Page 7 of Mafia Scars

Darkness filled his eyes.

“Amelia, there are things you don’t understand. And like I said, I will protect you until the day I die.”

I shook my head. “How does killing him protect me?”

“It does. It just does.”

“You killed him and cut off his head, just like you said you would. Why would you do that?Howcould you do that?” Tears poured from my eyes when I thought of it all, and how much pain the man must have gone through.

“Amelia, I’m sorry you had to be part of any of this. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you from this world that I live in. I wanted you to have a normal life.”

I didn’t know how he thought that was a good excuse, or how I could accept that.

“I should go to the cops.” That was the second time I’d threatened that, but this was the time it counted.

He looked around him to see if anyone had heard. “You do that, and we’re all dead. Do you hear me? You included.”

“You’d kill me?” I could barely get the words out of my mouth.

“My child, I told you I would never allow anything to happen to you. It would not be me you’d have to worry about. Please stay here where I can protect you.”

I shook my head at him. Everything was so raw and painful.

“No. I can’t stay here. I can’t. I’ll die if I stay. My heart is broken.” I pressed my lips together when I saw a tear run down his cheek.

So many tears had been shed in this house in such a short space of time.

“Amelia, please.”

“No, Dad. I loved you so much, and now I can’t bear to look at you.” When I thought back to the way he’d shot Agent Peterson and the pain I’d seen in the man’s face, I felt like vomiting again. Then I conjured up an image of his headless body, and I felt like screaming. My father had done that. He’d killed a person. “I hate you. I hate you for what you did,” I cried, voice coming out in sobs. “I hate you,” I screamed, and that was fueled by all the emotion I’d experienced in the last few weeks.

“Amore mio.”

“No, don’t. You killed someone, and it’s your fault Mom died. I am leaving,” I declared. “I’m never coming back, ever. You aren’t who I thought you were.”

“I love you, sweet girl.” He pulled me toward him, but I moved back, keeping the distance I previously had.

“You could never love me and be this person.”

“I love you more than you could ever know, and more than that,” he cried, breathing hard. I didn’t know that anything could pierce through the anger and distress that consumed me, but that did. I saw the truth in his words through the anguish that rippled from his eyes.

I’d always been good at being able to know when people were telling the truth. I didn’t want to feel that now, but I did.

It didn’t change anything. I still wanted to leave.

“If you love me, let me go. Let me go and allow me to live the normal life I want.” That was the most coherent I’d been in days. Expressing myself, expressing the truth of what I wanted. “Let me go.”

“Something will happen to you, and I won’t be able to protect you.” He winced.

“I won’t say anything.” That went against everything inside me, but I thought it was the only ticket to my escape. Promising to keep quiet. “I won’t say anything.”

“New York, is that where you think you can go?” His voice was heavy.

“No. I can’t go to Julliard. The pain is too much. I can’t dance. Mom was my heart and soul, and you… God, you were my everything. I can’t dance anymore. Please, just let me leave.”

He looked down, then flicked his gaze back up to meet mine. “Amelia, please stay here. It’s safer.”

I shook my head. “No. I can’t. If I stay, there will be nothing left of me.”