“I am sure of the fire that runs through me. I am sure of the earth I stand on. And I am sure of you.”

Chapter Thirteen

Northern Wales

January 2010

“When are you coming home?”

“I’m not sure yet, Benjamin. I want to come home, but it’s more important that I make everyone safe first.”

“From Lorenzo?”

“Yes.”

He heard the boy sigh over the telephone and knew that he was probably rolling his eyes as well.

“Tell me what you and Caspar and Isadora have been doing,” Giovanni said to distract him.

“Lots of stuff. They’re pretty cool for old people.”

He chuckled. “They are. Has Caspar taught you how to shoot yet? He thought it would be good for you to learn. He’s a very good shot, so make sure you pay attention when he teaches you.”

“At first I thought it was going to be really cool, but then he made me clean all the rifles after we finished.” Giovanni grinned. “And that wasn’t cool at all. But we shot some cans for target practice, and he said I was pretty good.”

“Excellent. And how is the rest of your schooling?”

Ben huffed on the other end of the line. “Dude, Caspar isn’t very good at Latin anymore, Gio.”

“Well,” he said and laughed, “you can be his teacher then. And how is Beatrice’s grandmother? Are you getting along?”

“Other than the cleaning stuff, yeah.”

“Cleaning stuff?”

“She wants me to clean my room here, like, all the time.”

He frowned. “Well, I’m fairly lax on that, so pay attention to her. Your room at home is something of a disaster area.”

“She’s a good cook, though. I’m gonna get fat hanging out with them, Gio. They both cook really good.”

“They both cook very well, and see if Isadora will give you lessons while you’re staying with them, will you?”

“If it means I’ll have to help her clean up the kitchen, I think she’ll be okay with it.”

He smiled and sat back in the chair, feeling more relaxed than he had in days. Giovanni sat in the library at Carwyn’s house, enjoying the fire and listening to the wind whipping outside. Beatrice had already fallen asleep, so he had taken advantage of the time difference to call Ben in Texas.

He was surprised by how much he missed the boy and his quick humor, though he was pleased Ben was getting along so well with Caspar and Isadora.

“Caspar said your friend died.”

“Yes, he did.”

“Did he have kids?”

Thinking of all the children Ioan and Deirdre had sired or fostered over the years, he nodded. “He did. He had a large family.”

“I’m really sorry. Tell Carwyn I’m really sorry.”

“Thank you, I will.”

He could almost hear the wheels turning in Ben’s small head, so he wasn’t surprised by the next question.

“Are you going to get hurt? I thought you couldn’t die.”

“Benjamin, I will do everything in my power to prevent anything happening to Beatrice and myself.”

“Can’t you guys just come home and hide here with us?” he asked in a small voice.

He closed his eyes and thought how he wanted to answer.

“You know, Ben, in my own way, I hid for years. I minded my own business and tried to keep out of sight so I could live my life in peace. But sometimes, minding your own business isn’t the right thing to do. Sometimes, you need to confront the evil in the world. I tried to ignore that for too long and people got hurt.”

“Like B? When Lorenzo took her?”

“Yes.”

“And your friend? Is that because of Lorenzo, too?”

The guilt and grief threatened to overwhelm him, but he cleared his throat and answered, “Yes, that was also because of Lorenzo.”

“But you’re going to get him, right?”

“Yes, I’m going to make sure he can’t hurt anyone else.”

“And find B’s dad, too, right?”

He nodded, even though he was alone. “I’m going to find her father. Eventually.”

“Good, ‘cause he sounds like a good guy and she misses him.”

He smiled, happy to hear the more relaxed tone of the boy’s voice on the other line. He could hear Caspar and Isadora talking in the background, and Giovanni wished he and Beatrice could be relaxing with them in the Texas hill country instead of stuck at an old stone house in the cold Welsh mountains.

“So, is B your girlfriend yet?”

He cocked an eyebrow at the phone. “I’m working on it.”

“Still?”

“I think I’m still on probation. She’s making sure I’m really going to stick around.”

Ben was quiet for a long time before he spoke again. “I guess that makes sense. You did go away for a long time.”

Giovanni sipped at the scotch he’d poured before he sat down. “I did. I thought I was doing the right thing for her.”

“Did you say you’re sorry?”

He sighed. “I’m not sure what to say. I still think it was necessary to leave her, so I’m not sorry I did that.”

“But you hurt her feelings!”

“I know,” he said sadly.

“So you should say you’re sorry for hurting her feelings then.”