No Boundaries(59)
I wasn’t afraid of death. I couldn't be, not in my family. The only thing that I was scared of was that once I told her what a monster I was, she would reject me. I was worried that she wouldn't think that me taking revenge on the man who had hurt her mother was worth it. Maybe she would think it was the wrong decision. I wasn't sure.
“When is my meeting set with the parole board?”
Richard shook his head. “Still set for next month. Got a great judge on it, so it's going to be easy. And then you walk out of here a free man, with only four years under your belt. That's a personal best for me.”
I smiled at him. “And I'm sure my family will reward you handsomely for that.”
He sat back and folded his hands across his rather large belly. “You have no idea. Your mom misses you the most. But your dad is still running business as usual. Nothing that we can talk about here, of course.”
“Of course. Besides, this is a personal call, right?”
“Yup. I have absolutely nothing to report from the family. Just that they want you home for good. They don’t want you taking the fall for the family anymore.”
“I'm ready for that too. About this little additional piece of information—you keep that just between us for now, got it?”
He nodded. “You wrote the check for this one, kid. I only report to you.”
I put my hands behind my head and thought about it for a moment. Vienna. Back in Baltimore. Hopefully back with me.
4
Vienna
I walked past the empty table and sighed heavily. Leah saw the look on my face and immediately knew what was wrong. She rubbed my arm in an affectionate way. “We all miss him, honey.”
“I know. Just these mornings are a lot harder without him.”
I stared back at the empty table that Mr. Herman had sat in every day for the past year and felt the pain of his loss in my chest. He had been such a kind old man, and made working here so much easier. He came into our diner for every meal and was always happy to chat with all of us. He was like the grandfather I always wished I had. Just last week, he passed away in his sleep. They said it was peaceful, and he felt no pain. At least that was something. Leah and I had gone to his funeral. It was nice to meet his family for the first time. They told us how much they appreciated how well we'd been taking care of him for the past year. But really, it had been my pleasure. That man gave me something to look forward to every day. He made it so I didn't feel so lonely all the time.
“I'm gonna take my fifteen. Tell the boss?”
Leah just nodded solemnly. I walked back into the kitchen as I untied my apron from my waist. I passed the servers’ small break area and threw the apron on the counter and bee lined for the back door of the kitchen. I quickly pushed it open and took in a much needed breath of fresh air. The bright summer sun fell on my face and gently warmed my skin. I needed to get out more, maybe take up running or get a dog. The sun made me feel human again, and with so much darkness in the world, it really was the only light. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of the sun calm my nerves.
I walked past the trash to sit on a bench by the road and saw a newspaper there from the day before.
“Mobster makes it out of jail” was the headline.
I grabbed the paper and took it with me to the bench. Reading the article, I immediately knew who it was about. I made a call. My hands shook as I held the phone. I couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Everything I had waited for.
“He’s out.”
“We knew that was coming. Have you seen him?”
“No. But when I do, I know what to do.” I tried to sound stronger than I was. But if I didn’t, he would lose it on me. Again. I still had the marks from the last time I screwed up. Bruises that were yellow from healing.
“Good. Make it count. Make him pay for what’s he’s done.”
“I will.”
I left the paper on the bench as I walked back to the diner.
Luka Gioti would come for me. And I would be ready.
He was the reason my parents were dead.
5
Vienna
Just a few days later, I was working the night shift. The place was empty.
“I think I’m going to knock off early. There’s no one here,” I said to Leah as I filled some salt containers.
“Go for it. I’ll close up this time.”
I smiled at her. We had helped each other out so many times that neither of us felt bad anymore about leaving early or asking to exchange shifts.
I left my apron under the counter and took my tips for the night. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, waving to her as I left.
I was counting my money when I heard a loud engine enter the parking lot, startling me. I moved from the back parking to the side of the building to get a better look at what had startled me. A silver sports car drove up into the parking lot, and it seemed woefully out of place. The diner’s lot was usually filled with an array of minivans and small sedans. The revving of the powerful engine did not fit in.