In Search of the Truth (complete)

Chapter 3

Giovanni was cleaning up his station when I walked back into the kitchen after we closed. He sees me and smiles. Then he looks into my eyes and his smile fades. "I can see something is bothering you. Is that why you volunteered to help close even if tonight it was my sister's turn?"

I tell him what I heard tonight.  Then he angrily starts growling in Italian " Se quello stronzo di maiale cerca di farti qualcosa. Lo farò a pezzi perché anche le poiane non saranno in grado di mangiarlo. Allora farà lo stesso a chi ti sta dando. Quel succhiacazzi in basso. Non permetterò a nessuno di ferirti mio."

"Gio. Stop." I plead and put my hand on his arm. I hear him starting to take deep breaths and exhale slowly.

He replies, "you will stay here. We will keep you safe until I find out what they are up to."

"Gio,  I have 13 days until I turn 18. I cannot leave them until I am legal. Otherwise they can accuse you of kidnapping. I will stay in my room and keep the door locked and I will put a chair under the knob for added protection."

"Unlock your balcony. I will climb up there and stay with you when you are there. If I cannot then one of my cousins will. I am going to search and find everything about them. Plus get some hacker friends to help because no one will harm you."

"Your parents will not like you staying with me. That is not proper if your caught there. It will cause more harm that good."

"MAAAAAAA!!! PAAAAAA!!"

I quickly cover his mouth, "shhhhh. That isn't why I told you. I don't want them involved. Your close to my age so if caught less penalty we can hide us being together easier. If they are caught they could loose everything."

"We need help. How can we hide being together to uncover what's going on?"

My face turns red and I stammer, "I will just say your my boyfriend."

"That will be our cover. But still we need help and they can provide it."

"I'm not sure. Let me think about it." Then I start to walk toward the back door.

Pa Martinez speaks up, "Young lady sit down now. Mama gets some hot tea. I will text your foster parents and tell them we had a problem and your helping to clean it up. Request you stay here tonight." I sit down and look at Gio and have a tear run down my face. He pulls me up and sit me on his lap where I break down into tears. He pats my back and lets me cry it out.  When I calm down I get up and sit down next to him. I take a sip of tea. "Now tell Papa about what is troubling you."

I tell him what I overheard. "Prior to coming into work I heard Chuck and Courtney talking. He was saying he will have to tell someone about y out of town scholarships. That those scholarships might cause him to not be able to get me when I am out of the foster program. That the guy might be furious about it. Honestly my first thought was trafficking. That Chuck might be trying to get me into that. If that is the case I could disappear."

Papa growls and says, "you have us and that won't happen. We will protect you until then. We can go to Mrs. Cassidy."

"No. It would be my word against his. I could get pulled from them and end up at a different school and loose my valedictorian and scholarships. I only have thirteen days until I turn 18. I am safe tonight, so that is twelve days. Plus I have three nights of the field trip. That only means nine days until I am legal. I won't cause you to get into legal trouble over me."

Gio replies, "you are worth it. I will stay with her if she goes to that house. I will sneak in through the balcony. Right now you spend most of the daylight hours at school or here."

"What happens if they catch you there? He could hurt you," I whisper.

"We are young people in love. Your 17 and I am 20. That is a good cover if they catch me there. I am strong so they cannot hurt me. If I need help I can call for backup."

Mama Martinez then speaks up, "I look at you as another daughter. Starting tomorrow after school we will go clean up and start fixing up that apartment upstairs. We will start slowly
Moving your stuff over here. Gio will stay at your place until you 18th birthday. We won't take no for answer and we will arrange for family to help patrol around you all other times. No night will you spend alone. If Gio cannot stay then you come here."

"But," she put her hand over my mouth.

"Now it's getting late. Gio your sister is already asleep. Get her something to sleep in. You go take shower and get into bed. Tomorrow morning Gio will go with you on paper route. You no longer be loud alone until we find out you safe."

Then I headed to shower and went and climbed into the other twin bed in Angela's room. The next morning I woke up and got dressed. I went downstairs and started to leave to head to do my paper route when Gio came up behind me. "You were not going to leave without me. Remember what was said last night? You were no longer going to be on your own."

I sighed and said, "When I woke up this morning I decided maybe I just over reacted."

"Maybe you didn't. I already got my friends searching. Now let me grab my bike from storage." He grabbed his bike and we started walking. He stopped and leaned over and whispered in my ear. Do you know we have two followers. I start to turn and he kissed me. He whispered, "don't look." Then said in a louder voice, "let's get your papers." We then did the route.

When on the route he said, "they stopped following us." When we got back he walked me to my house. He kissed me )655again and whispered, "they are back to following us." He followed me into the house.

When we got into my room and I went to slam the door in his face. He stopped it and came me. He closed and locked the door. "Why are you upset?"

I went to my closet and grab my school uniform. I marched to the bathroom. Bathroom and turned and glared at him, "because that is not how I ever pictured my first kiss." Then closed the door when I saw his surprise look.

I then got into the shower. I got out blew my hair dry. Then got dressed. I walked out the bathroom and stopped. The overhead light was off. The desk lamp was on and Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight was playing. Gio walked up to me and said, "I am sorry and your right."Then he pulled me into his arms and started dancing with me. I was surprised when he then leaned over and kissed me.

Then both of us were startled when Chuck banged on my bedroom door. "Open this door. Why are you playing music this early." Gio drew back and whispered, "that is how a first kiss should be remembered. Even with an angry male voice breaking it up, buts it's usually the dad." He gave me another quick kiss and then went to the balcony door and climbed over and disappeared. I then went and shut off the music. "I turned it off." I then grabbed my backpack and opened the door and went downstairs. I walked passed Chuck and did not say a word. I then made the coffee and walked out of the house. I was a block from the house when Gio came up beside me walking. We did not say anything to each other on my walk to school.

AUTHOR NOTE OF TRANSLATION
If that pig f***er tries to get and do anything to you. I will tear him apart that even the buzzards won't be able to eat him. Then will do the same to whom ever he is giving you to. That low down cocksucker. I will not let anyone hurt you.