Safehouse Conversations
Zorah entered into the so-called safe house and was amazed.
Keturah apparently shared her sentiments because she looked at Orlando, “hey Florida, normally safehouses are supposed to be non-descript shit holes where nobody would come looking for you. Why are we in a mansion?”
“Your version of safe and mine are vastly different,” he tugged Keturah’s ponytail as he stepped past her.
“This place is even nicer than the one in Tampa,” Zorah did a slow spin in the middle of the foyer and took it all in. “It’s huge and,” she looked to the chandelier, “are they real crystals or glass?”
“Crystals,” Orlando commented as Dane followed Chester and Shay in with Chester’s wheelchair. “Let’s make sure Chester’s room is set up before anything else.”
“Zorah comes first,” Chester commented quickly.
“You can’t protect her if you’re dead,” Orlando rebutted as rapidly. “I need your eyes and ears on all the surveillance we have set up on Giannone and his vehicle, his car, and his apartment as well as his office in the church. If you are too tired to you do your job because you’re faking being better than you are, then you put your daughter’s life at risk. I need you on your game, Chester. Hit the hay.”
“Prick has been the captain of our squad too long,” Chester flopped into his wheelchair and motioned at Zorah to approach. He pulled her down and hugged her tight and kissed her cheek. “I want you to rest as well. Icaro and his father are working with a few of our men. When we get the go-ahead, we will be moving you from here to meet the crew.”
“How long? Do you think I’ll see Icaro today?”
“I can’t promise today, Zorah,” Chester gave her a warning sigh. “I know you think we’re going to simply bust into the church, grab Giannone and drag him away but it is not so easy. The church is a staple in the community. There are people there every single day. The nuns live there on the property in the communal building. Your mother lives there in the same building.”
She looked away angrily, “she no longer has the right to call herself my mother. She lied, Dad. She lied and she knew she was lying. All these years she knew the man who ended up dead was not my father. You cannot tell me she didn’t remember your eyes, Dad. If she was with you repeatedly, all the time, studying and making out with you and going so far as to lose her virginity with you, she looked into your eyes more than once. Your father has the same eyes, and she met him according to Shay. Look at my eyes, Dad. She knew my father was alive.”
“Zorah,” he protested softly.
“No. Stop. Do not defend her. She knew. You knew and you didn’t come for me and you’re carrying that weight and burden around your neck like an albatross but there was never any reason for her to lie and to not come clean and she has no guilt. None. She should have come to you and told you I was yours. In her mind, even now, she thinks she is the only one who knows the truth. She would keep me from my father even now and she doesn’t care.”
“She should have come to me, I agree but –”
“She knew he was an abusive bastard. He tortured her all the time. He forced her to discipline me in some of the worst ways. She could have saved me, Dad. She could have saved me by bringing you into my life, but she let the abuse continue. She is not my mother.”
“Do you want to tell her this, Zorah?” Orlando asked from behind her, reminding her she and Chester had an audience to their heated conversation.
Zorah turned to face him, “what?”
“Do you want to have the conversation with your mother where you let her know you found your father and you will never let her back in your life again? If you want closure all the way around, we can work it into the plan.”
“How?”
“If Ippocrate Giannone is going to confess his sins, wouldn’t it be interesting to the powers which be the situation occurs after you confront your mother about your newfound knowledge? She can go confront your uncle, at our encouragement and then he can go to his cottage in the country, end his pathetic existence and we’ll let the police oversee the rest.”
“You mean when Icaro makes it look like he killed himself,” Keturah tossed in her two cents.
“I don’t know,” Orlando smirked. “I kind of want to put a gun in Giannone’s hand and give him the option to do it himself or let Icaro torture him. I bet he’s not man enough to do it.”
Zorah frowned at him, “you are a very dark man.”
“No shit,” Dane laughed lowly. “We didn’t do the work we did because we fart rainbows.”
“And you are a very weird man,” Zorah told Dane as he tugged her close and rubbed his knuckles in her hair. Her uncles were growing more familiar with her, and she was enjoying having them dote on and tease her.
Chester cleared his throat, “Zorah, I don’t know how I feel about you being involved in all of this. If I had my way, you’d be back in Tampa. I don’t agree with Dagoberto’s insistence you deserve to have the closure I think he’s trying to make you harder than you are.”
She gave a shake of her head, “actually, I know Dagobert is not of the opinion I should be the hardened mafia wife like his wife and sisters-in-law. More than once he has interfered with his family telling them to allow me to have distance from the rougher things. He lost two daughters in the past and he values me as his daughter-in-law. If anything, I think he’s wanting to make sure an opportunity is not taken from me which I deserve. If I said I didn’t want to do it, he wouldn’t force it but he’s letting me make the choice. He knows you all want to talk me out of it, but he wants me to be true to who I am. I need to do this, Dad.” She met Chester’s eyes. “I need to do this because I am not the kind of person who will be able to kill Ippocrate myself and get my revenge, but Dagoberto is going to make certain I get to say my peace before it’s too late.”
“Then you will say your peace. Let me go talk to Dagoberto and Icaro about setting up a visit with Zipporah.”
Zorah nodded at Chester’s words.
“I think I want to lay down.” She looked around the house. “Where is my room?”
“I will take you,” Shay said quietly and held out her hand. “For what its worth, Zorah, I think you’re being very brave.”
Zorah only hoped she was going to be as strong as she needed to be.
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