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I lick my dry lips. “What happened to the man who bought Nix and me?”
His dark eyes narrow. “You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
He blows out a breath. “After we saw the state you and your friend were in, we knew just putting a bullet in his head was too good for him. I went to school with Father Mike’s kid sister, and I knew he had a parish in Toledo. So I called him. Once he’d taken you somewhere safe, Max, Dante, and I took that piece of shit into the woods.” He goes silent for a long moment.
“And?”
“Max had a…” He scrubs a hand over his beard. “He fashioned an implement. A two-by-four he hammered half a dozen rusty nails into the end and wrapped razor wire around it.”
I lean forward, needing to hear about the vengeance they exacted on that evil piece of shit more than I need my next breath.
“Then Max did to him what we suspected he’d done to you both. His screams filled the woods. He cried and begged, but Max was merciless. He made him suffer.”
Thinking of Phoenix—my beautiful, tortured friend who was never able to forget what he did to us long enough to experience any lasting sense of peace or happiness—I nod my approval.
“What happens after you get your revenge, Keres?” Lorenzo’s voice is gentle, and I have a horrifying realization that my guilt over the anguish I caused him will always eat away at my insides.
I shake my head to clear that unwelcome thought. “I don’t know. Phoenix always wanted to get as far away from the US as possible. And once she learned about my Greek heritage, she became obsessed with the idea of us living on a tiny Greek island, just the two of us. It was her dream.”
“And what about your dream?”
“What?” I ask, blindsided.
He lets out a soft sigh. “I said what about your dream?”
“I…” Confusion clogs my throat, threatening to steal my voice. “Nobody has ever asked me that before.”
“I’m asking you now. The Greek island was Phoenix’s deal. What’s yours?”
There is something I’ve always wanted to do. Something worthwhile. Something more purposeful than revenge. It’s going to sound crazy, but isn’t that why they’re called dreams and not plans? I clear my throat. “I’d love to build a place.”
His eyebrow lifts. “Build a place?”
“Yeah. A safe place for kids like me and Phoenix. Women like my mom. A place they can go and not be afraid every second of every day.”
“Like a shelter?”
“Kind of, but also more than a shelter. A place they can get the help they need. But most importantly, somewhere they can call home.” I swallow harshly and force myself to maintain eye contact. “You think that’s crazy?”
His eyes soften, crinkling at the corners like he’s going to smile even though he doesn’t. “Not at all. It’s something my wife would no doubt be very interested in.”
Sensing the perfect opportunity to lighten the conversation and chase away the dark shadows of the painful memories that still linger between us, I arch an eyebrow at him. “So she can get away from you, right?”
His deep brown eyes twinkle with amusement even if I don’t get the smile I’d hoped for. He shakes his head. “Why am I cursed with sisters with such smart mouths?”
A laugh escapes me, and an unfamiliar feeling of belonging worms its way into my heart, sowing a seed of contentment—something I hadn’t believed existed for someone like me.
I tell myself that later, after I’ve left this place, I will dig into my chest and pull it out at the root before it takes hold because I will never truly be one of them. They would never allow it. But it’s nice to feel a part of it right now, if only for a fleeting moment.
Chapter
Thirty-Six
ACE
Lorenzo is standing and looking out the window with his hands stuffed into his pockets when I walk into the library. I clear my throat to let him know I’m here and he spins around.
