Page 32 of Vow of Sin

I want to see him again. Find out more about him.

Nico lectured me the entire way home to forget about Frankie.

He grabs my arm, not too hard but enough to get my attention. “Put that boy out of your head. Nothing good comes from chasing the enemy. After everything that’s happened, haven’t you learned that already?”

Sofia and Camila go inside first. By the time we reach the foyer, its empty. I slam the door and whirl around on Nico.

“I’ve learned a whole fucking lot the last few weeks. More than I ever needed to know. And you know what, I leaned more than anything.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “What is that?”

“That most people who do things in your best interest only want something for themselves. They’re not in it for you, but what they can get from you.”

He narrows his eyes at me. He knows I’m not just talking about how Luis treated me. Being around him has been like riding a seesaw. You never know when the person on the other side is going to manage to throw you off.

“Bullshit.”

“Not bullshit. Truth, whether you want to hear it or not. And you know what else, I want nothing from that boy. Nothing. Except to see him happy. To not be taken advantage of.”

Nico grabs me by the arms, holding tightly to my biceps.

“Goddammit. Listen to me. You are not to go anywhere near that boy again. I will not tell you again.”

He shoves me away from him and storms down the hall. I think about going after him, then stop myself. I’ve had enough of Nico for the night.

I shake the memory from my head. Nico’s wrong. That boy needs someone to save him. To show him that he matters, that he’s not a pawn in some fucked up war.

The only problem is, I can’t figure out how to see him without getting caught by the DeLuca family.

The ceiling of my room holds no answers. I think back to everything I learned about Frankie tonight. He was there to help his communion class.

Communion.

That’s it. I can go see him at the church. Not one member of the family will do anything to me in the house of God. It will give me the chance to talk to him. Learn more about who he is. The only thing is I can’t tell him is who his father is.

I go through the motions the next day, keeping my plan to myself.

My alarm sounds early Sunday morning and I quickly turn in off. No one else will be up for a while, giving me a chance to slip out of the house without answering any questions.

Quietly, I slip out the front door. Thankful that our security system can be turned on and off from my phone. My heart races in my chest. This is the craziest thing I’ve done in my life. All of those moments of keeping up the perception of perfect for Luis have faded into memories the last few days.

First, it was about survival. Now, it is about what I want. For so long I focused on what Luis wanted. What was best for Luis and the family and in the end, he didn’t give a shit about me or my wants.

He so easily pushed aside my desire to have my own children, but spent years hiding his illegitimate baby from me.

Even after everything, I found the desire to protect Frankie, to get to know him overwhelming.

I drive farther into the city. The Catholic church is only a few blocks over from the Italian Club. Even though there are others in the city, this one makes the most sense considering them waiting tables at the club last night.

I stay in my car until almost everyone is inside. The less attention I draw to myself the better.

The air is cool when I step inside, finding a seat in the back of the church. There’s not much of the service that I pay attention to. At least, not today. Today, I only care about one person in the entire building.

The entire place is full. It doesn’t deter me from continuing to look for him.

The choir starts singing and my attention is immediately drawn that way.

There he is.