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“Will do.”
Given the hour and the day of the week, there were only a few parishioners inside the church. While Dominick had a modest home located a few miles away, he often spent the night in the two rooms he used as an office.
I suspected after what he’d told me two nights before, he was here, his attempt at consoling his guilt all he could think about. My footsteps echoed as I moved down the left side of the church, a couple of people who were praying tipping their heads in my direction. As always seemed to happen, they watched me intently as if I was here to make trouble. There was no sign of her, but this wasn’t the only location where she could find solace in her prayers.
I moved closer to the altar while keeping a respectable distance, staring up at the stunning stained glass arched window.
The last time I’d been inside had been for Raleigh and Maxwell’s wedding, the incredible event the first time I’d felt anything other than anger after my father’s death. At least I could smile thinking about it. I shoved my hands into my pockets, noticing Dom’s approach from the shadowed corridor leading to the set of offices a few seconds later.
As he held out his hand, I was surprised by his gesture but accepted. Then he pulled me into a bear hug, clapping me on the back.
“What are you doing here? Coming to confession?” he asked, keeping his voice low.
It used to surprise me seeing the man in his cassock, the long, dark garment his choice when inside his church. Now nothing surprised me any longer. “She’s here.”
“Who?”
“Christiana Lorenzo. She’s being married off to Dante Bianchi.”
He pulled me closer to the hallway opening, shaking his head. Then he glanced at the few people in the pews, his face pensive. “I haven’t seen her, Fran.”
“Would you tell me if you had, Dom? It’s important I talk with her.”
“Not inside this church.”
“Then I’ll wait until she’s finished.”
His expression soured. “What did you do?”
“I haven’t done anything yet. As I said, I need to talk to her. She’s being used. And what I’m doing is business, Father. She happened to be in a restaurant suffering her engagement party. Before I had a chance to talk with her, she was removed from the premises. This is about a conversation and nothing else unless I can be the one to offer her refuge.”
“No, all you want to do is incite a war. I can’t and won’t allow you to do that inside my parish. I know how you feel about her, but you need to question whether or not you’re using her as well for retaliation or to garner more power. That’s not fair to that girl and I won’t be a part to it. Do you understand?”
“The bullets that killed my two men were meant for Maxwell. Do you want that on your conscience?”
I’d gone too far, pushing our friendship to the brink. We both knew it and it was something I’d never done before. He glanced over my shoulder, which prompted me to do the same, watching as a woman in a cloak headed for the confessional box. I could feel it was Christiana.
I searched for Cayman, unable to see him from where I was standing. Then Dominick moved into my line of sight, preventing me from seeing who entered the confessional boxes.
“How dare you, Mr. Arturo. Out there you might be able to command people what to do but inside this church, I’m the man in charge. If that’s something you can’t understand, then I suggest you remove yourself, Fran. Now, I have work to do.”
He tried to walk away and I stopped him with a savage yank.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he snapped.
I took a deep breath, glancing away because in truth, I found it difficult to look into his eyes. “This is my Chrissy. Christiana Lorenzo. What are the odds, Father, that she was brought into my life a second time? I was a fool to let her go before. I can’t do that again. Dante will hurt her and if he finds out I was her first, then he’ll kill her. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Do you care about anyone but yourself?”
“You know the answer to that question. My family is all that matters to me.”
His exhale was ragged. “You have a significant dilemma, my friend. If everything you told me about that night is true, you hurt her terribly. It doesn’t matter how much passion you shared. What did matter was what you said to push her aside. Don’t do this unless you intend on caring about more than just business. Don’t do this unless your entire world is rocked by that woman. Is she the one you live and breathe for? Is she the one you can’t stop thinking about, the girl you’ll take a bullet for? Is she the one you’re ready to give your whole heart to?”
I finally looked him in the eyes. “Yes. I love her, Dom. I think I fell in love the moment she jumped in front of my car on that rainy night. I was just too stubborn to admit it. She is all I want and I’ll do anything to keep her safe.”
The quiet between us was haunting. He was so fucking right that I could barely breathe.
“After you lost your mother and father, you refused to get close to anyone. You shut yourself down, pretending that if you dared care about a single human being then you’d lose your grip on reality as well. The night Christiana smashed into your life you were at one of your lowest points because of Joey’s death. Did you know I asked Maxwell to call me when you left the birthday party that night?”
