Chapter 19 When honesty hurts

"I am glad everything is working out then." A wave of relief passes through me. I was one step closer to getting Mia back.

"Benvenuto..." Theo speaks my name like we are friends. "If you see something I would like don't hold back my friend." He adds. I am going there with one objective only and that is to get Mia back. I won't be hanging around to see the show. I can't even think about wasting my time when Mia needs me.

"Hello dear. A small familiar voice follows two soft knocks on the car window, almost causing my heart to skip a beat. Mia?

"Gracie, Theo. I need to go." I end the call turning my head towards the side that the voice was coming from, surprised by the face that follows. "Giorgia," I say her name in a manner of greeting Mia's mother while I lower the window. She looked ten years younger and I was surprised. It was a mere two weeks ago that she had heart surgery and here she stood in the street which I am sure she wasn't supposed to be doing.

"I thought it was you." She smiles a genuine smile. "What are you doing sitting outside all on your own? Come on in and I will make you an expresso that will keep you coming back for more."

"That is exactly what I need right now." I agree, Mia would kill me if she found out that I rejected her mother's invitation.

"What brought you to our door?" She question me once we enter the kitchen and she immediately busied herself with mailing a cup of coffee, surprising me when she uses a moka pot. A few things change over the years, like the right way to make coffee for someone from Italy.

"I wanted to know how you were doing?" I lie or rather slightly stray away from the truth. I did want to know if she was doing okay, but mostly I was here because I was hoping to remember anything else that was different that morning and partly also because this was where I can remember seeing Mia last, where we spent our first night together, as a couple, in a relationship like two ordinary people where our backgrounds and daily problems didn't exist.

"Where is she?" She questions softly sighing about her daughter like she was tired and there was no fight left. A question that I did not want to answer. I didn't like telling an untruth to Giorgia, the woman who looked so much like the lady I that can end my life. "Do not even attempt to lie to me." She answers like she was reading my thoughts, how she kept so calm and restful surprised me. She knew something wasn't well yet she didn't relinquish her temper.

"Why are you asking me this?" I frown keeping my eyes on her. A storm was definitely brewing in her green-brownish eyes, but she composed herself physically well.

"I have a very good idea of who you are and what you do Mr. Damian." Is she threatening me? I couldn't be sure, but I couldn't care less. I would give it all away in a heartbeat if I can exchange it for Mia's safe return and at the moment I was her best bet on getting her only daughter back. "I also know my daughter and no one would ever be able to keep her away from the people she loves unless they have to tie her up." The mental picture of a tied-up Mia settles at the back of my cranium.

"What did she tell you?" She had me curious, Mia obviously told her mother everything and so much more than I would have allowed her to.

"She told me nothing, but you forget... I and I come from the same block. I grew up around the Brambillas and you, my dear, remind me too much of them." She could have swore at me and it would have been nearly as insulting as comparing me to the low life Brambillas. The only thing they were good for was stirring trouble. I didn't give them a second thought they existed only to steal from the poor and the old and sold drugs to the youth. They are a street gang, lowlife thugs as I said. "Or maybe their boss." Her thoughts about me come out as slight as day.

"Or rather their boss's boss's, boss." Mentally I rolled my eyes at her. "Why did you come to America?" I question her seeing that we were sharing secrets and speaking so openly.

"I met my husband." She answers curtly and a little too quickly for my liking. I could see her demeanor change in the process when she moves her weight from one foot to the other. She was lying to me and she probably would have gotten by without me noticing if I didn't know her daughter who did the exact same forte when she was lying.

"Do not bother lying to me." I throw back her own words at her.

"I ran." She admits. "I have never told anyone about this part of my life, not even Mia, and if you care about her at all you won't repeat any of what I am about to tell you to her."

"Of course." I nodded taking a sip of the espresso she placed in front of me. She was right. I would definitely return for another cup. "I got messed up with the wrong crowd back in the day when I was still very immature. By the time I grew up and realized what I got myself into I was unable to get out. It is only when I found out that I was pregnant that my parents decided to send me here. It wasn't long after they sent me to America they both got murdered. The ones responsible were never caught and I can only assume the reason for why not, but I know exactly who killed them and I knew very well that he was never going to rest until I followed the same fate." She pauses taking a sip of her own mug. She seemed a little traumatized by her own tale. How much did this women suffer in her life? I have a very good understanding of what happens to women go through that get involved in our business and there rarely is any escape. Once you are in there is no out, but by blood. It is just how it was. It doesn't matter how young you are when you get trapped.

"I did the only thing that I could think of; I changed my name and married a wonderful and kind man who understood my situation and accepted me for who I was." She fights the threatening tears that wallow in her eyes.

"He comprehends you are running from?" I query the already emotional Giorgia.

"God, no!" She her articulation screams of shock. "He knows my parents died, I needed a green card, and that I was pregnant. He knows nothing about life and that is how he will be safe!" She orders. "That is how I keep them both safe!"

"I understand." I nod finishing my espresso. I respect that she decided not to tell them about that part of her life, I am not very keen on sharing my business too, but keeping a secret like that from Mia? About her truth. Who she is. I couldn't agree that it was best for her. Keeping her away from her own heritage. "Don't you think that Mia deserves to know the verity of who she is?"

"Tell me, Benvenuto. Do you tell her the truth about everything?" She threat carefully, but she has these circumstances read wrong. I may not always be forthcoming about every detail of my life or what I do, but Mia knows who I am and who she is with me. She knows more about me than I initially wanted her to know, even parts of me that no one else knew... Vulnerable parts of me and I do try to be honest with her, always. "I didn't think so." Giorgia accepts my silence for admission. "This is to keep her safe." She urges, willing me to understand and I partly do. It wasn't that long ago when I was in the exact identical position, although it didn't work out for me that we'll.

"For now I won't say anything, but we will re-evaluate later on, I believe that you should rather be honest with her." I decide to leave it there, it was after all not my secret to share and to me, it didn't matter who her father was. The only thing that mattered to me was finding her and bringing her home safely.

"So I told you the truth. Now tell me where my daughter is?" She demands rather than ask with the same forcefulness her daughter resembles when she starts to grow angry when the subject who is Madelaine came up. "Mike said the two of you were coming to the hospital, but neither of you ever pitched."

"We were in a car accident on our way to the hospital." I calmly inform her, but panic was written all over her facade. "She is fine," I add to calm down her suspicion. "She was taken."

"Taken by who?"

"Dangerous people, but I am getting her back tonight."

"What?" She screams letting go of the facade that she was putting up. "I just told you that I left my whole life behind, my whole family got wiped off the face of the earth so she didn't get to know this life and here you are; walking into her life and dragging her into that black pit! Everything I did was for nothing." She continues to blame me and she was right, this was all my fault. "Where have you been for two weeks while my daughter is a pawn in your game?" She grabs her chest with both her hands causing me to fly up just in time to catch her.

"You need to calm down," I speak softly placing moving my one hand behind her back while the other one lifts her into the air beneath her legs. She was light as a feather even tough she packed such a temper. "Take deep breaths, into with your nose, out with your mouth." I try to get her breathing under control as I carry her to her bedroom and slowly place her down on the bed. What was I thinking telling her this while I knew her heart was still weak? I don't even think discharging her from the hospital was such a good idea, she is still recovering.

"I need you to promise me that you will bring her home safely." She whispers after getting her breathing under control.