Page 103 of Stolen Kisses
I’d booked our bus tickets for eight. It meant we’d be travelling through the night just like last time.
“Mama where are we going?” Flynn asked.
“We’re gonna go somewhere fun. Lots of mountains with snow in the winter.”
He frowned. “Why can’t we stay here? I like it here. Uncle Dante said I could live here.”
I couldn’t break his heart and let him know his mother had managed to fuck everything up once again. Yet again I’d screwed up.
I’d ruined it all with thinking I was doing the right thing keeping secrets, but I wasn’t.
Dante was so right. I should have told him. I should have said something to him all those years ago.
I should have left it to him to decide what he wanted to do with the information. In my pursuit to protect him, I ended up damaging everything. In the end none of my reasons were valid.
He saw it as me withholding information specifically from him. He didn’t get my point and I guess it was understandable. Even though I didn’t know for sure until today that Elliot was Christina’s killer.
The fact that I had a name incriminated me.
“Things change baby. Things happen.”
Things happened and I wouldn’t want to be here when Dante got back. I didn’t want him to throw me out or ask me to leave. It would be worse than him looking at me the way he did with so much disappointment in his eyes when I’d told him I loved him.
The thing was I almost knew what was down this road. I almost knew what would happen. It was why I had never wanted to work with him.
My guilt over Christina’s death was always there, because I knew I couldn’t save her, and this thing today just made me feel worse.
“It’ll be an adventure.” I added picking up the bag.
We managed to slip out the back door. Once on the road I called a taxi that took us to the bus station.
The good old bus station where I’d come in from Florida weeks ago. I didn’t think I’d be leaving so soon. This time with my heart broken in so many pieces. It would have been better if I’d gone somewhere else.
It had just gone seven when we arrived so I thought it would be best to get Flynn something hearty to eat so it would hold him for the journey.
We went into McDonalds. I ordered a happy meal with extra-large fries and ice cream.
“Do you need the toilet?” I asked him and he nodded looking sleepy. I was glad, because that meant he would drift off as soon as we boarded the bus.
I took his little hand and led him to the ladies.
He’d gotten to that age now where he didn’t want me helping him so I allowed him to go in the cubicle by himself.
When he came out to wash his hands someone came in, a man.
A man in the ladies’ room.
I instantly tensed. The man came in and looked at me. I was about to ask him what the fuck he was looking at when Franco came in from behind him.
Franco …
He was here. Shit, he was actually here.
God in heaven I couldn’t breathe.
“Maria, Maria … why have you been avoiding me?”
“Is that another friend Mama?” Flynn asked much to Franco’s disdain.
