Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“I’m so sorry for your loss my dear. You must miss him greatly. I do,” she said in the kindest, sweetest way imaginable.
“Thank you,” I said.
“I heard about you from him. You’re working in publishing, right?” she asked and I nodded with a smile.
“Yes, I was.”
“Your father was very proud of you,” she said.
I felt emotion choke my throat so I just nodded.
“Mr. Leone was very special to Dante. He was the only guest here and sometimes he would come over when Dante wasn’t here too.”
I was surprised to hear this. “Really? He did?”
“Yes, she answered. “He was so comfortable here that sometimes he would spend the weekends here.”
“He liked peaceful places,” I said. “So, I’m sure he liked it here.”
“Oh, he did,” she said. “Especially during late autumn. All of the trees along the lake would be that striking burnt orange and he would come all the time just to settle down and relax there. He never stayed long, but whenever he came, Dante would always find the time to come over to see him.”
Her smile was sad.
“Anyway,” she said as she resumed her chores. “I have access to anything you need so just say the word.”
“Thank you,” I said and turned around to exit the kitchen.
I decided I liked her. She was soft and sweet. I started to head back to my room, but I was sidetracked by a huge living room that led out to a massive outdoor patio. I took a seat out there and looked out at the lake and the sky.
My father sat here and I never knew.
I sat there until sunset. Staff came to light the storm lanterns and start up the fire pit. It was very beautiful, but suddenly, I became nervous. Where was Dante? The longer I sat, the more frightened I became; I couldn’t stop myself from calling him.
His phone rang and rang and then it disconnected.
There was no way he would be too busy to take my call. Not at a time like this. Something was wrong. I tried again and this time I held my breath to the very end, but he did not pick up. I let my phone fall into my lap and I could feel the panic start to fill my chest. Ugo had got to him.
Suddenly my phone rang, making me jump with fright. I snatched it up and it was Dante. The moment I heard his voice, tears burst from my eyes.
“Don’t do that again!” I begged.
“What’s wrong, Zola?” he asked urgently.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I’m fine. I … I just wanted to talk to you and when I couldn’t get you, I … I-.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I stepped away from my desk for a few minutes and didn’t hear my phone ring.”
“Please don’t apologize. I’m sorry for being so clingy,” I said.
“Don’t worry, I like clingy girls.”
I giggled a little.
“Did you need something?”
“No. Just … it was getting late, so I wanted to check on what was happening.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t sent any updates. It’s been a bit chaotic down here.”
“I can imagine,” I said and sat up straighter. “Can you tell me now?”
“Tell you what?”
“The updates,” I replied.
“For one, the witness protection program has been blowing up my phone.”
My eyes widened. “What? Why?”
“They need you back to save face. Actually, I suspect they want to cut some kind of deal with me which I’m not inclined to agree to, but let’s see what they say when they get here.”
“What kind of deal?” I asked.
“It’s probably a deal to make it look like they were the backup that rescued you.”
I was shocked. “Why?”
“It’s more than your safety at stake,” he said. “Their witness protection program has gotten the worst rep ever. They’ve constantly lost their witnesses in the past and the living allowances and provisions aren’t exciting. The program isn’t attractive to anyone and should this continue, it will severely hinder their investigations. This is one way to fix it especially since this whole case is being blown out of proportion.”
“I won’t be able to return tonight,” he said.
I smiled. “That looks like a given. I’ve got nothing to do here so I think I might go look for a bottle of wine and knock myself out.”
“Hmm … When I went to your office your boss made me an offer. She said if I ever wanted to tell my story she would be interested to publish it.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes. I haven’t given it much thought, but if you get back to your publishing house, you could be my agent. Or maybe you could even write your own book ...”
I considered the suggestion, and it definitely sounded appealing.
“If you’d like a working space, then my library is on the second floor at the end of the main hallway. It has double doors. There’s a computer there if you need it, Wi-Fi … books. And it’s comfortable, I hope.”