An Offer Of Ignorance
“You have a photo album of your lovers?”
“Vodingo does. I’ve never seen it, but he has all the faces memorized. He’s got a knack for such things but even if he was uncertain of the woman approaching us, he would easily pull the info with facial recognition.”
“Absurd.”
“Agreed. Again, I am now aware of how disgusting this entire thing is.”
“You really think The Walrus is going to use this information to try to drive a deeper wedge between us?”
At the blatant admission of the wedge which already existed, she noted Icaro flushing but he didn’t argue it.
“Yes. He told me he has a file on you, and he has information I didn’t have.”
“He does?”
“Yes. For example, and I’ll ask you not tell Sidonia yet because Vodingo wants to discuss it with her first, your mother’s lover is her uncle.”
“Her married uncle?” Zorah’s eyes widened. “The one married to the principal of our school?”
“Yes.”
“The Walrus told you this?”
“He shared it the information moments ago in an attempt to prove he dug deeper than we did. He wouldn’t make it up because he’s using it to get under my skin.”
“My mother is having an affair with a married man.” She took a breath and looked to him in horror, “do you think Father Giannone knows and it’s why he still hates her?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged, “but I promise you, I’ve set in motion a plan to get all the information I need. Your uncle is looking for you and Sidonia and he went to a family we don’t have a good relationship with to get it. For your sake, I am trying to keep it from getting bloody, Zorah but they are starting a war they will never win. Your uncle was going to try to pay them to kidnap you. He woke this morning to the knowledge all of the funds he has hidden away have been taken away. He is no longer going to be able to afford his expensive wine and steak dinners. He took a vow of poverty, and he is going to live it.”
“He was going to use the money you gave him to have me kidnapped?”
“Yes.”
“Why? What does he intend to do with me once he has me back in Providence? He must know you would come for me.”
He kissed her forehead, “I will always come for you. I am not sure what his end goal is, but he will never reach it. I promise you.”
“Again, all of this is horribly outside the life I envisioned for myself not two weeks ago. I feel I’m in a nightmare I cannot escape and each day some other revelation makes it worse.” Her breath was shaky, “I just want it to stop. I want it all to stop.”
“I can leave you in the dark, Zorah. I can let you live in ignorance of the dangers and the depravity of the things happening around you, if it is what you want. I’ve already issued a command no business is to be conducted around you. I can go one step further and insist it never be discussed in any form around you.”
“Because I’m weak,” she looked away angrily from his offer.
“You are not weak, amoré,” he cupped her jaw and drew her back to look into his eyes. “You are a far cry from weak. It is not an unreasonable ask for you to request I leave my work at the door when I come home. No more than any other wife who wouldn’t want to hear about her husband’s work. If I were a surgeon, you would not want to hear the intricacies of a bloody operation and explicit details of what took place in an emergency room. This is no different. Work can be left at the door.”
“Except your work is literally our lives,” she huffed.
“No. Here,” he waved his arms around, “the vineyard, the farm and everything in between the two locations are legal and honest. There is nothing here which ties to our more illicit businesses. There are no bodies buried on our homeland, and we do not conduct any of the outside businesses from here.”
“And when we get back to New York?”
“I have clubs and restaurants which are Lucchesi owned. We will put a moratorium on any rougher business dealings anywhere near our estate. Your path will never need cross with the other parts of the Lucchesi name.”
She gave a slow nod.
“I will tell Vodingo to ensure Sidonia understands if she is aware of information to keep it to herself because I do not want you stressing and worrying about things which will upset you. All I ask however is you listen to security protocol. If we are not together, your security team, headed by Amauri will be responsible for you and I do not want to hear of you arguing with them. If they cannot explain to you what the dangers are, you need to simply do as they tell you.”
“So, I will continue to be in danger, I simply won’t know where it’s coming from or when it’s happening unless the guards are trying to remove me?” She didn’t like this at all. “Why can’t I simply not be in danger?” she tried to keep her voice from being raised but she was helpless to stop the frustration from spilling over. “I was never in danger before. I want my old life back.”
“The old life where your uncle abused you and your freedom was limited?”
“How is this any different?”
“You are not being abused here and you can come and go as you please, but with security.”
“I could end up with a bullet in my forehead like the nurse.”
“Never will I let it happen.”
“This is bullshit!”
He quirked an eyebrow at her swearing, and he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “You do not need to make decisions right now. Why don’t we go have lunch with Vodingo and Sidonia and you can take as much time as you need to decide on how much or how little information you want us to share with you. Fair?”
“Fine.” She turned on her heel to follow the direction of where she’d seen Sidonia disappear. In the distance though she caught sight of The Walrus standing watching her and Icaro. Even without being close enough to see his features she knew he was staring at them.
“I wonder what is in his file of me,” she whispered to herself turning her gaze away from him. She wondered how she could find out.
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