Part Three
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ebony rubbed Fino’s back as he struggled with his math homework, then glanced at Molly. The other woman was staring out of the window, her face etched with such a bottomless grief that Ebony couldn’t help but feel terrible for her.
“Molly, honey, why don’t you go grab some private time? I’ll look after Fino.”
Molly turned to her as if she hadn’t heard what Ebony had said, but then nodded, wordlessly, and stumbled from the room. Fino, dark circles under his eyes, looked at Ebony. “She misses Dada.”
“She does, baby, we all do.” She stroked Fino’s dark curls away from his face. “You know, if you want to talk about Dada, anytime, you can always talk to me, or to Uncle Atlas, or Bella. I know Molly is struggling.”
“So is Uncle Atlas,” Fino said, with wisdom far beyond his years. He sighed and pushed his homework away from him. “I don’t want to do this.”
“Then you don’t have to, honey.”
Fino smiled at her, a soft, uncertain smile. “You’re not going away, are you?”
Ebony shook her head. “No, darling, I promise.”
Fino got up and came to her, crawling onto her lap and wrapping his small arms around her. Ebony hugged him tightly. Fino’s little body was trembling. “I want to see Dada.”
“I know, baby, we all do but…darling, you know we can watch old home movies, or look at photos.”
“It’s not the same. He would sing to me, or throw me in the air. Uncle Atlas…I wish he would do that.”
“You can ask him, my love, I’m sure he’d love to, it’s just he doesn’t want to upset you. I think he thinks because he looks just like Dada, that it will upset you.”
She felt Fino shake his head. “He doesn’t look at me anymore. I think he doesn’t like me.”
Ebony’s heart shattered. “Fino…Uncle Atlas is hurting, your Dada was his twin, and he feels…guilty that he is still here when your Dada isn’t. But he likes you, honey. He loves you so much.”
“It’s not his fault a bad man hurt Dada,” Fino whispered.
“I know that, but he feels responsible.”
“I miss him. I miss Dada. And my Uncle Atlas.”
Ebony’s tears flowed unchecked then, and she buried her face in Fino’s curls. “He loves you, baby, I swear he does. You haven’t lost him too. Just give him some time. He’s trying to make sure you stay with us for good now.”
Fino looked up at her. “Like as a new daddy?”
“He’ll never replace your father, sweetheart,” she promised, feeling his body rigid with confusion. As she spoke, he relaxed slightly.
“He’s my uncle. But will you be my momma?”
She smiled through her tears. “If you want me to be, then yes, darling.”
He didn’t say anything else, but his little arms tightened around her. Ebony looked up to see Atlas watching them from the doorway. His eyes were soft. “I love you,” he mouthed, and she smiled at him.
Later, after Fino was in bed and the house was quiet, Ebony and Atlas retired to their room, laying on the bed together and talking. Atlas, who had been meeting with his lawyer, stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Cormac doesn’t have a case, that’s the bottom line. I just don’t understand why he thinks he does, why he feels he has to do this. He’s always been an asshole, but I never thought he was this petty.”
Ebony shook her head. “I can’t tell you why,” she said, “maybe it’s just a reaction to Mateo dying. Maybe he feels guilty for treating him so poorly. Maybe he thinks by bringing Fino up, he can redress the balance.”
Atlas smiled and kissed her. “I love the way you try and see the good in everybody, even in the worst situations.”
“Atlas, you know you can tell me anything, right?”
“Of course.”
“Then tell me…is there anything, anything Cormac could use against you? However small, however insignificant. Because if I know about it, we can get out in front of it.”
Atlas sat up, studying her. “Ebony Verlaine…the fact you are so invested in this means more to me than you would ever know.”
Ebony sat up, crossing her legs underneath her. “Thank you, but you avoided the question. We swore to each other we wouldn’t hide anything.”
Atlas sighed, hesitating. “The only thing, and I mean, the only thing he could even try to use was a bust for possession at college, and it was one joint, personal use. It didn’t even go to court; I got a caution. But that’s fifteen years ago, and no judge is going to hold that against me.”
“Cormac must know all of this, so why the hell is he going through the motions?” Ebony sighed and wriggled closer to Atlas. “Darling, I can’t see this going any other ways than yours.”
He pressed his mouth against her forehead. “Me too, baby. You, I, Fino and the baby will be a family.”
He pushed her onto her back and covered her body with his. Ebony, smiling up at him, wrapping her legs around his hips, sighing as he thrust his cock deep into her. “I love you.”
Atlas’ pace quickened as his arousal grew. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”
They made love until after midnight, then fell asleep.
Ebony’s dreams that night turned into vicious, bloodthirsty nightmares, reliving Mateo’s murder, then watching in horror as each of her friends, her brother, even Fino, was slaughtered by a faceless man. Finally, he turned to her, gun raised and shot her again and again until she woke with a cry.
Atlas sat up immediately, and she told him about the dreams. He took her in his arms. “No one is going to come near us again, I swear it.”
But Ebony found she couldn’t go back to sleep. Her stomach roiled with nausea, and finally, she slipped from the bed and went to sit in the bathroom, leaning her hot head against the cool tile. For once, her body didn’t betray her, and she wasn’t sick – maybe she was finally turning a corner.
At six a.m., the phone rang, and Blue told them that a different corner had also been turned at the hospital. Romy was waking up.