Captured Innocence by Vincent Valentean

Author:Vincent Valentean [Valentean, Vincent]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-02-06T00:00:00+00:00

15

Maria sat at her kitchen table, holding a cup of piping-hot tea in both hands. She stared down at the surface of the smoking liquid and couldn’t believe how absolutely stupid she had been. But if she somehow forgot, Marco was more than willing to remind her.

“Maria, I know you know better than to let that fucking Fed bitch walk in here and start looking around and asking you questions without a fucking warrant,” he said, clearly trying yet failing to keep his composure.

“I know,” Maria insisted, letting the warm surface of the mug warm her palm. “I know. It was dumb.”

“It was more than fucking dumb, Maria!” Marco spat back at her. “It was the dumbest fucking thing you could’ve done. What’s the matter with you?”

“Marco, enough,” Salvatore said, holding up a hand to stop his raging.

“What’d you tell her?” Marco asked, pointing a finger in her direction now.

“Nothing,” Maria insisted, suddenly becoming frightened of her husband’s oldest friend. “I swear you got here right after she did.”

“You told her absolutely nothing?” Marco asked to clarify.

“Yes,” Maria said. “She showed me pictures from a car crash and said Dominic was missing, and then she started asking about the people he worked with, and I didn’t say anything! I swear!”

“Jesus…,” Marco said, pacing again and sounding as though he were about to launch into another tirade.

“Hey!” Sal exclaimed, raising his voice now and pointing a finger at Marco. “I said that’s enough, all right?” Sal wore a look of extreme severity, his jaw locking into place. He looked as solid and immovable as a statue in that moment, and Marco certainly took notice.

“All right,” Marco said, relenting and gesturing toward Maria. “I’m sorry, Maria.”

“Where’s Dominic?” she suddenly exclaimed, looking back and forth between Sal, Marco, and Giuseppe, who had yet to actually speak since coming into the house.

“We don’t know,” Sal admitted, though Maria thought she could sense that he was holding something back. “But we have some leads, right Marco?”

“Yeah,” Marco replied, shifting his weight back and forth from one foot to the other. “I know he’s alive. I was able to get that. But…Maria, I don’t wanna lie to you. It ain’t good. But we’re working on it, all right?”

“What the fuck is happening, Sal?” Maria said, turning her attention back to Salvatore, who she knew to be her husband’s top advisor. “Just tell me what’s going on. I have a right to know what’s going on and where my husband is!”

“Mommy?” Isabella’s voice called out from the hallway. She was standing at the base of the stairs, looking in at the four adults in the kitchen, clutching her new doll to her chest. She was clearly anxious and wanted to know what was going on.

“Isabella, go back to your room, baby, please!” she exclaimed, but Isabella was rooted in place.

Thankfully, Marco took that opportunity to jump in. He immediately walked out of the kitchen with a huge smile on his face.

“Hey, kiddo!” he exclaimed, smiling down at Isabella, who was actually his goddaughter.

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