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Santino wouldn’t knock; he’d just come right in. Frowning, I walked over and cracked it open.
“Sergio?” I frowned. “Is everything okay?”
His smile was sad. “Well, we did almost lose you two on top of nearly dying ourselves weeks before that, but I think things should calm down for a day or two.” He winked.
“Very funny.”
“Any more pain in your neck?” He started examining me with one hand. “Sorry, old habits.”
“I’m fine.” I nodded. “I truly am.”
“Good.” He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a black box. His hands were shaking, which was weird for someone so sure of himself, someone who recorded kills on his own body by way of tally marks. “I have something I want you to wear to the funeral. And then I want you to keep it if you can.”
The lid creaked open, and staring back at me were gorgeous pearls that had to be worth a fortune. They were beautiful, perfect even.
I was afraid to touch them. “Whose are these?”
“Were,” he corrected. “They belonged to… well, technically, I guess she would be your half-sister, Andi.”
My head jerked up. “My half-sister?”
“She looked a lot like you, same bright-colored hair, same fierceness. I’m sure she was with you the entire time you were imprisoned; even if you didn’t know it, she was with you, Katya.” He reached for the strand. “May I?”
Tears were already ruining my makeup. “Will you tell me about her one day?”
“It would be an honor,” he rasped, putting the case down on the table next to the door and wrapping the pearls twice around my neck before fastening them.
They weren’t cold.
They were warm.
They were her.
“Thank you.” I touched them and turned to face him. “For letting me wear these.”
He stared at the pearls for a long second before meeting my eyes. “I think they were meant for you too.”
Sergio walked off just as Santino came out of his bedroom and approached. “You look beautiful.”
“I’m wearing my half-sister’s pearls.” I clutched them between my fingers.
Santino gave a small nod. “Beautiful.”
I walked into his arms and sighed. “We should go.”
“I’ll hold your hand the entire time.”
“I know you will.”
We walked hand in hand down the stairs; it was still cold out, so I grabbed a black pea coat from a waiting Alice downstairs.
I looked around. “Where is everyone?”
“They’re already waiting.” Alice smiled and reached down, lifting a black basket with several red stemmed roses. “Here, you each take one. Just follow the light.”
It was already getting dark, but I listened. I’d learned with this family that even if you’re completely out of the loop, it’s always for a reason. So I took my rose and linked arms with Santino as we walked to the waiting car and got in.
The ride wasn’t long, maybe ten minutes before we arrived at Sergio’s house, of all places.
