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Luka’s apartment was just one bedroom, but of course, it was lavishly decorated. Exposed brick walls gave it a harshness that fit Luka’s personality, but the oversized bedspread that matched the white curtains were definitely a touch of his mother's style. I wondered if she had redecorated while he was in prison. Everything seemed so clean and put together. I got up from the comfortable bed and headed into the large open area that was the living room and the kitchen.
The kitchen had all stainless steel appliances and white quartz countertops. The floor was white tile to match. I opened up the refrigerator and was not surprised to find it stocked full of food. That was certainly his mother’s doing. I laughed slightly at all of the Tupperware containers filled with what I was sure was amazing, home cooked Italian meals. I grabbed a water bottle and an orange and walked down the steps to the street. I gently pulled at the label on the water bottle while I waited for the cab.
I was leaving the man I potentially loved. But I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t want to break again. I wouldn’t let someone tear me apart. Not like I had been when my mother died. I could never love anyone like that again. I just wasn’t built that way.
I pulled my phone out and dialed Leah’s number, she would help me, I knew she would. “Leah?” I asked as she answered the call.
“Yes? Vienna, what’s wrong?”
“I need to stay with you for a while, is that okay? I gotta lay low.”
“Of course sweetie, you okay? Did something happen?”
“More like someone.”
“Say no more.”
I knew she would understa
nd. I hung up as the cab arrived and I gave him instructions to my old apartment. It was about a twenty-minute drive from where we were. I gave him some extra cash to keep the tab running.
“I won't be long. And then I need to move on.”
He nodded to me as he lit up a cigarette, hanging his hand out the window. “Fine by me. You’re the one with the money, lady.”
I was. That was a new feeling. The money Luka had left for me would pay my way until I figured out what to do. I remembered having everything as a child, wanting for nothing. My mother and I lived in some big, beautiful home downtown, and we had a driver. But now? I had the keys and the cell phone that were in my hands. My wallet was in my back pocket, and a few mementos of my childhood were sitting in my small studio apartment. Everything else was gone.
As I used the key to unlock the three locks I had on my door, I realized that there would be certain things I would never have to be fearful of again. I would never spend the night alone, wondering if my electric would get turned off. Luka and the family would make sure of that. In that sense, I was finally protected.
I grabbed an old duffel bag that I had in my closet and I collected a few things around my bedroom. I just needed the basics. Some deodorant and perfume that I had gotten as a Christmas present from a friend, a picture from my 21st birthday, and then finally, my locket. I held the silver chain in my hands as I admired the engraving. I had seen it so many times before, but every time it felt new to me. I put the chain around my neck, clasped it, and let the delicate heart sit just above my own. It had been my mother's. I had taken it off of her lifeless body before the paramedics removed her. It was the only thing I had left of her. And I thought for the longest time that it would be the only thing I would have that would remind me of that past life, but apparently I was wrong. Now I had Luka too.
I fought back tears as I looked in the decrepit mirror that hung across from my bed. A kitchenette sat right next to it, but there was nothing there that I needed to take with me. I'd only put a curtain up around the toilet in the sink and shower; there weren’t even walls in this place. As I looked around and chewed my lower lip, I realized that this would only buy me so much time. Luka would come looking for me, and I needed to figure out how to protect my heart before then. If I was going to complete this job for Roberto, I couldn’t love Luka. Those two things just didn’t work together.
But there was a battle raging in my heart, and Luka was still winning.
10
Luka
My mother went back upstairs to clean up the dishes. Our family moment was over. A part of me hated to see it end. My father drummed his fingers on the wooden table, assessing me, and I could tell he was getting impatient with our family bonding. He hated getting emotional with me. Sometimes, I felt he only treated me like a son to appease my mother.
“You know, we appreciate the time you spent serving the family.”
I nodded at him, still wiping my face off with a cloth napkin. “I know. There was a job to do, and I did it. It's as simple as that. Pops, no need to thank me.”
“You're right, I don't. But I should. I couldn't let them take her, you know that. She knew too much. She was a part of this family. I don't know why all of a sudden they took an interest in her.”
“I didn’t get it either. It all seemed so immediate, so messy.”
“It just didn't make any sense. After all that time? Why would he want her? Why would he want either of them? I mean, she didn't even know her father. And Maria? She left that drunken bastard years before.”
“I thought he left her.”
“Well, that's the way she told the story. Your mother and I knew her back then, and she left him. But it was because she needed to get out. She feared for her baby’s safety.”
My fists balled at my sides. I attempted not to rip the napkin right in half, but I settled down and placed my hands back down in my lap. I wouldn't let anyone hurt her.
“I bet Vienna wouldn't even remember him, not that she should. Poor child. Sometimes I think your mother worries about her. Wondering where she is. We never did find out what happened to her back then.”
