AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I nod. “I saw it.”
The softness in his eyes could make me cry. “Oh, Pia. I’m so sorry. I’m here, ok? I’m here.” He pulls me into his arms, stroking the back of my head. I let myself be comforted by him. He didn’t tell me it was my fault. It’s not my fault.
“He used …” I pause, forcing more words out. “He used … a knife.”
Dario pauses before pulling back. “And you just saw me kill someone with a knife.”
I nod again.
“And it frightened you?”
Yes,I sign.
“Pia, you don’t need to fear me. I would never hurt you the way your father hurt your mother. You need to know that. You do know that, don’t you?”
I can see the fear on his face plainly. He’s as desperate as I am for validation. He needs to know that I don’t hate him. That I don’t fear him. And I need to know that I’m loved by him.
“I … do.” The words feel symbolic like I’m finally saying my vows for the first time. I never got the chance to actually say the words before. “It was … it was scary.” I clear my throat. My vocal cords feel caught with glue. “My mom … on the floor. Dead.” And just like that, the tears overcome me. And I sob. I sob like I just lost her all over again.
Dario pulls me back into his arms and rocks me right there on our front driveway. “You’re ok. I got you. You know I do.” He kisses the top of my head repeatedly. A part of me thinks he’s not only trying to comfort me but also himself.
“Dario?” It’s the first time I’ve ever verbally spoken his name.
He sucks in a breath as he looks down at me. “Yes?”
“I miss her so much.”
“I know. I miss my parents, too.”
So you understand, I sign.
“I do.”
“He … killed her. He caught me. That’s why … he locked me in … that tower.”
“Oh, Pia.” Dario peppers kisses all over my forehead. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. But I’m here. I’ll never leave your side.”
“He blamed me for … her death.” My words, while still whispers, are coming out stronger.
“You are not to blame. You have to know that. He murdered her. There were always rumors about what happened to your mother, but no one could prove them. Now, I know the truth. And I’ll kill your father for what he did to you and your mother. I can promise you that.”
And I say the words I’ve been conflicted about for a while now. “What … what if I don’t want him dead?”
Dario inhales roughly. “Why wouldn’t you? Pia, if I don’t kill him, he’ll keep coming after you. He’s found out where I live, and sooner or later, he’ll find out that I killed the man he sent and send someone else to finish the job. I need to kill him to end this. You know that.”
I do know that, but … “What if … it’s not the right … thing to do?”
“Pia, I’m a mafia man. I deal in shady business all the time. You know this about me. You know how cruel this world can be. Your father is the cruelest of them all. If I don’t fight him with cruelty, he’ll always win.”
“Maybe there’s a better way.”
“Why do you not want him dead? Answer me. Honestly.”
I pause, thinking over what to say. There’s only one truth that matters.
“He’s my father.”
Dario’s shoulders deflate. “Pia, that man is a monster. Not your father. He murdered your mother, and you still want him to live?”
