Page 32 of In It for the Long Ride

“That sounds like him,” Daisy confirmed.

“Yes. He was not the first man to make such a request of me. When that happens, or when I cannot place a child locally, there is an orphanage in Chicago that would step in and help.”

Petrillo gave a grunt and a subtle nod.

The three of us stared at Barnetti waiting on the local priest to finish his tale, but his lips floundered and no sound came.

Petrillo cleared his throat, “I had a parishioner, a man named Cesare. He had a wife, Francesca. They were faithful to the church, hard working in the community. Cesare was a voice for the Italian community at the time. People looked to him for advice and charity. He was respected, and he’d come into my office one day with some unfortunate news. It turned out heand young Francesca were unable to produce a child. Cesare confessed that he was struggling heavily and wearing himself out with prayer over the possibility of a barren future. I saw it as divine intervention, because you see, I had just had dinner with my friend Father Peter Barnetti. Peter was in a pickle; he'd traveled to Chicago with a pair of nuns and a baby to be placed in the orphanage. However, upon arrival they discovered that the facility had been forced to accept an emergency admission. Twins. There was no room for the Swanwick child. At the time, I was convinced it was God's way of providing just when someone needed him to.”

“Are you saying the child I gave up is in Chicago?” Daisy quietly murmured.

It may not have been quiet, but my pulse was suddenly ringing so loud in my ears I could think straight, let alone focus on sound.

Father Barnetti crossed himself as Petrillo clarified, “I’m saying Cesare Valentino adopted your child.”

My legs collapsed, and thankfully my weight settled on the arm of Daisy’s recliner. I knew what he was going to say even before he said it and I hated that priest for it.

“Demetri Valentino is your son.”

Chapter 13

Daisy

I satin the back of the car, numbly holding Blaze like someone might try to rip him from my arms. I’d run out of tears long before we passed Kankakee. The South side of Chicago crept up on us. It went from fields to congested lanes in no time at all.

The sun was setting, but it was still light enough for Blaze to see the promise of China Town when we slowed near a particular exit.

“Look, look!” he shrieked at the interesting dragon designs on some of the stonework.

“Wow,” I tried to force a smile for him, but it didn’t feel right. “Sure don’t see that down in our neck of the woods, do we?”

“No, but we have time to explore… Right, Montana?” The hope in that boy’s eyes was enough to pluck a real smile from me.

“We could try to fit it in,” Carl bluffed.

Blaze jerked his elbow down and fisted his hand in a triumphant gesture, “Yes!”

I stroked his short hair and kissed his crown. I’d spent many years worrying about his exposure to all of this, now I was no better than anyone else, dragging him to the city. I sighed and zoned out while we shot through the loop and passed the west side exits.

It felt like another hour before we pulled into a parking garage. I sat there, unsure if I wanted to get out or not. I felt like the world was gonna do a belly flop if I opened that door. Blaze stared up at me with a question in his eyes. I forced a smile and reached for the door handle just as it was jerked open for me.

“What the hell?” I spat, only for Crystal to stick her head in and snatch her son off the seat next to me.

I remained there with both hands in the air and my heart drumming while she spun her son around in a bear hug.

“Jesus,” I whispered.

Carl reached in and offered me a hand. I hesitantly took it and climbed out to see Crystal and Oakland chattering away with Blaze. Eric stood behind the trunk and once I started moving, we all gravitated toward an elevator in the corner.

“You live here?” I asked them, looking around the giant garage. It only had a handful of cars in it and a security fellow in a glass booth near the elevator.

“Yeah,” Oak nodded, “It’s uh… perk of the job, I guess.”

Eric made a low, throaty sound that was thankfully half muffled by the chime of the elevator door. We rode it to the fourth floor and when the doors opened it was directly into a foyer with black-marble floors and a water fountain in the center.

Oak and Crystal led the way through a hallway that erupted into what may as well have been a commercial kitchen. We all stood there looking around while Blaze ran through the place like he owned it.

“What’s going on? What’s the emergency?” Oak quietly asked.

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