𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 ( 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐎𝐧𝐞)

𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐄𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭- 𝐀 𝐁𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐎𝐧 𝐋𝐮𝐜'𝐬 𝐀𝐫𝐦

"You're a good girl," Father Josè tells me, and I lean my face to the hand capping my right cheek. I smile at him, with a small grin, feeling guilty because I know I'm not a good girl. Not as good as he would have liked me to be.

"Thank you," I mumble, burrowing deeper into his embrace.

It was after lunch. We are all standing in the driveway saying goodbye to him. Although he said he had a meeting, which he had delayed for thirty minutes, he was reluctant to let us go. His easy, gentle smile stayed on his face while hugging all of us, the grey highlights of his hair shining in the sunlight—an old man ageing gracefully, with love and light.

We waited for him to disappear back inside. "Let's go," Nic shouts immediately his cassock is no longer visible, jumping on Luc's back. He bursts out laughing when Luca holds him to his back, giving him a piggyback. 

"You're becoming too big for this," I tell him, smoothing his back. He chuckles, leaning the side of his cheek against Luc's neck.

It happens unexpectedly, catching us unaware that we are immobile for a second before we scramble for refuge which is how a bullet gets through Luc's arm when he drops Nic behind him, covering him with his body.

We crouched behind the car when a shoot-out began. Fumbling for our guns, two SUVs drive slowly in front of our car, I aim my gun at the small opening of the window of the one behind, while Luc shoots at the guy who'd just shot him, getting his upper arm, a scream erupts and he, drops inside the car,  rolling the window up making me almost smile, but I don't because now we are shooting against each other at holy grounds—a church that I have loved since the day my father brought me here when I was small, a place beloved by one of my favourite people in the world. I was angry that these people targeted us here.

Suddenly, and almost too soon, the two SUVs drive away leaving us behind with cars spotting gunshots. We look at each other, breathing hard until Matteo hours, "Everybody in the car."  Luc's shirt is drenched with blood. I go to him immediately, but Matteo is already beside him, trying to get him to the back seat, but he says he can drive.

"You can't drive, Luc. But doesn't budge, he opens the driver's door of the nearest and slides in not caring about his hand. We all scurry to our respective cars and drive away grateful that Father Josè was safely inside having his meeting.

My heart is racing in panic, not because of the shooting, but because Luc is really breeding and he might lose his hand and career.

Maxwell whimpers, and I take away my eyes from Luc to look at him surprised to see him there as if my brain had momentarily forgotten his existence.

"Are you crying?" I ask him. He glances at me, sheepishly wiping away a tear on his cheek. I can tell he is scared. Sitting at the corner of the seat beside me, his fingers shaking when he tries to brush another tear off his cheek.

He doesn't answer, he turns his head downwards, but only for a second before we are violently shoved backwards because Luc is driving like he is on the track, which is one of the reasons he has an agreement with the patriarchs never to drive anyone but family. They assume he would be more careful with people he loves and daring with everyone else.

That night after the shooting, we are all seated outside around the fire, first in silence, watching the flickering flames, the mesmerizing golden glow calling us to relax, and we do. Luca is leaning back on his chair with his eyes closed, the unhurt hand clasped around a glass of brandy resting on his thigh. I'm seated next to him, my heart in perfect motion, but my brain is relentlessly overplaying the shooting.

"You know..." I begin, the sound of the words disappearing down my throat. I clear my voice, and a chuckle emerges as I try to find the words to describe how I feel about today.