Forgivable Sins (Bellandi Crime Syndicate 2)

I was found.

???

Calla

One year ago

Dead.

My husband was dead.

The man across the table stared back at me, pity and sympathy in his eyes.

I hated it. I hated that I'd gone from having everything I could ever dream of, to being the woman people pitied.

Leaving Axel and Ines with my dad even for an afternoon had been brutal, the way they clung to me desperately. Afraid that I wouldn't come home. A six and a two-year-old had no business knowing what that kind of pain felt like.

They were too young to understand. Too young to know their father had been gunned down on the street, working to keep people safe. Protecting us all. "Your late husband arranged for a considerable trust for you and the kids, should the day come when he could no longer provide for you. Your benefactor will use it to make payments into your account monthly, and it will be enough for the three of you to live the way you've become accustomed to for at least one year."

"I-I don't understand," I mumbled, wiping my nose with the tissue in my hand. It felt like I never stopped crying lately, even the knowledge that Chad had gone even more out of his way to see us taken care of after his death sending me over the edge. "Where did he get that kind of money?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss it, Mrs. Latour." He smiled at me, his face kind even in the face of my confusion. "But in the meantime, I hope it helps to ease the financial burden you're facing after his death. You can continue to stay home with your children during this time of transition, content knowing that you'll have money to pay your mortgage and put food on the table. Your benefactor is aware of all your bills and expenses, and he'll send you money accordingly."

"My benefactor. Did he know Chad?"

I asked, wringing my hands together.

"Yes. He knew your late husband very well and promised he would see you taken care of."

I nodded, but my eyes darted up into the camera briefly. The same feeling of warmth slid down my spine, the same way it had for years. I felt eyes on me so often it became my new normal. I knew something about this situation was strange, unusual, but the signature on the paperwork in front of me was my husband's. An exact copy of his scrawl I'd spent too much time telling him he needed to make legible.

"If he knew Chad so well, why didn't he meet with me himself? I don't understand why he wouldn't want to see me. I'd like to thank him," I said, holding my head high as I stared at the man in front of me.

He smiled, and something about him seemed so familiar. Like I'd seen him before in passing, but I couldn't place him. His brown eyes were warm on mine, his salt and pepper hair short and well-styled. He wore a fitted suit over his lean frame, and the style of it was refined. Expensive.

"He would like to remain anonymous for the time being, but I can promise you he only has your best interest at heart. There will come a time when it is more appropriate that the two of you meet, but for now the important thing is for you to take the time you need to heal. To grieve your loss, Mrs. Latour. I wish you the best of luck in what will undoubtedly be a difficult road."

He stood from the table in the office where we met, the elegant deep wood of the table seeming far too elegant for the industrial quality that the building held. The building was under construction, a luxury apartment building with renovations going on in the upper floors. The bottom level seemed to be most complete, and we met in the front office where I imagined a building manager might make himself at home.

But nobody occupied the office just yet, though it was set up to be luxurious and professional for when the time came. I stood after him, taking his hand for a shake. "It was nice to meet you, Mr. Lombardi," I said, swallowing down the threat of tears. He'd shown me kindness when he didn't need to, understanding how uncertain I must feel in the circumstances.

"Please call me Don. The pleasure was all mine, Mrs. Latour. I hope that the next time we meet is under more happy circumstances." I nodded, even if I felt confusion over why we would meet again.

I didn't understand what happened to my picture perfect life.

I stared into the camera before I left the office, unable to stop the way my skin tingled in that too familiar way. I could practically feel the person sitting on the other side of the screen.

Watching. Waiting.

Always.