Photographs
“Was the program worth it?”
He gave a laugh, “yes. Actually, it was. I can walk, Zorah, for short distances. Each day I do more therapy and an extra step. I will never be able to run a marathon, but I will be able to a slow jog in time. I had four surgeries in eighteen months by a highly specialized team of doctors who take neurosurgery to a whole new level. Orlando dubbed one of the guys Dr. Strange.”
“Who?”
Chester pulled his head back. “You don’t know who Dr. Strange is? From the Avengers?”
“No.”
“There is a whole series of movies?” he queried in confusion. “You’ve never watched a superhero movie?”
“I wasn’t allowed. Superheroes have abilities which Father Giannone likened to witchcraft. I didn’t dare watch anything he would punish me for.”
“Maybe we can spend some time together and watch a movie.”
“Sure.” She wrinkled her nose wondering what it was about guys thinking spending time watching a screen felt like bonding. “If you can walk, why are you in the chair today?”
“When I’m feeling stressed or tired, the energy I need to walk escapes me. I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Because I was on my way here?”
“Yes. I was very worried about you, Zorah.” He leaned forward his elbows on the table and his eyes fixed on her. “Zorah, we know Icaro sedated you on your wedding night. We know he threatened Sidonia’s life if you didn’t agree to the marriage. We know his entire family were putting pressure on you. Our fear was if we didn’t get you out soon, you would be so brainwashed the only way to help you would be to insist on a deprogramming.”
“With all due respect,” she straightened her spine, “you don’t know me, Chester. I know you’ve spent the last twelve years in one way or another trying to find a way to be part of my life but until now, until this very moment you haven’t been. You don’t know me, you don’t know my heart and you don’t know my strength. I am not some doormat.”
“Oh, my darling girl, I do not for a moment think you are weak or a doormat. As for not knowing you, I have spent more time watching you than you realize or understand. I know you don’t know me. I know you don’t trust me, especially with the way you were taken from Icaro and the Lucchesi family.”
“You kidnapped me.”
“We prefer rescuing you.”
“I wanted to stay with him. I care for him.”
“Zorah, I have no intention of keeping you from him.”
She was surprised, “what?”
“You can return to Icaro. If you love him and want to be with him and spend the rest of your life as a Lucchesi bride, you are welcome to return to him. I simply want to be part of your life as well if you allow.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Because I wanted you to know you weren’t alone. You have family, Zorah. You have me. You have a grandfather, my dad. You have a grandmother, my stepmom. You have an aunt, my stepsister. You have uncles in Dane and Orlando, both who love you very much and want nothing more than to keep you safe.”
“Orlando doesn’t give off warm and fuzzy vibes.” She sniffed.
“Orlando is harboring a lot of guilt.”
“Because he kidnapped me?”
“No. Because he asked me to wait a week to go to you so he could rescue strangers and in doing so, you were forced to marry Lucchesi. His delay caused you to be married off in a transaction.”
“I get what you’re saying, but he was so rude on the plane.”
“He hates flying. I mean hates it and it makes him cranky. Put him in the water and he’s a god damned fish,” he pointed to a pool in the distance, “he’d live there if he could. He likes land. He likes sea. He hates being in the air.”
“Why?”
“Control,” Orlando’s voice interrupted. “I can’t fly the plane when we’re on a mission because my skills are needed on the ground, and I’m often required to parachute out. I’d rather jump out of the plane than sit in the damn thing.” He stepped onto the patio, “I’m sorry for interrupting but Dane was able to get to his checkpoint. He’ll be coming home. However, he confirmed some information, and I’d like to pick Zorah’s brain if I could.”
“Sure.”
“I won’t take too much of your time. I know you and Chester have more you want to talk about. I know Chester has some photo albums and letters to give you.”
“Letters?”
“I have your birthday cards, Christmas cards, letters from when I was on tour,” Chester admitted. “I saved them all. I wrote to you all the time when I was in rehab. I also have a lot of photos to share with you. I never wanted you to think, for a single moment you weren’t loved Zorah. From the minute I saw you in the convenience store, looking up at me, you consumed my heart. It took me too long to get here, to be here with you and for this I am so sorry, Zorah. I hope the letters I have for you, will help you understand, not for a minute, from the moment I realized you were my daughter, have I forgotten you.”
She nodded nervously before whispering, “I wish you would have just tried back then anyway.”
“Me too. I made a series of stupid decisions because, well,” he shrugged, “we’re military men and we think things need to be done in a specific order to be done right. I was trying to do things logically in order to do it right. In doing so, I lost so much time.”
“Speaking of time,” Orlando interjected again, “we’re on a bit of a time crunch. I have a feeling Icaro Lucchesi is going to go after Ippocrate Giannone. Now, not a single person in our operations have any qualms about this, especially in light of knowing he was touching you inappropriately.”
“Icaro is going after him? To kill him?” Zorah sat up nervously. “He promised me he wouldn’t.”
“Your uncle hired people to kidnap you Zorah,” Orlando lifted a piece of toast off the table and slid it on her plate encouraging her to eat. “Dane’s job was to find out what his purpose for this was. He found it.”
“Okay, what did he find?”
“Ippocrate Giannone built a bunker under his rooms in the new building. Dane managed to get into it last night and was almost caught. Zorah, the priest has an entire underground apartment. Did you know this existed.”
“No!” she clutched her chest in horror. “Why would he have such a thing?”
Orlando slid his phone along the table, “Dane managed to get a photo of this. It’s sitting next to a double bed on a nightstand.”
Zorah looked at the photograph and promptly turned her head and began to throw up the coffee which churned her in her stomach.
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