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“You think you know them.”
“There are things I will never know. Just like there are things I’m certain Grandpa never told you or Granny or anyone else who wasn’t part of the O’Rourke brotherhood. There are things Laura will never tell any of us, and things Maks will never tell her. But you understand her life better than I did, and you never said a word about it.”
“I only know what Killian and Susan, or you, have shared. I know nothing for sure about Laura and her in-laws.”
“Mom, you know plenty. You know because of our family’s history. They may not have told you, but you know. At least, you can guess pretty damn close to the truth, and you never told me.”
“You’re angry about the secrets I kept to protect you. How am I supposed to feel knowing everything I did was for nothing if you marry a mobster?”
“Mafioso.”
It’s my turn to wince. Normally, I’d be the first person to correct that, but this isn’t the time.
“What?”
“Our family is the mob. Lorenzo’s is Mafia.”
“Same difference.”
“Apparently, not. If they were so alike, then you would have told me about ours, and you wouldn’t be worried about Enzo’s.”
“Chelle, there’s a lot to unwind here, but there is no way you found this out if something isn’t wrong. What happened?”
She looks at me, and I nod. There was no way we were going to keep this from getting out, and it’s better Chellie tell her parents than they hear it from some O’Rourke.
“Someone put a target on me because I’m friends with Laura. This person holds a grudge against the Kutsenkos, but the guy knows he can’t touch them. It started just when Enzo and I began dating. We think the guy now hopes to pit the Mancinellis and Kutsenkos against each other by getting to me. Enzo and I were in a car accident today.”
“What?!”
“I’m all right. I’m a bit shaken up, and I’ll be sore, but I didn’t get hurt.”
We both look at the bandages on her hand. I wonder if she’s going to be in pain later like I will be. I felt fucking invincible while spanking then fucking Chellie. But I’m sure the pain that’s coming will try to make me regret it.
“Someone tried to kill you in a car accident.”
“I don’t know about kill, Mom. But at least hurt and scare me. And before you say it, I was way safer being with Enzo than alone. I would be kidnapped or dead if I hadn’t been with him and his driver.”
“Lorenzo, thank you for protecting my daughter.”
Her eyes widen, and her mom confirms my suspicions.
“Mom!”
I talk over her exclamation.
“I love Chellie. I’ve never been more scared than during that accident because I knew she was the target. But I’ve never been more grateful for being able to protect her than I was then.”
“Protect her? The accident happened, yet you said protect her. How many men did you kill in front of my daughter?”
Chellie rests her hand on my good shoulder.
“Mom, Enzo was shot twice protecting me. But you taught me how to protect myself too, didn’t you? It wasn’t just fun at a range. It wasn’t just shooting skeet and clay pigeons. You wanted me to know what to do.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying thank you for all those hours we spent together. It’s a useful skill.”
There’s another long pause, and I can only imagine what her mother must be thinking.
