His reaction to the plane would’ve made me smile had my thoughts not gone dark, but I had the presence of mind not to show him my displeasure; I didn’t want him thinking it was because of him. But I couldn’t help planning my next move in my head.
With the new information, I’ll have to change my approach. I always wanted to go after the people who were there that night, but that was when I thought they’d just been bystanders who had no real hand in what had happened to Ma. But now, knowing how active they were in the whole disgusting set-up, I’ll have to revisit my plan of action for them.
I realized once we landed after I’d spent the flight getting started on spoiling grandpa with every amenity on the plane, even going so far as to take him back to the bedroom to rest when the excitement became too much, that I hadn’t jammed the boys’ phones and Pop hadn’t been calling me. I guess they’d picked their side.
The drive to the castle took longer because it was much later in the evening with more traffic when we got back. I’d just done all that in twelve hours or less, and the adrenaline rush I’d been feeling all day came to a sudden end. Pop came rushing out the door as soon as we pulled up with a look of such terror on his face; I almost felt guilty.
He opened his mouth to speak, but then his eyes fell on grandpa. “Pop, this is grandpa.” His mouth fell open comically, and then Ma was there. No doubt they’d both been worried sick all day, but there was no way to avoid it. At least Pop knew the team was with me and that I’d be okay, and I’m sure he’d convinced Ma of the same.
“Sofia!” Grandpa stumbled towards Ma, who had the look of someone who couldn’t believe their eyes. She looked at Pop, then me, then her father in disbelief.
“Papa? PAPA!” I’ve never heard my mother speak above a whisper; now she screamed and cried as she ran into her father’s arms.
“How did you…?” Pop started to ask.
“Later, let’s get them inside.”
* * *
DRACO
* * *
Oh, hell, I’d almost yelled at my son for the first time in my life. The boy had put the fear of hell in me, and I’d been on a tear all day. When I couldn’t reach him after hours of him being gone, I thought I’d go insane. The fact that his team wasn’t answering their phones only added to my angst, and it was all I could do not to lose my shit, which I probably would’ve done had I not had to take care of my wife and keep her from suspecting anything.
He’d cost a few people their jobs, which I will promptly return to them in the morning when the sun comes up. I’m still coming to terms with the night’s happenings. My wife was in a room down the hall with her father, whom she refused to leave for even a second in the hours since he’d arrived.
The house had been pandemonium once all the relatives knew the story of who he was. My girls have no idea what happened to their mother. All they knew about her life in Sicily was that her mother had been dead for a long time, and she was looking for her father, who’d gone missing a long time ago. I never knew what they thought of the story, but it’s been years since they even brought it up.
My own parents have been nothing short of wonderful, accepting the old man into the fold like a long-lost friend and making sure he was comfortable. Gianna’s grandmother went above and beyond to welcome him as well, as the family fawned over him. He seemed a bit shellshocked, as is to be expected, I guess, and everyone is pretty much on a high.
Me, I’m celebrating something else inside. Not only because my wife has finally been reunited with her father, but because I’d been wrong about my boy. I almost did a little jig in the room by myself. So, this is what he’d been up to all along, and here I was thinking the worst. I enjoyed that little fantasy for all of ten minutes before Denver, and the others sought me out. “What is it?”
“Ah, there might be a bit of a problem.”
“What sorta problem? What’re you talking about?” They looked at each other, and I got a bad feeling in my gut.
“We don’t know what happened; he seemed fine after going to the convent.…” |
“Convent? What convent?”
“Oh, yeah, we went to a convent before we went to pick up your father-in-law.”
“Who did he see there?”
“We’re not sure; it might’ve been a nun. Anyway, after leaving there, we went straight to the place where the old man was staying.”