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His voice turns cold, like a bucket of water tossed over a roaring fire. One minute the heat is baking me, the next he’s nothing but ice. “I am protecting you and Sophie.”
“I thought you’d changed. Funny that, isn’t it? How stupid am I?”
“You’re not stupid.”
“You said I was. Told me it was stupid to not touch blood money. I thought you changed. Aren’t I an idiot? I thought there must be more to you, but you never got in touch. Not once.”
“It wouldn’t have worked between us.”
“As opposed to now, when things are going so well?”
“Tell me something.” He gets to his feet, straightening his tie with both hands. “I could have killed you when I turned up at Grant’s Hollow. You wouldn’t even have known I was there. Would have gotten paid well for the job. Doesn’t it tell you something that I didn’t do it?”
“Sure. It tells me you make choices about whom to kill. You don’t have to do this, but you’re doing it anyway. Does that tell you anything about you?”
“It says I understand how the world works and you don’t. You know, I was thinking maybe we could make this work, but you’re right. It could never work. Say goodbye to Sophie for me, won’t you?”
“I won’t let you hurt her, Jack.”
“I didn’t intend to hurt her or you but somehow I’ve managed it, anyway. I guess you were right about me. I’m a bad influence. Luckily for you both, it’s the last time you’ll need to see me.”
“That’s it then? You kill Vincenzo and then waltz off into the sunset, is that it? You’ll be all right with that, will you?”
“No, because I’ll have…” His voice fades away, his eyes flashing that pain I’ve seen before. Only this time it’s a lot worse, an agony that terrifies me. Makes me want to hold him tightly, comfort him even while he’s making me hate him.
“You’ll have what?”
He’s already crossing to the door. “Nothing. Doesn’t matter.”
“What’s hurting you so much? Something’s eating you up. What is it?”
“If I told you, you’d only hate me more.”
“Please, Jack. Talk to me.”
“I have to do this, Clarissa. Some choices you get to make, some are made for you. If I don’t see you again, just remember there was a time you made a dead man feel again.”
He walks out of the room, closing the door behind him. I sit on the bed and stare at it. A moment later, the front door goes and I hear the engine of his hire car starting up.
I’m on the edge of New York. Only a few miles from my family. I could call them, warn them he’s coming. But I don’t want to do it. Does that make me the same as him?
I wrap the gown around me and go through to the kitchen to make a drink. Morgan’s in there, nursing a coffee. “You all right?” he asks. “You look down.”
“I’m worried about Jack.”
“He’ll be all right. Impossible to kill, that guy.”
“I’m guessing someone tried.”
“Huh?”
“The scars on his back. Or didn’t he tell you about them?”
“They weren’t to kill him.”
“What were they for?”
“To train him.”
