chapter TWENTY-TWO
This was the second time I arrived at The Chapel with Vittorio. Again, I felt like someone walking down the red carpet. However, this time, it had the feel of someone who had been away in rehab or jail, and everyone was curious about the experience. I was uncomfortable. I wanted to talk to Bryn before I had to deal with anyone else, and told Vittorio I would meet him upstairs.
He agreed, seeming to sense my unease.
“Been a while, girl. I was starting to worry about you. Have you heard any of the rumors about you?”
“No.” Vittorio had said there might be rumors. How much did Bryn know?
“Well, the big one in the general population is you, Vittorio, and Samuel being lovers. The other one I’ve heard floating around, and this is limited to Vittorio’s crowd, is that he’s grooming you for some sort of ritual or something.”
“A ritual?” What on earth did she mean?
Bryn nodded.
“What kind of ritual?”
“No idea. Be careful, Elena.”
“I will. Thanks for the warning. But Vittorio wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Others might, though.” She moved to the other end of the bar to serve a customer.
When I got to the balcony, Vittorio embraced me and whispered in my ear. “We need to talk, mia bellezza,” and he led me toward the little office.
My detective brain kicked in, and I made a mental note of everything in the office, feeling guilty for it the entire time. It housed a small desk and comfortable-looking chair, with another chair to the side, presumably for visitors. A two-drawer file cabinet sat in the corner. The desk held only a pen cup; no papers. There wasn’t a hint of anything out of the ordinary. I would have to look through the filing cabinet to even hope to find any useful information.
“Did Bryn tell you any of the rumors?”
“A couple. One is quite amusing.”
“Others are not so amusing. Which did she tell you?”
I told him the one about him grooming me for a ritual. “Are you?”
“Absolutely not. I told you, I would do nothing to harm you. I did hear that rumor, though. I believe it has something to do with my spiritual practices.”
“Witchcraft?”
He nodded. “I know many who share my beliefs, but that does not stop them from petty jealousy.”
“What are they jealous of?” I sat on the visitor chair.
“My success in the business world and the strength of my power. Yes, we perform rituals. Yes, I offered to teach you about witchcraft, but I am not grooming you for anything.”
“I believe you, Vittorio. Bryn told me to be careful of these people. How much do I need to worry?”
“Be aware of your surroundings, but I do not think you have much to fear, at least not here. You know this is a VIP area. It is limited to those with power, or those very close to us. Most of them are all talk. Samuel and I will try to find out if there is anything deeper to the rumors, though. My heart would break if anything happened to you, mio amore.” He wrapped his arms around me, and I knew he would keep me safe. “Shall we return to our curious bystanders?”
“I want to ask you one more thing before we do. When we were talking on the phone earlier, and I said Kevin was all I had until I met you, I saw an image of you in my head, smiling. It was so real, like you were sitting right across the table from me. Was it just my imagination?”
“No, mio amore, it was not. I have the ability to project my thoughts into people’s minds, a sort of silent communication.”
“Can you read my mind?” Panic filled my gut. Did he know the truth about me, about my investigation?
“I cannot. I can sense emotions, but cannot read minds. There are some who can, but it is a rare talent. They must constantly work to block out the noise. Some might envy the talent, but not I. I admit there are times when it would be useful, but it would not be worth it to me.”
I nodded, attempting to hide my sigh of relief.
We left the office, Vittorio locking it behind him.