She took a long pull from the water bottle and then pressed it against her throat. “Don’t be an ass, Taviano. I already told you I would do whatever it took to help out. I asked you for help with my friends. I insisted on going with you. All along you kept giving me an out. I kept going with you and asking for more. Every choice was mine. If we have to marry, you need to know you aren’t getting any bargain.”
She hesitated, moving the bottle from her throat to her forehead, pressing it there and then taking a breath to continue. “In spite of the fact that I threw myself at you when I was drunk, I haven’t been with a man since I was a teen and I was gang-raped repeatedly by my step-uncles. The only other man I’ve been with was Benito Valdez, and that was rape every single time. I fought and lost the battle. I don’t even know if I can have sex, let alone enjoy it. I don’t know if I can have children, if that’s what you’re looking for. I don’t know a lot of things that would be helpful when one is thinking about marriage.”
Taviano noted she avoided looking at him, when before she’d been so direct. “Tesoro, there is no need to worry. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“It’s a pretty big bridge. You cheat on me and we’re done. I’m not the kind of girl who puts up with that kind of thing. You knew what was happening and I didn’t. You could have stopped it, but you didn’t, so no matter what, those are the consequences.”
“I want you to be very clear on that, Nicoletta. I couldn’t have stopped it. Shadows are a force of nature. They connect. They twist together. I knew it was happening, and yes, I could have made an effort to stay away.” He hadn’t because he’d been so drawn to her. He had wanted—even needed—a closer connection with her.
“Just tell me about what it is you do. What the family does. How it all works and why you’re so secretive.”
He might as well. He’d already gone this far, and she had promised to marry him. If she didn’t, he had no choice. He would have to break it off with her, and that would destroy both of them. She would forget everything he told her.
“I’m sure, in the years you’ve lived with Lucia and Amo, you’ve heard the rumors about the Ferraro family.”
“Of course. That you’re members of a crime family. That you’re mafia. That you have a territory, and the Saldi family is the greatest enemy. Naturally I’ve heard the gossip.”
“What else?”
She sighed and pressed the bottle to her forehead again. He knew immediately that the headache still persisted. “Some say that if a family has a problem, one can request a visit with Eloisa, and she will listen to that problem and make it go away.”
He nodded slowly. “That is what they say. So, if in New York, a social worker goes to my cousin’s grandparents, former riders, and requests a visit with them, they grant it of course. An afternoon tea. Perhaps coffee. Here, in Chicago, the social worker might meet with Eloisa for the same thing, a simple tea, just a nice friendly visit. In Los Angeles, you met a couple of my cousins. Their grandparents also would meet with that same social worker upon a request and also sit down to a nice cup of tea or coffee for a pleasant visit.”
Nicoletta frowned at him. “There are riders in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles?”
He nodded. “Also in other countries, although we are very few and getting fewer.”
“Children?” she guessed. “It’s probably difficult to find each other and have children.”
He wasn’t going there yet. “In our world, these former shadow riders are now known as ‘greeters.’ All riders are born with the capability of hearing lies. Some, obviously, are better at it than others. We develop the gift as we grow. I’m certain you have the ability.”
Taviano waited for her to nod. Her gaze was on his face, and that steady stare was a little disconcerting. He’d wanted her to understand his world, but her comprehension level and learning speed was astounding. She was picking up what he was saying far too quickly, jumping ahead, without further explanation. He wasn’t going to be able to hold anything back. If he did, she would guess accurately anyway.
“In the first part of the visit, the greeters simply talk with the visitors, establishing their patterns of speech and breathing. Then they ask them why they’ve come. The visitor lays out their problem. We’ll use the social worker for our example.” He kept his gaze steady on her face. “She has a young girl that she’s worried about. She can’t get her out of the terrible abusive situation she’s in. Her parents died in a car accident and the teen was placed with her only relatives, but they are members of an infamous gang.”