She pauses before answering. “I feel… a little lighter, I guess.”
“Last week you barely spoke to me. This week you seem more forthcoming. So the memorial helped?”
“Yeah, it did. Naming them made it more real. Gave me some closure. And it helped knowing Enzo was struggling too—I thought I was drowning alone.”
I’m glad that she has someone else to lean on. Someone who cares for her as deeply as Enzo seems to. I look over at Eli. He’s still staring intently at me.
I gulp, refocusing. “I imagine it’s hard when you don’t grieve in the same way.”
“Yeah. Plus… I haven’t really had anyone to talk to. With Tess having the baby, we didn’t want to ruin things.”
“Well… you have me. Don’t forget that.”
I’m not sure I’m really the best person though. I’m hardly the voice of reason—ofsanity—when I’m sitting across from a man who kidnapped me.
“And what about Noemi? Have you spoken to her at all?” Noemi is involved in Enzo’s operations, but she’s also become one of Izzy’s closest friends. It's startling how much knowledge you gain from being a talking therapist. I know far too much about the mafia than someone completely removed from it should.
“No,” Izzy tells me, dejection clear in her tone. “I couldn’t handle her sunshine when I was so far in the dark.”
I raise a brow, not speaking.
Izzy groans. “I know, I know. Saying it out loud makes it sound stupid. I need her positive energy.”
I laugh quietly, glad she’s understanding the irrationality behind her thoughts. “So perhaps your homework this week is to give her a call. Maybe even meet in person, if you’re up for it.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
I peer at Eli again before asking, “How is the anger now thatall the men who hurt you are gone? Has it had the effect you wanted?”
Izzy smirks at me. “I know you want me to say no. To admit murder isn’t the answer. But… yes. God, yes.”
She’s talking about the men that raped her, leaving her for dead. She and Enzo found them, killing them together.
Eli's still watching me, even with the headphones on. He killed Tom for touching me. Would he see that as parallel?
Is that love? Or madness?
I shake my head. I’m surrounded by criminals. “I’m glad it was the catharsis you needed—however you got there.”
Am I really glad? Or am I just understanding it in a way I never did before?
Before we can say anything else, there’s a distant shout. “You can’t hide from me forever, Isolde Russo!”
Izzy winces. “Ah. That’s Noemi. The ignored calls must’ve gotten to her.”
“Speak to you next week,” I say, ending the call
I close the laptop slowly, not quite ready to look at Eli again.
Silence stretches between us.
“She was kidnapped,” Eli finally says after I remove the headphones. It’s not a question.
“How do you know that?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’ve been listening for weeks, remember?”
I huff. “Yes. She was kidnapped”