We arrive on the other side of town, the streets dark and empty as we drove. Pulling up outside a squat concrete building, I notice the windows are black, yet there’s someone waiting for us in front of the plain wooden door as we step out of the car.
Tom gets my bag from the boot, then takes my hand and leads me up to what I now see is a man who is maybe ten years older than us, around mid-thirties. He’s got swarthy Italian looks, black hair greased back, and deep brown eyes. Although unlike Ace’s, there’s a warmth and kindness in their depths.
Even though it’s the middle of the night and autumn, he’s wearing a black wife beater that shows off his arms that are covered in colourful, old school style tattoos. They’re beautiful and a stark contrast to his all black outfit.
He smiles wide as we approach. “Brother, fratello mio!” he whispers jovially, his Italian accent strong. He opens his arms and embraces Tom, who doesn’t let go of my hand, so it’s slightly awkward. “Che piacere…Good to see you, although I wish it were under better circumstances…purtroppo.”
He turns to me, his eyes softening with sympathy. “You must be Violet?” He asks me gently, and I nod, holding my free hand out to shake his.
He surprises me by grasping it and pulling forward, forcing Tom to finally let go with a growl, while kissing both of my cheeks continental style.
“Pleased to meet you, molto piacere.” He grins, and he has such an aura of safety and warmth that I can’t help but grin back. “I’m Enzo, Tom’s brother by marriage. Although, I think he already told you that, si? Forse?” He asks, still grinning and not waiting for my answer. “Let’s get you inside and see what’s to be done…prego.”
He ushers us inside, Tom grabbing my hand once again, where I see a couple of others waiting around what looks and smells like a boxing gym. Tom’s hand tightens around my grip, pulling me back slightly. I hear Enzo chuckle as he looks back at us.
“These are my cousins, and I’d trust them with my life, cari veramente,” he tells Tom, who gives an imperceptible dip of his head, but still keeps a firm grip on my hand.
Enzo takes us to what I assume is his office and hands me a brown packet. I open it to find a British passport, Canada Air flight tickets, and other documents all with the name Laura Darling on them. My eyes prick with tears as I look up at him, gratitude washing through me.
“Thank you,” I whisper, and his eyes go even softer.
“No problem, cara mia,” he says gently back, smiling softly at me. “Allora! We have a shipment leaving tonight for Toronto, so you’ll get there around ten tomorrow evening. I’ve booked you a flight to Dublin for six AM the day after, your tickets are in the pack. There will be someone to collect you from the airport and drive you across the border to Belfast, then you will take the ferry to Liverpool…a posto,” he tells me, face serious.
I can’t say anything, overwhelmed at his kindness. I didn’t realise people like this existed. People who do things for others because it’s the right thing to do.
“From there, cara mia, it’s up to you to disappear.” His brown eyes cloud a little with sadness, as he looks briefly to Tom whose jaw is clenched tightly.
My heart starts pounding in my chest, and my breath catches in my throat. In the rush to escape and the relief of finally starting my journey towards freedom, I didn’t consider that I’d have to leave him behind. I suddenly feel lost at sea, as if my one security net has been severed. Tom is the only thing I’ve ever chosen for myself, and I suddenly realise that he’s my safe haven, my rock, and now I have to let him go.
This is like no other pain I’ve ever known. All of Ace’s beatings, humiliations, and sexual assaults can’t even begin to compare to the crushing hurt inside my soul at the thought of leaving Tom behind.
It’s not safe for him to come with me. Ace would know immediately, and Tom’s family would suffer terribly. His sister Rosa would be a target, regardless of Enzo’s connections. I shudder at the thought of what Ace will do in his rage. Who he might hurt…
Tears fill my eyes as I look up into Tom’s blue ones. They’re usually so light and full of laughter, but tonight they are swirling, like a sea raging with Poseidon’s wrath.
“Tom…” my voice breaks on a sob, and all of a sudden, I’m in his arms and they’re banded around me so tightly I can hardly breathe. I welcome the embrace, the twinge of my bruised ribs as I sob against his chest, leaving a wet patch on his shirt.
“It’ll be okay, Vi,” he murmurs in my ear, voice rough and broken, stroking my back. “I’ll find you one day, I swear it.” I can hear the finality in his voice, like his promise is carved in stone. He knows as well as I do that he can’t come with me right now.
“You need to go, cara mia,” I hear Enzo say softly.
I take a huge gulping breath, somehow finding the strength to let go even though my world is crumbling down around me. I look up once more into his beautiful blue eyes.
“I love you, Tom,” I whisper, unable to stop my tears from falling.
“I love you, Violet,” he whispers back, lowering his lips to mine and kissing me. It’s a kiss full of heartbreak, longing, and shattered dreams. We both know that there may never be a time that is safe for us to be together.
Our kiss ends on a shuddering breath, then he lowers his arms, jaw working once more as he takes a step back. Then another. And another until he turns and walks away, out of the office. I hear his footsteps echo across the silent gym floor, then the main door opens and shuts. Then finally, the sound of a car driving away.
Another breath catches in my throat, and I close my eyes, gathering my pieces up off the floor before opening them again. I meet Enzo’s kind brown gaze, giving him a watery smile.
“Prego, this way, cara mia,” he indicates the doorway, and we walk out, his hand on my lower back.
He guides me towards another door at the back of the building, where his two cousins are waiting for us. He says something to them sternly in Italian, and they nod once before bowing their heads in respect.
Then he turns to me, placing both hands on my upper arms.
“In bocca al lupo. All the luck in the world, cara mia,” he says warmly, but I don’t miss the glint of sorrow in his eyes.
“How can I ever repay you, Enzo?” I ask, knowing that I can never fully pay him back. He’s helped me in my first steps towards my freedom. A shudder of unease runs through my whole body when I think back to Ace, his prone form lying on the bed. Please let the drug work. I only need a few hours.
“No payment needed, cara mia,” he assures me. “Abbiamo tutti diritto di Essere liberi di volare come gli uccelli.” I look at him questioningly. “We all deserve to be free, to fly like birds.”
As I clutch the packet in my hands to my chest, I remember the gaudy engagement ring that Ace gave me. It’s obscene, and he took great pains to tell me of its value.
“Take this,” I plead, taking the bauble off my finger and handing it to him. “It’s worth over three million dollars, and I can’t take it with me. I don’t want to.”
“Cara… “ he starts, and I can see he wants to refuse so I cut him off.
“I insist. Give the money to Rosa.” I hold it out to him, begging him with my eyes to take it.
He sighs, but eventually relents and pockets the jewellery.
“Just be careful where you get rid of it. He will recognise it.” I tell him and he nods, with a slight roll of his eyes as if to assure me he’s not a rookie in situations such as these.
I grin at him, then press up to my tiptoes and place a soft kiss onto his cheek. I notice his cheeks darken slightly in the moonlight as I pull away.
“Buon viaggio, safe journey, cara mia,” he whispers, taking my hands in his warm grip and kissing both my cheeks.
“Thank you.” I smile back, taking a deep breath of crisp autumn air.
Turning my back to him, I step up to the open door of the car that’ll take me on the next step to freedom. I get in while one of Enzo’s guys places my bag next to me before shutting the door quietly behind me.
A strange mix of desperate sadness, fear, and elation churn within me as we drive away. My hand goes to rest on my stomach, and I know that this is the right decision. That I would do so much more to keep the life blooming inside me safe.
