His Angel

Chapter 12

Abele raised his right hand, touching his forehead, the centre of his chest, and his shoulders one at a time. Then, he shifted the gear to drive as I sat beside the devil himself with erratic nerves. The recent events occupied my thoughts, recapping and trying to figure it out. The first time was a prey unable to outrun the inevitable. Death. The second time was a predator embracing his natural instinct. Kill. The third time was an introduction to the real world. Greed. Killed for the money, died for the cause, and green earth spun on its axis. It made me sick. I needed to know and now I wasn't sure what for. I couldn't have saved that man. I couldn't have saved Jack. In some ways they dug their own grave. Maybe for being a rat or maybe for involving with the business in the first place. Although, even with that mindset, it only made me realise I jumped right in the hole I shoveled myself. I still felt helpless. I guess there was a reason why they said, "Ignorance is bliss."

"Are you going to kill me too because I know too much?" I asked Luca with spurious serenity.

"No...no, my Angel," he said with the audacity to sound almost as if he was hurt. He tried to reached for my hand but I was quick. I held it up, signaling him to stop. "I told..."

"I know what you told me," I interrupted with a voice so soft, I almost fooled myself this was an ordinary conversation. "You're not going to hurt me and that I have nothing to fear from you." I looked him in eyes. "I'm sorry but the things I saw contradict that. If you're not going to kill me then let me go. What good am I to you?" There was a look of concern to him before it was replaced with one of detachment.  

"This was not exactly how I pictured it but you were going to find out anyways. Since, the first time I laid my eyes on you I decided I wanted to keep you." It made me thought of something similar to owning a pet when he said keep. 

"I'm not complaining I'm alive but why? You hardly know me."

"It's hard for me to explain. I could explain it in many different ways. Shit, one of them might even sound lawful." He dragged a hand on his jaw, scraping the bristles of what was to become a beard. An outsider would assume he was just scratching an itch. However, I recognized this action. He did it right before he pulled the trigger on Jack. I think he does it when he took delight to a perverse humour. "But all of them are reasons to justify my selfishness. I told you I'm not a good man."

"No, you're not," I said quickly as if I couldn't say it fast enough. "So, you're...what...the Italian mafia?" I met Abele's eyes in the rearview mirror. He was quick to avert his gaze on the road. The awkwardness he was feeling was nothing to the embarrassment of spewing those words. 

"No, my Angel. I'm no Sicilian. My grandfather was once a picciotto. A soldato who couldn't become a made man because his forefathers didn't originate from Sicily. The only reason he was even a soldato was because he made one of the five family a lot of money. Then, he made so much and gained enough influence to create his own...business organization."

"Huh? I don't know much about this other than the obvious but I thought no one can quit the mafia."

"Yes but my grandfather was making them more profit separated from the family's name. All he needed to do was make a promise of a long lasting business partnership. It created a friction at the beginning but it died down once their pockets were filled."     

"Oh," I said lacking the words to respond appropriately. I gazed at the tall buildings that we were passing by and the people rushing to their appointments. To think there were so many dirty dealings that happened everyday unknown to society. It was all so...repugnant. 

I entered the door in the kitchen that opened to a hallway with two doors on each side. The second door to the right was my room. Immediately upon entering, I headed straight for the bed. I laid my head on the pillows, feeling exhausted. I closed my eyes to sleep even though it was too early. I doubt my restless mind would allow me peace tonight regardless if it was early evening or midnight. Nonetheless, I longed for slumber to put at rest the thoughts which played havoc in my head. I'm not exactly sure what was going on with me. However, I feel as if I had been looking at the world with a lens and today it was forcibly taken off. I didn't like it because I felt as if I was facing it all alone. It reminded me of when Mama never came home. I felt my chest tighten and I waited for the tears. It seemed even they didn't want my company tonight.  

"Angela?" I heard Betty called my name. 

"Angela," she repeated, flustered, full of worry. She opened the door and simultaneously turned on the lights, blinding my vision. "There you are! I was calling for you."

"Betty, what are you doing here? I thought you're not due till morning," I told her while she sat herself beside me.

 "Luca called and said you can't be alone tonight. I was worried." She gently tucked the strand of hair that fell out of place. Then, she continued to stroke my head in comfort. I forced a smile for the sake of the kindness she was giving me. "What's the matter dear?" I thought for a moment of what to tell her. It's not like she wanted to know. She's perfectly comfortable being kept in the dark. Before today, I may had criticised her but now I could understand where she was coming from.  

"Nothing. I just have a lot on my mind. There were some revelations I thought I was prepared for but it turns out I wasn't all that ready," I said. Betty frowned and concern morphed her face. She may not know the details or had suspicions that went unconfirmed. However, she couldn't have worked for Luca for so many years without knowing anything at all. She knew exactly what I was talking about.

"I see," she said. "Oh my poor child. I can only imagine what you must be thinking." She sighed. "Tell you what. I'm going to tell you a story...about Luca and his family. I shouldn't but I feel you must know a little something about the man."