Sempre (Forever) (57 page)

“Yes, and I assure you it’s authentic,” Salvatore said proudly. “None of those cheap knock offs from the streets of Chicago.”

Carmine took the watch off he was wearing and handed it to Haven before putting on the new one. Haven hesitated but slipped his old one on her wrist so not to lose it. “Shit, thank you. I’ve always wanted one of these.”

“You’re welcome. So, do you have any plans this summer?”

Carmine’s grip on Haven tightened, but his voice showed no sign of distress. “I have football camp. Other than that, we’ll probably just hang out before my brother leaves.”

“And after summer’s over?”

“I’m sure senior year will be kicking my ass for awhile.”

Salvatore raised his eyebrows. “And after you graduate?”

Carmine remained silent for a moment. “College, I guess.”

Salvatore’s smile diminished. He glanced at Dr. DeMarco as if he expected him to speak up, but Dr. DeMarco didn’t say a word. “And what of the girl?” Salvatore asked, his gaze shifting to Haven.

Carmine was the first to respond. “What about her?”

“I’m curious what your family intends to do with her,” he said. “Given the situation, I gather you don’t plan to let her be sold.”

Carmine’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”

“Of course not,” Salvatore echoed. “And after you’re gone for college, your father won’t want to live here alone with her. Just think of the gossip in such a small town. I’m sure the rumors are already aplenty.”

Dr. DeMarco cleared his throat. “You’re right. That’s why I’ve been weaning her into the outside, so she can someday join it.”

“That’s noble of you, Vincent, but I’m not sure that’s wise,” Salvatore said. “She must know quite a bit, living with the Antonelli’s and now being here. A lot of damage could be done if she opened her mouth. How can we be sure anything she’s seen or heard won’t be disclosed to anyone?”

Dr. DeMarco glanced at her. “I’ll vouch for her.”

His words were met with a bitter laugh from Salvatore. “Your judgment’s clouded. After what happened when… well, you know… I don’t think your opinion can be taken at face value.”

“It’s not the same,” Dr. DeMarco said.

“Yes, it is, Vincent. You know the dangers and risks. You can’t just let her loose without someone taking responsibility for her.”

It sickened Haven that her fate was being discussed as if she weren’t even there, but equally as shocked that Dr. DeMarco intended to let her go. She couldn’t fathom why the man would go through the trouble of paying for her if he planned to let her walk away.

“Maybe she should come with me,” Salvatore said. “She’d be taken care of in my home.”

“No way,” Carmine said. “If you need someone to take responsibility for her, I will.”

Salvatore shook his head. “You know you can’t do that when you’re not even a part of this. Besides, I’m just not positive that’s the right course of action. No offense.”

They seemed to be at an impasse when another voice chimed in, quiet but forceful. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Corrado. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze on Haven.

“What?” Salvatore asked.

“I’ll vouch for the girl,” he said again.

Salvatore looked as if he’d been hit. “Are you sure you want to?”

“It’s not a matter of want,” Corrado said. “If it’s necessary, I’ll do it. I trust Vincent when he says she won’t talk, and if she does, I’ll handle her. It’s simple enough.”

The rest of the afternoon was tense. Their guests departed around six in the evening. After they were gone, Carmine strolled into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around Haven as she stood at the stove. “I’m glad that’s over.”

He kissed the nape of her neck before taking his usual seat on the counter. Haven looked at him peculiarly. “Did he say anything when he was leaving?”

“Just the same bullshit he usually says. Told me to consider visiting him. Says he misses having his godson around.”

“Are you going to?” she asked.

“Honestly, I couldn’t care less about Chicago right now.”

Relief washed through her at that answer. She’d already have to spend a week without him when he went to football camp this summer. She couldn’t imagine him going across the country and leaving her behind.

She finished cooking and they sat down to eat together, the atmosphere in the house relaxed with the Capozzi’s gone. She still wasn’t completely comfortable, though, as Corrado’s eyes were on her throughout the meal.

After dinner, Carmine opened presents from his family. Feeling bad for having nothing to give him, she watched longingly as others bombarded him with an array of gifts. Afterward, they put on a movie and chatted, but she couldn’t focus on what was happening. Her mind was stuck on thoughts of the day, furiously trying to make sense of it all.

About halfway through the movie, she told Carmine she was going upstairs, wanting a moment alone. She headed up to her bedroom and climbed into the cold bed. She hadn’t slept in it in a few days, always finding her way into Carmine’s room at night after the two of them spent time together in the library. It was their routine, one that comforted to her. Reading and music, conversation and laughter were the norm for them now.

Pulling the blanket over her, she snuggled into a pillow and drifted off to sleep. She was awoken later by the bed shifting and blinked a few times as she adjusted to the darkness.

Carmine slid in beside her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her voice was thick with sleep. “What time is it?”

“A few minutes past midnight,” he said as she snuggled up to him. He was warm and smelled like a mixture of cologne and smoke. “The movie just ended. We were watching
Scarface
. Go figure.”

“That’s nice,” she said, although
Scarface
sounded like a horror movie to her. It reminded her of monsters, and a brief flicker of hers flashed in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly so to ward off the image of mangled skin. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you anything for your birthday.”

“I have all I need, Haven. We can be together now.”

“Did they really mean that stuff about me?”

Carmine buried his face in her hair. “Yes.”

The confirmation sent her emotions surging. “It’s that easy?”

He sighed. “I wouldn’t call it easy. The hard part is ahead of us. But you’ll be able to do whatever now: go to school, marry me, make a house full of babies if that’s what you want. Could leave my ass, too, if you’d rather do that.”

She was stunned he’d even think that. “I’ll never leave you.”

“That’s good to hear,
colibri
. I’m just saying you could.”

“What does it mean when someone vouches for you, anyway?”

He remained quiet for a bit, sleep nearly taking her under as she figured he wasn’t coherent enough to answer. He finally spoke, though, his voice barely loud enough for her to hear. “It means they guarantee your loyalty. Slaves aren’t the only ones who pay for other’s mistakes, Haven. Corrado just swore if you made one, he’d pay for it with his life.”

His words were like a current of electricity, shooting her straight up in bed. “He can’t do that, Carmine.”

Carmine propped himself up on his elbows, eyeing her in the darkness. “But he already did.”

“Well, he has to take it back! He can’t pay for my mistakes!” What had felt so right mere moments ago suddenly seemed horribly wrong. All she could imagine was more people suffering because of her.

“What mistakes do you plan to make that he’d ever have to pay for?” Carmine asked. “Because what they call a mistake and what you call one are two different things. He’s not gonna get into trouble if you break a glass or burn the damn dinner. They don’t care about that shit.”

“What do they call a mistake?”

“They’re not so much mistakes as they are life choices, I guess. People ratting them out is their biggest concern, so unless you plan to go to the police, I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“I’d never do that,” she said. “I’d never tell anyone.”

“I know that, and you know that. Hell, we all know it. But someone has to vouch for you, regardless. It's kind of like a security deposit. Someone has to take responsibility in case we’re all wrong, which we aren’t, but you know… technicalities again.”

She wanted to believe him, but it just felt like another burden she had to carry. “I don’t understand why he’d do that for me.”

A tear slid down her cheek as she lost her fight to hold them back, and Carmine brushed it away. “Somebody had to do it. It was either him or me.”

“But he said you couldn’t, because you weren’t one of them.”

“Exactly.” He paused, scratching his scruffy chin. “Look, my godfather’s a smart man. He came here for a reason today, Haven, and I shut him down. Salvatore wasn’t getting what he wanted, so he tried to use everything he could to influence the outcome.”

“He tried to use me,” she said quietly.

“Yes, but he didn’t take into account the fact that Corrado would speak up.”

Tears continued to slip down her cheek. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“I know, but Corrado knows what he’s doing,” he said. “You may not trust them, but you gotta trust me when I say this is the only way, baby. It’s the only way you can be free.”

Free
. She once looked up the word in the thesaurus Carmine had given her and memorized the words on the page: unrestrained, emancipated, independent, individualistic, liberated, self-directing, self-governing, self-ruling; antonym: bound, enslaved. That had been her—enslaved—but not anymore. Now, because of Carmine, she knew what the word ‘free’ meant, and soon, she realized, she’d know how it felt.

“I trust you,” she said, her quiet voice strained.

Chapter 36

Groggy, Carmine felt like he was in a fog as he dragged himself out of the bed the next day. After washing the sweat and grime from his body, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He desperately needed a haircut and a shave, but otherwise he looked like the same Carmine DeMarco. Same person he’d seen every day for years, but he didn’t feel the same anymore. It wasn’t because he was older or wiser—far from it. It was because of her.

He dressed and put on his new Rolex, smiling when he saw Haven standing in the library. She scanned a row of books, her fingertips grazing the spines. She was entranced, so relaxed and content around books that Carmine wondered if it was natural or a product of her upbringing. Did books fascinate her because she’d never had them before, or had she been born that way?

She pulled a book off a shelf, her brow furrowing as she studied the front cover. He chuckled at her expression, and her eyes snapped in his direction. “I didn’t hear you come out of your room.”

“You aren’t the only one who knows how to be quiet, Ninja.”

She smiled as she replaced the book on the shelf. “Hmm, well, maybe we should get you a bell, Carmine.”

“Hey, at least I don’t almost give you heart attacks. You used to startle the hell out of me. I thought for sure you’d need to give me CPR a few times.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Don’t be so sure about that. You make my heart race every time you come near me.”

He strolled over to where she stood and leaned down to kiss her. He nipped at her bottom lip as he pulled back, pressing his palm against her chest. “How’s the heart?”

“Feels like it’s going to explode.”

“It won’t,” he said. “It’s strong; it’s not gonna break.”

Her smile fell. “Promise?”

Carmine stared at her for a moment, confused by her sudden shift in demeanor, when it struck him what he’d said.

“Promise,” he said. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it continues to beat, hummingbird.”

“Good.”

“So what are you doing in the library?”

She turned around, scanning the books again. “I was looking for something to read. I feel like I should learn something.”

“I get out of school for the summer, and you decide it’s time to learn? That’s kinda backward.”

“I know, but if I’m going to be free, I shouldn’t be stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid, Haven, but there’s nothing wrong with learning. If you wanna learn, I’m all for it. Actually, you know what? I have an idea.”

Grabbing her hand, he got no resistance as he pulled her toward the steps. Once they reached Vincent’s office on the second floor, Carmine reached for the knob but hesitated. He knocked instead, and Corrado opened it, stepping to the side so they could enter. Haven stiffened as she took a seat, looking at Carmine nervously as Corrado walked to the other side of the room.

“Do you need something?” Vincent asked from behind his desk. He had his laptop open, his fingers stilled on the keys.

“I was wondering how hard it would be to get Haven a GED.”

Vincent sat back and pushed his glasses up on his nose. “Now?”

“Yes. Well, I mean, not right this damn minute, but soon.”

“Depends on what you want it for,” Vincent said. “We could have one made for her, but it might not pass a strict vetting process.”

Carmine shook his head. What was the point in getting her a GED if she didn’t learn anything? “I’m talking about her earning one.”

“Oh.” Vincent glanced at Corrado. “I suppose it wouldn’t be too difficult. She’ll need some documents and a driver’s license for proof of identity, but I can pull some strings and get her the stuff. All you have to do is make sure she’s ready to test.”

“Seriously?” That simple? “I wish I would’ve known sooner.”

“Don’t even get any ideas,” Vincent said. “You made it this far; you can finish high school. She wasn't afforded the opportunity, but there’s no reason she can’t test for a GED if she wants one.”

Haven glanced between them. “GED?”

“Stands for General Education Diploma,” Carmine said. “Or maybe it’s General Equivalency Diploma. I don’t know.”

Corrado shook his head. “General Education Development.”

“Whatever, it could stand for Goddamn Endocrine Disorder for all I care,” Carmine said. “It means the same thing.”

Vincent laughed loudly. “You just wished a hormone deficiency on the girl.”