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“The pot calling the kettle black,” he said, half laughing. Then his jaw clenched. “Danni got pregnant.” The statement was so out of the blue and unexpected that I was stunned.
“Geez. I had no idea, Dom.” He’d never mentioned a kid and I would have known. He doted on Meghan and Brock, arriving late to my niece’s birthday party but he’d brought so many presents that Raleigh had almost been annoyed.
“I didn’t tell anyone. I guess I was too… angry with what happened.”
“What did happen?”
This time, he headed around the bar, pouring almost a full glass of his preferred liquor, taking a swallow then wiping his mouth. “Her parents forced her to have an abortion.”
“Jesus.”
“I’d asked her to marry me. She’d said yes. I’d talked to my father and had a position secured. I was still planning on going to college. I even picked out a little house for us, something we could grow into as a family. You know?”
Nodding, I walked closer, still giving him the space I sensed he needed. “How did you find out?”
“She went on vacation with her family. That had already been planned. She was going to tell them we were getting married. Then the week turned into two and I didn’t see her. I was frantic, thinking the worst. One day, I finally saw her walking into her church and I followed her in. That’s when she told me. I almost killed her father that day. The only reason I didn’t was that she begged me not to. Then she told me they were moving out of the city. I let her go. The love of my life and I didn’t fight for her. What kind of man did that make me?” He lifted his head, his eyes questioning mine.
“I’m sorry, Dom.”
He took a deep breath, lifting his glass in a silent toast. I could swear there were tears in my friend’s eyes. A few seconds of tension passed and he finally took a deep breath. “Just remember the power of prayer. That’s what got me through.”
“You know that’s not going to happen in my world. Eleven ball on the side.”
He waited until I missed before swaggering toward the pool table. “Maybe you should try it sometime, my friend. You might be surprised. If you love that girl from the past, do yourself a favor and find her. Whatever it takes, including praying, find her. If you don’t, you’ll never be the same. I can’t go against my oath or my faith, but I will try and provide her with assistance if she returns.”
“That’s all I can ask for.” If Chrissy had returned, I’d handle everything from here. The woman I adored would never leave my side again.
CHAPTER 16
Francesco
In the darkness of the night lies a monster in wait, one so evil that all those around him flee for fear that a single look would draw them into the madness. They live in terror that once seen, they will be targeted, entombed in a steel cage until the filthy creature is ready to feast.
I had no idea why the words had surfaced in the back of my mind. They were from something I’d read years before, a passage in a book considered taboo. For me, it had seemed like a fair representation of my life.
In truth, the words fit even better today. Maybe Dominick’s confession had pulled a level of tormented faith to the forefront of my mind. I closed my eyes, trying to block out the darkness creeping into my mind, already threatening to corrode my tenuous hold on reality.
Or maybe I was feeling guilty for every bloody deed from my past. Snorting, I rubbed my jaw, a vehicle horn dragging me into the present.
The power of prayer.
My mother had believed in it. My father had also up until the time when he believed God had taken his beloved wife because of his evil deeds. From what I remembered, he hadn’t stepped foot inside a church ever again.
Dominick’s words continued to haunt me, more so as the hours had slipped away. He was a private man, keeping his troubles buried as I’d been taught to do. But his torment was entirely different than what I’d experienced.
With the rare exception of missing a girl named Chrissy. Only she hadn’t been taken from me in such an egregious method. She’d simply returned to her life, whether for the good or bad. And I’d returned to mine.
The ‘what if’ continued to rack my system, enough so I considered stalking the church, only my common sense keeping me from doing so. She could have been passing through or already gone from the city.
Then why was there a nagging voice that remained, digging at me as if everything was about to come full circle?
A dull ache returned to my system. The ugly truth was that I’d pushed her aside after reminding myself that I didn’t need to be saddled with anyone, especially an instant family. She’d been crushed, which was the reason she’d run from me the second she’d fled my car. Regretting my decision hadn’t occurred until several months later.
Too little. Too late.
This was getting ridiculous. Lamenting the past had nothing to do with what I needed to face today.
Or did it?
