Page 28 of The Sicilian's Obsession
"Why would that make me feel better?" Arturo was staring at me like I had three heads.
"I don't know; it's just a thing people do." I wanted to sink into my seat in embarrassment. Clearly, I did something that was socially unacceptable. Again. I never got the cues that people threw around. It made making friends hard until I eventually just stopped.
Surprisingly, Arturo barked out an unexpected laugh. "You're a mess, anyone ever tell you that?" I frowned at him. His eyes were playful, though, so I don't think he was picking on me at all.
"All the time," I deadpanned. That just sent him laughing harder until I couldn't stop holding back my smile. It was very hard not to laugh along with someone.
"What are the nightmares about?" It was so unexpected, my smile went away. I figured he would drop it, not ask about what they were. "Don't do that. It's just you and me. You can open up to me." Arturo was smart enough not to look at me.
I dug deep, trying to figure out how to explain them to him. "They are always the same," I started. "I'm in a small, enclosed space. It is dark and cold and lonely. I'm there wondering where I am and crying for my dad. I think I must be really young." I took a deep, shuddering breath and then continued. "After a while of pleading and shouting, he comes. I never see his face, but I can hear his voice. He always calls me little butterfly. I'm not sure who he is, but I'm terrified of him and I know he's a bad man." I couldn't go on. My monotoned voice cracked and I looked out the window, so I didn't have to look at Arturo.
"Fuck." His harsh voice cut through the silence growing between us. "Do you think you could have been kidnapped as a child?"
My head whipped to his, and I gazed up at him in sheer astonishment.
"No!" I stated harshly. "If I was kidnapped, I would know it. Other people would know about it. I'm sure it would've come up in your investigations." I sounded like I was trying to convince both of us. Somewhere deep within me, there was a feeling of rightness, like this was what had happened and had been kept from me. But like my father always said, those feelings were just delusions and should be ignored.
"I'll agree with you for now, but let me ask you this, how did your mom die?"
I didn't even pause as the answer came out of my mouth from years of saying it, over and over again, "A car accident." I watched as an expression of pure disbelief hit his face before he wiped it off with a frown.
"Interesting." Arturo focused back on the road, not saying anymore. Of course, my curiosity was piqued so I had to keep prodding.
"What's so interesting?" I demanded. Since Arturo had left me, I have learned that if I wanted something, I needed to take it. I couldn't wait for something to be given to me. Not only that, but I couldn't rely on anyone, not even Arturo, to keep me safe. Knowledge was power.
"If your mom was in a car accident, then how come there aren't any police reports? No press releases, nothing in the media, her funeral wasn't even in the obituaries," Arturo stated gruffly.
"What are you trying to say?" I crossed my arms over my chest defensively.
"I'm saying that the timing of your nightmares and your mother's death is suspicious. I think you were witness to something bad and may have been taken. I think your dad covered up the truth and has been hiding it ever since."
A voice in the back of my mind was whispering that Arturo could be telling the truth, that he has no reason to lie, but I couldn't stop what was ingrained into me.
"My father would never keep something like that from me. You don't know him or the sacrifices he's made for me every day."
Arturo scoffed, and that just made me fume.
"Sacrifices? Where is he, Katima? He is never here, he barely calls, and he is currently missing, leaving you in the hands of a security company he hired. If you were my daughter, I would shut down the company and make sure you were protected."
I whimpered in response and turned my body away from him. While I knew Arturo wasn't trying to hurt me, I couldn't help feeling like he had. I knew he was right, but I didn't want him to be.
* * *
Arturo
Katima spent the rest of the drive to Pittsburgh in silence. I was angry with myself. I shouldn't have pushed her. I could tell that she was starting to get upset, but I needed more information. Of course, I didn't have to push her so hard. I knew there was something wrong with her past. I was blinded by the need for answers. On the last stretch of our drive, Katima turned to me and started speaking again. We stayed away from hot topics and talked about mundane things. I regaled her of tales about my childhood. She talked about science and how she loved coming up with new flavors for the company. We laughed a lot. I had high hopes for tonight. Ma hadn't been pressuring me about bringing anyone over for a few weeks. It was like she knew I had met someone and was keeping quiet about it. I figured it would be in my best interest to warn Katima about what she was getting into.
"My ma, and really my whole family, are loud and a tad bit crazy." I could feel the heat creeping up on the back of my neck. I wasn't ashamed of my family, but they could be a bit much.
"I've never been around anything like that," Katima told me honestly.
I nodded as I said, "We can work with that. Just try to let me know if it's too much. No one will be offended if you need a minute to yourself." I grabbed her hand, so she didn't feel alone, lightly kissing her knuckles. I couldn't help myself. I couldn't keep my hands off her and I didn't really want to. If I was being honest, I wished I had decided to stay in a hotel rather than at home. If we were lucky, all the grandkids would conk out early and force their moms to stay, then I could grab Katima and dash to a hotel. I grinned at the thought of having my way with her after she handled meeting my family.
We pulled up to the gate. I gulped, worried what Katima would think. My family didn't always live in such a nice area—no neighbors, more security. When I got my company off the ground, I bought this property for Ma and built her this house. It was modest, like the Sweet's residence, but you could see some of the security measures that had been placed here. I had never thought about how secure this place was. I could have brought Katima here instead of the safe house, but then I would have Ma all over her like white on rice.
I pulled in and parked, turning to look at Katima. "Ready, baby girl?" Katima shot me a waning smile. I didn't take offense. I knew exactly the issues she would have to overcome meeting everyone. "I'm right here by your side, darling. Cling to me and squeeze my hand twice if you need me to pull you out. Got that?" I looked into her eyes so I could see that she was listening. She nodded her head and off we went, to meet my entire immediate family—no pressure or anything.
The door swung open and Ma wrapped herself around me. She smelled like home, and I could tell that she had been cooking for hours. My stomach rumbled in anticipation.
