Fabian paces around casually, pretending like he’s really interested in one of my paintings, but I’m thankful he’s within earshot. There’s been rumors circling around the tabloids about Philip lately, that he’s been soliciting women to drink their blood amongst other gory fetishes. Jakub isn’t thrilled with it, but without solid proof, there’s nothing he can do but put the Kings on him to keep watch.
I hardly believe this freak wants to play vampire with me, knowing who I’m engaged to, but for some reason, he just won’t leave me alone.
“Actually, the real reason I’m here is because I haven’t heard from your friend Janka in awhile.”
I nearly snort. “She’s not my friend. I haven’t spoken with her in months, Phillip. You’re probably better off talking to the police. They’ve been looking for her, too.”
“If you hear from her will you please call me?” he asks. “It’s very important.” He slips me a business card, and I nod and stuff it in my pocket. I’ll wait til he leaves to toss it in the trash. “I know you’re following me, Fabian,” he says on his way out the door.
“Freak,” Fabian mutters as the door swings closed behind him. “You really do need to get some better security in this place, though. I don’t like you in that back room with anybody being able to walk right in.”
“Yeah, we were supposed to do that this week… but with the funeral and everything…”
“How’s he holding up? I stopped by a couple times but that place is like a revolving door.”
“Don’t I know it,” I say with a laugh, blowing my bangs out of my face. “Did you know Mrs. Mazur very well?”
“Our mothers were friends. All of our parents were. It’s funny, though, even though we’re all grown now and we took over the family business, I still feel like I don’t really know who my parents are. There’s so much that happened behind closed doors that we never saw, which is understandable considering the nature of the business.”
“Did they ever talk about the Cammaranos?” I ask.
He looks at me and shakes his head. “It’s a shame what they did to Serafin. I wasn’t old enough at the time to get in on the action, but I know the war that followed was bloody. A lot of men lost their lives. Ultimately, we took over their territory, but I know that shit wasn’t pretty.”
I gulp back the lump in my throat, knowing I need to make right on my promise to Mrs. Mazur, even though Fabian isn’t the person I’m supposed to be saying this to. “When I talked to Serafin’s mom yesterday, she told me it was an inside job. She told me Serafin’s father wanted to start a war, so he used him as bait. I don’t know what to do, Fabian.”
He slaps his hand over his mouth and paces nervously across the room towards me.
“Why the fuck would she tell you that?” he growls.
I take a step back and put my hands in the air. He covers his face with his hands and drops his head, breathing in and out heavily like he’s hyperventilating.
“Maybe it was just whatever medications she was on. Maybe they were messing with her brain. I haven’t said anything to Serafin yet. I didn’t want to bring it up until he had a chance to say his goodbyes.”
“Mia, this needs to be taken care of now.” He lifts his head and looks me in the eye. “I know my father had his suspicions. He was always very cautious when it came to the Mazurs.”
He takes my hands in his. “I believe you, and I believe what she said is true.” His hands are shaking and he hangs his head.
“He’s going to hate me, Fabian. He’s never going to believe me. Those were his parents.”
“I promise I’ll back you up. You have to tell him. It has to come from you,” he pleads. “Hasn’t he been through enough?”
I bite my lip and sigh. Keeping this information from him isn’t kind. It’s not the kind of woman I want to be. It’s not what I want our relationship to be built on, deception and secrets. I know I owe it to him.
“I need to talk to my father,” Fabian says. “This is something that needs to be dealt with by all the Kings.”
I wrinkle my nose and take a deep breath. Serafin has given me everything. A home. True love. A second chance. What he needs from me now is the truth, even if it hurts him.
24
Serafin:
“Would you like me to bring you some aspirin?” Maria says softly, standing in the archway of the living room. I have the blinds pulled down but it doesn’t stop this one obnoxious sunbeam from beaming right onto my face.
We were supposed to be picking out wedding flowers, and now my entire house is filled with the nauseating smell of Krakow’s finest floral arrangements for my mother’s funeral. At least I can blame my swollen eyes on that and not the crying and the drinking.
I pull a blanket up over my head and shift on the leather couch. It’s not even remotely comfortable, but I’m too exhausted to climb the stairs to the bedroom.
“I’ll be fine,” I say from under the blanket. “Just, if you run into Mia, tell her to come talk to me.”
It’s not that she’s been distant lately, she’s been right by my side through all the arrangements, all the visits from random cousins and old cohorts coming out of the woodwork to pay their respects to my mother. Physically she’s been close to me.
But mentally, I feel like something is off. She’s barely talking. She isn’t eating. She’s like a zombie. When she wanted to go to the studio today to blow off some steam, I breathed a sigh of relief. I know she’s just trying to be supportive, but that’s not my mouse. That’s a dormouse, hiding behind me, too meek and timid to
