Page 21 of Sins and Virtue

His confirmation calmed my on-edge nerves as I lowered the gun, not needing to hurt the kid. Children were the most innocent and helpless human beings. Any person who harmed them deserved nothing more than death. A cruel, agonizing, burning death.

While death would come for many, I listened to their interaction.

“Yes?” She answered patiently, her tone softer as she seemed to be sensitive to children.

“I made this for you.”

“Aw,” she admired whatever it was.

“You looked a little sad last week, so I made it so you’re always smiling, Sister!”

“How kind.Grazie, Maurico! It means a lot to me.”

“Prego!I’ll see you next week, sister! Hope you take care of it! Bye!”

“Bye.” Her voice was soft as she waved him off.

A moment afterwards, she stepped inside, closed the door behind her, and gave a tired sigh as she gazed at the makeshift lookalike doll. Glimmers of lovingkindness poured through her eyes as she touched it gently. It was as if it had restored her faith.

“Welcome back,” I said.

Her eyes trailed over to me, mediocrity replacing any former pleasant feeling.

“You’re still here,” she dryly commented, patting off the dust of her dress with an unconscious hand. The other tightly held the raggedy doll that looked like a ripped-off version of her.

“It’s a part of our whole negotiation.” I reminded her that I wasn’t here willingly, just out of convenience.

There was nothing but the presence of the cops, which made me stay.

“Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Blah. Fucking. Blah.” The curse word nonchalantly rolled off her tongue as she paused, threw her hands up, and exclaimed anguishly. “Shit! No fuck. Dammit. That’s not what I meant. Lord, forgive me.” She did the mark of the cross and then recited a Hail Mary.

I leaned back into the wall, crossing my arms, and observed her intently. “That mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day.”

“Tell me about it. How do you think I ended up here and with you?”

It was the perfect opportunity to know more about my supposed ally. “And where were you before here?”

She turned her head, staring off somewhere in space, almost reminiscent of a past she longed to still have. “Rome. Monte Carlo. Singapore. LA. New York before that.”

“Quite the world traveler, aren’t you?”

A faint smile appeared on her rosy full lips, like there was nothing more she loved to do. “It’s one of my favorite hobbies. I always wanted to travel the world ever since I was little. I dreamed of going to different places, exploring cultures. I’m a free soul. I don’t like to be bound by rules nor men. I want to live how I please until my last dying breath.”

One steady beat passed while the question daunted her mind.

“Did you miss that while you were … while you know, there?” she asked, throwing a glance in my direction.

“It came across my mind often.” I admitted, for some reason, telling the lonesome thoughts I hadn’t told anyone in years but repeated every day. “Being inside four walls can drive any man crazy. The only thing I wanted was to be far away from that cell, to be someone else so I can get my life back.”

“Mmhm,” she pondered loosely for a moment, staring into my gaze. “Then why did you take the fall?”

“Who says I did?”

Her lips parted, partly shocked and dumbfounded. “Well, I just assumed.”

“Maybe people would. After all, blackmail against wives, children, and family is a trick as old as time, but I had none of that.”

“Then what happened?”