal with her father’s action if he’d been forced. "I don't know for sure. It's possible. What your father did for them was not so dissimilar to what I used to do for Niko. Mostly, sharing information in advance of what law enforcement might be planning, and maybe a little cleanup after something goes down." I wonder if equating her father to me is more likely to cause her to hate her father as she hates me.
"Again, I'm not certain of the details, but what I believe happened was that somebody caught wind of your friendship with Elena Fiori. My money is on Lou Esposito. He was actually part of the Leone family, close to Donovan, but as it turned out, he was a traitor. I suspect he saw Elena when she went to one of Niko’s clubs and told Abate or Fiori.” I vacillate on whether or not to tell her the full details about how Elena had auctioned off her virginity and Niko had been the buyer. Were Kate and Elena good enough friends that she knew?
Kate looks down into her tea, and I suspect she knows something, if not everything.
“He either followed her or perhaps was asked to follow her when he reported the sighting at Niko’s club. That’s when they saw her with you.” I hope my expression and tone are gentle when I ask, “Were you helping Elena escape her family?"
Kate gives a small nod.
"Did you know she was a Mafia princess?"
