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“Some criminal element is or was in town. Maybe a gang or a crime syndicate.” Hell, I wrote about the mafia. Why couldn’t that be the answer? Sadly, if that was the answer, then Sabatino was definitely not a good man. The slightly embellished information was leading, yet I was uncertain if I wanted him to remember his life either. A tiny part of me wanted us to remain in a bubble.
“Do you want me to leave, Georgia?”
“How can you? You don’t have any money, nowhere to go. Do you want to leave?”
He put his beer on the counter, huffing as he shook his head. “As strange as it might sound, I feel at ease here, more so than my injured brain is telling me I’ve experienced before. So, no, I would like to stay. However, I don’t think it’s a wise idea.” He laughed bitterly after making the statement. “That is if I can borrow some money so I can leave. It’s your choice, little peach. I’ll do whatever you want. The last thing I want to do is to place you in a difficult position.”
“You really mean that. Don’t you?”
I sensed it wasn’t that he had to think about his answer but that the answer he was prepared to give surprised him. “Yeah, I do.”
“You’re not normally like that, are you?”
“Kind? Generous? Appeasing? No.”
His eyes opened wide and I almost laughed. “Maybe that’s what we need to do in order to jog your memory since me slamming your head against the wall didn’t work.”
He laughed, reaching for me but I scooted away, being playful more than anything. “Maybe so, sweet Georgia peach. I think I’m the kind of man who takes what he wants without hesitation and who refuses to take no for an answer.”
“You’ve already proven that.”
His nostrils flared as the pulse of electricity shot through us all over again. But he turned his head, lost in some train of thought. “I am serious, Georgia. I will leave if that’s what you decide. And I assure you that one thing I know about myself is that I can and will pay you back for your kindness.”
I’d thought about insisting that’s exactly what happened. It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford to loan him a few hundred dollars. However, conflicted I was, my instinct told me that having him here was the right thing to do, at least for the time being. “Don’t go, Sabatino. I shouldn’t want you here. I shouldn’t care at all but for some strange reason I’m drawn to you. I don’t know what that makes me or if I’m thinking rationally or not. I just… Maybe I want to see how this saga ends.” At least that was the truth. Another surprise. Still reckless because of Dillon. I would need to put an end to it sooner versus later.
What are you doing, Charity? You’re risking far too much.
The inner voice was right.
“My memory is starting to return. I would imagine tomorrow I’ll have someone to call. I doubt I came here alone.”
I nodded. “That’s fine. I know you will eventually leave. You have a life. I have mine.”
“Even if staying means placing your life in danger?”
As I twisted my ring finger again, I closed my eyes. “I’m used to the concept of danger. I can handle it.”
All he’d needed to do was to take two steps toward me, the sense of his presence creating such a forceful set of tingles they took my breath away. I sensed he was holding back, keeping his frustration as well as his temper in check.
“You need to tell me who he is, Georgia, the man who hurt you. I won’t take no for an answer,” Sabatino stated with such control in his voice that I was instantly breathless.
“What will you do if I tell you?”
“That’s easy. Hunt him down and kill him.”
I lifted my head, knowing that what he was telling me was the truth. “You’re not a killer, Sabatino. You’re a kind man with a heart of gold.”
“Sadly, that’s where you’re wrong.”
“Then tell me why. How. Tell me something that will allow me to want to toss you out of my life.”
“We’re not talking about me any longer, Georgia. Talk to me about who he is.”
I backed away, shaking my head. “His name will never be mentioned in this house, especially not in front of Dillon.”
“This bastard is the child’s father, isn’t he?”
I’d managed to lie to myself for years that Dillon was the product of love, not hate and violence. All the emotions and fears, the worry and trepidation for stepping foot outside this house suddenly became too much to handle all by myself. The sickness of the man had claimed me a long time ago, festering like a poison lying dormant for years. I couldn’t take it any longer. I couldn’t do this alone, facing the terror every day. “Yes. I tried to pretend my little baby was all mine. Mine alone. Not that his fucking father used to take joy in beating me, keeping me caged like an animal while he went out doing god knows what. I tried to act as if I could protect my boy from the evils of this world, but you know what? That’s not possible. Is it?”
