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 got promoted today,” I reminded him.
His expression immediately softened. “Of course. I’m an old fool. Please forgive me, amore mio. I’m so sorry.”
“I was hoping to celebrate it with you but instead I was congratulated by strangers. I'm sorry, but when I suddenly saw you waiting for a guest when you told me you couldn’t spare any time to even have dinner with me, I was shocked and wanted to approach you immediately.”
“Are you happy?”
“I was … until I saw you.” I rose to my feet. “I’m going home.”
He too rose to his feet. “Wait … Zola.”
I stopped and waited.
“You’re here now. We could have dinner.”
“I’ve already had dinner,” I told him, and continued on my way, but just as my hand closed around the door handle there was the faint but unmistakable sound of glass shattering. I whirled around to face my father.
We didn’t say a word, but our eyes held the same urgent question.
“What was that?” I whispered.
My father immediately placed a finger over his lips, warning me not to speak, and returned his attention to his computer. In no time, he had the surveillance cameras for the house pulled up on his screen. As he peered at the screen, his gaze moving from one monitor to the other, I could tell he wasn’t able to detect anything.
“Maybe it’s a squirrel or something,” I said in as low a tone as I could manage, but he gave me a harsh warning look. Chills ran down my spine. I began to think of what he had said about his suspicion of being compromised earlier and went closer to him.
“Dad, call the cops,” I urged.
He immediately picked up his phone, but it was not the cops he was calling.
“Dante?” he whispered.
My eyes widened. Jesus! He had called the avenging angel himself. He continued in low conversation telling him about the sound we’d just heard. I stared at the door and then back at him.
Suddenly, he pulled out his desk drawer and retrieved a gun that I’d never been aware he had.
I nearly gasped out loud but managed to slap a hand across my mouth in time.
“I’m calling the cops,” I whispered fiercely, and he didn’t stop me.
“I’ve checked the cameras but nothing is out of place,” he said into the phone.
“The meeting was at eight-fifteen. I waited for about twenty minutes, but I had to leave immediately because I ran into Zola.”
“Yeah, my daughter.”
There was a brief silence as he listened, his eyes darting toward the windows, and then he headed over to the door to make sure it was locked.
“Alright,” he said as his gaze connected to mine, and then his call came to an end.
He watched me silently for a few moments and I saw something in his eyes I had seen only once before. When my mother died, it was a mixture of inconsolable sadness and pity. The pity was for me.
“Papa,” I called worriedly.
“I should never, never have let you come here tonight. Yes, call the cops,” he said, his voice bitter with regret. “It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
My fingers shook as I fumbled with my phone, but somehow, I managed to keep calm as I dialed nine-one-one.
I got connected almost immediately and was able to give my report. I returned my attention to my father and saw him still watching me.
“They’re on their way. They’ll be pissed if it’s a false alarm,” I said praying that was all I would have to deal with.
He lifted the pistol. “You know how to use this right?”
“Yes, but can you please stop scaring the hell out of me,” I muttered.
He smiled sadly. “I should have insisted that you take your lessons more seriously back then. Anyway, you’ll be fine. Dante is on his way.”
“What do you mean by Dante is on his way?” I asked. “The cops are on their way too.”
“They’ll be too slow,” he said, and right then panic shot through my system.
“So, there’s really … someone out there. An intruder?”
“You grew up here,” he told me. “Have you ever seen a squirrel?”
I looked at him.
“For once could you just clearly explain to me what is going on?”
He stepped forward and tried to pull me into his arms. I was so frightened I didn’t resist. “Congratulations on your promotion,” he said softly. “I’ve been in a great mood for the last few days because of it.”
I thought of his words and then mumbled into his shoulder. “You didn’t call me.”
“I was going to. I was going to stop by your apartment later on tonight. The day just turned out a bit different from what I’d been expecting.”
“It’s okay, Papa. I know you love me even if you don’t know how to show it.”
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could there was the undeniable sound of a man’s voice coming from behind the door. As though he were speaking on a phone. I immediately jumped backward, a scream in my throat, but before I could make any sound my father’s large warm hand was over my mouth. I stared in shock at him. His eyes had changed. They were unrecognizable.