Page 12

Tito

“What do you mean?” Valencia asked as she stared at Julianna.

“He is after you, right?” Julianna asked.

Valencia sighed and said, “Tito told me he sent Petrov to find me at the Metairie of all places.”

Julianna stared at her twin and asked, “I know and it almost cost Della her life. Do you know what he wants?”

Valencia let out a long sigh and admitted it, “Yes, I do.”

I sucked in a breath and looked over at her. “Valen, you don’t have to—”

“I do have to.” Valencia shook her head.

“I refuse to do this the wrong way, Tito.” She looked into my eyes and explained how she felt, “I allowed my hate for Jared to cloud my judgement and I just let Deacon’s men beat on him.

It’s going to take a long time to forgive myself for that mistake.

And what I did to Della was all wrong, why didn’t I see that at the time?

I kept pushing away doubts about Deacon and Ophelia over the last several years because I was too afraid of the truth.

I knew deep down something wasn’t right.

But I never tried to find the truth, did I?

If I lie to everyone now and involve you?

I just know I will regret it. And I already have too many regrets as it is. ”

“What are you talking about, mia cara?” my mother asked Valencia as she looked confused.

“You must know about how I got here, Zia,” Valen answered. “I was brought in while ziptied. I was lost, confused and angry.”

“I do not consider any of that to be your fault,” Mama said.

“You were fooled and lied to for your entire life. You are not guilty of their crimes.” Shaking her head, she added, “If that was true? I would be guilty of the many sins committed by my brother. Dio mio! There are not enough Rosary beads in this world to make that right. I would never be able to repent enough.”

Romeo and I both chuckled.”

“Do not laugh,” my mother chided us. “I pray to Mother Mary every day for that man’s soul.” She looked over at Valencia again and gently coaxed her, “Tell us what has happened.”

“Deacon texted me,” Valencia admitted as she took her phone out of the pocket of her sundress and tapped the screen to get to her texts. Handing the phone to Julianna, she then went over and sat at the kitchen table.

My mother came over with a covered plate. “It’s still warm.” She set it down in front of her then turned to wave at me. “Mio caro, sit next to her.” She motioned to the chair next to Valencia.

Of course, I did what Mama told me to do. I sat down next to Valencia.

Romeo and Julianna were busy reading the texts. Then Julianna raised her troubled gaze to look at Valencia. “Do you believe him?”

Valencia shrugged as she looked up at her twin. “I’m not sure. But I really do want to know why Ophelia took me, don’t you?”

“She was insane,” Romeo reasoned. “Who knows why she did a lot of things in her life.”

“Maybe,” I spoke up as I poured some juice for Valencia. “But if it were me, I would want to know the reason too. The woman had two sons and yet, she killed their nanny then got her job, just to kidnap Valen?”

“It could be just like we believed,” Romeo argued. “She wanted Deacon to have a sibling.”

“Could be, might have been…” Valencia shook her head. “I need to know why I was yanked from my real family and placed into their lives.”

“So, you are actually going to meet him?” Julianna asked with a frightened edge to her voice.

Valencia took a sip of her juice and set her glass down. “I wanted to but I don’t think we can.”

I took my plate from my mother and placed it down onto the table. Looking over at Valencia again, I asked, “You changed your mind about this?”

Shaking her head, she replied, “It doesn't matter what I think or want, Tito.”

“The hell it doesn’t!” I exclaimed. “This is something a person can’t just up and forget. He can tell you why. Or give you whatever he has that explains it. Then you will know and can get on with your… our life together.”

The kitchen went silent as Romeo and Julianna stared at me and Valencia.

“Oh, wow!” Julianna smiled. “That’s wonderful, Valencia.”

She smiled back at her twin and said, “Call me Valen.”

I chuckled as I ate a forkful of scrambled eggs.

Romeo and Julianna looked over at me.

I shrugged as I swallowed a biteful. “Valen suits her better.”

Julianna came over and put an arm around Valencia’s shoulder. “I don’t care. I do love the name, but I’m just happy about this news. You and him together.” She beamed at her twin. “I was hoping this would happen.”

Taking a sip of her juice Valencia stared at her. “What?”

Romeo laughed. “We could all see how Tito looked at you. I think that started the day you arrived. Then he followed you around like a puppy dog.”

“Woof, woof! I beg your pardon, counselor.” I scoffed. “I do not resemble a puppy dog!” I picked up my toast and took a huge bite. Then gave him a grin.

They all laughed.

“Maybe a pit bull puppy?” Romeo joked.

I chewed and swallowed, then rolled my eyes. “Anyway, I did follow her around and I admit it. I did fall for her.” I grasped her hand and squeezed it. “But I really couldn’t be sure she would feel the same way about me. Turns out, being a puppy dog actually has its perks.” I smirked at Romeo.

“And…I am sooo happy! Molto bello!” My mother gushed. “Not about the puppy nonsense. But I wanted my Tito to have his happy ever after! Rocky found his and now you. I wonder if Francie…”

“Mama, she is awfully young,” I interrupted her musing over my baby sister.

“Ha!” my mother exclaimed. “I met your father at about that same age.”

I shook my head at her. “These days, most people don’t get married at like twelve.” I scoffed.

“Twelve?” she retorted. “Bambino, I was eighteen and your father was twenty-two.” She raised her chin up and said, “Your little sister is twenty-three, Tito. You are going to have to see her as an adult, a full grown woman that will fall in love too. Just like you have.” She beamed at me. “You now have a happy ever after.”

“I do but you can see why we need to get past this first, right?” I asked her. “We need to find out the truth about this if we can. If it were me, it would be something I needed to know too.”

Julianna nodded. “I agree. I grew up without my sister and I always wondered why. But it was obvious that O was a cruel person. Look at what she did to her own family.”

“Yes, we can all agree on that,” I said.

“But what she did back then was too calculated to be just something she did for kicks. I was there when the Walkers were here. I listened to Jared and Liv’s stories about Ophelia.

She caused a lot of misery, but it all had been meticulously planned out too.

This had been done the same way. Why else would she break from her crime syndicate to go back east?

It was very intentional and well thought out. ”

“Yes, it was,” Romeo agreed. “She kills your nanny then takes a job as your family’s new nanny. Then she nabs Valencia…Valen.” He smiled at Valencia.

“She set out to deliberately take her,” Julianna agreed. “It wasn’t like she was obsessed and did it on the fly. I mean she was only with us for a few weeks.”

“So how the hell are you gonna get this past my father?” Romeo asked me.

“You can't pass it by him,” my mother said.

We all looked over at her.

“Mama, we can’t keep it from him,” I told her.

“Oh, dio mio! I know that. If you did and he found out? He would flip his lid. Talk about an eruption from Volcano Stephano.” She shook her head. “He is bad enough on a good day. Let alone if he found that out.”

“Then what do you mean?” Romeo asked her.

“You tell him, but you do not allow him to make it a kill mission.”

“Mama, I don’t think that’s possible,” I said. “You don’t disallow Uncle Stephano to do anything.”

“And this is about revenge for Papa,” Romeo added. “Deacon tried to kill Legend, Tito and Rocky when he had his men attack that limo on the freeway.”

“Si, I know he wants this Deacon dead,” my mother agreed. “I know all the sins he has committed, but this is about Valen’s future. She needs this. She needs answers.” She looked up at Julianna and added, “They both need it.”

“That doesn’t mean that Uncle Stephano will agree to just let the man go free.” I shook my head.

“It's a hard thing,” my mother replied. “His war plans up against the future of a young girl. So maybe, we just don’t tell him.”

Valencia stood from her chair as she looked upset. “This is why I said we cannot go. Why I can’t secretly meet Deacon. I refuse to be a problem for others. To be the cause of an argument. Especially between Stephano and the rest of you.”

“And what if it is a trap?” a voice came from the entryway.

We all knew the voice only too well as we reluctantly turned to look at Uncle Stephano.

With his suit neat and as a sharp pin, he wore a smirk on his lips. Crossing his arms over his chest, he asked, “After all I have done to keep us safe, you plan to trust this killer while keeping this from me?”

Valencia looked over at him and bravely replied, “We were not going to keep it from you Mr. Descalia. I already told them we couldn't do that. But I do need to find out why Ophelia took me.”

He walked further into the room and said, “The answer is simple, mia cara. She was fifty percent evil and fifty percent insane. That is why.” He narrowed his eyes at her and asked, “What has happened here?”

I stood from the table to answer him, “Valen got a text from him this morning.”

My uncle swiveled his gaze over to me and asked, “Valen?”

I smiled at him as I replied, “Yes, Valen.” I took her hand into mine.

Her cheeks flushed to a bright pink.

“Quindi è amore, eh?” Uncle Stephano asked as he smirked.

I nodded.

“Deacon texted her,” Romeo explained as he still had Valencia’s cell, he paused to give Valencia a questioning look.

She gave Romeo a nod of permission.

He then handed it over to his father.

Uncle Stephano peered down at it and scrolled as he read it. “Hmmm.” He looked up at Valencia. “Do you believe he is telling you the truth?”

Shrugging, she replied, “I hope he is. I can’t think of why else he would ask me to meet him.”

“Si, my thoughts exactly,” Uncle Stephano murmured. “Why else? He knows you are here with us. How does he think you will get to wherever this is to meet him?”

Valencia stared at him then slowly shook her head.

“You mean he is laying a trap,” Julianna said.

“For me?” Valencia exclaimed.

“No, mia cara,” Uncle Stephano said. “A trap for us. For the Descalias.”

Sitting down in her chair, Valencia sighed. “I hoped he would have the answer. I hoped he was telling the truth.”

My uncle scoffed. “I talked with him a few times when he was in our custody, mia cara. And honestly, I am unsure if he lives in the truth? He refused to see what a monster his mother was. He hangs on to all the lies she told. I tried to show him the evidence the Walkers produced and he said they were all liars. I know he claims to have something to show you, but truly my dear,” Uncle Stephano reasoned.

“Why would he take a chance on getting caught by us or the Walkers just to give whatever this is to you?”

Valen slowly stared up at him and gave him a softly spoken reply, “Because for twenty years, he was my big brother?” A lone tear rolled down her cheek.

My uncle did not reply. His expression was unreadable.

Good thing, because I would lose it if he said anything hurtful to Valencia. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and looked up at him. “I have never asked for anything beyond what I’ve earned, Uncle Stephano. But I request that you allow us to go to this meeting.”

“Alone?” my uncle asked. “No Tito, you and Valen,” he paused to actually smile at her.

“Are very important. I dread to think…” He shook his head.

“It is hard enough as it is to live with your mother, let alone… Dio non voglia. Heaven forbid, if I allowed something to happen to you. You will have protection and backup.”

I cocked my head at him to ask, “And you won’t interfere?”

“Not during the visit,” Uncle Stephano assured me. “But as this Deacon should know, after you leave, all bets are off.”