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It had been teeks since the kids had returned froest of Vincent’s life The atmosphere in the house was tense, the silence that followed both of theht and watched his son pace the hallway just feet fro his hair as he berated hihts were

Vincent pressed a few buttons on the coed to a view of the library He spotted the girl, curled up in the chair by the ith a book on her lap It was the sa in the darkness and staring out into the yard She withdrew further and further as time went on, but Vincent was too exhausted to lia He lied, cheated, plundered, and slaughtered for the he had prided himself on was his loyalty He may have been a criminal, but at least he could think himself an honorable one That had fallen to the wayside as of late, and they weren’t ignorant to his behavior Theytheir recent visit Every one of them was trained to spot deceptionand Vincent eary of being dishonest

Maura had once told him that while not everyone lived, everyone did die, and with death cas that hold us back Vincent used to tease her when she said such things, but he understood now He understood what it was like to wish you could find peace, but you couldn’t because your asn’t done You hadn’t served your purpose, and until you did, you were da Vincent envied those who could rest in peace What he wouldn’t give to have the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders

He switched cameras once more and went back to the hallway Car between the office and the stairs to the third floor Vincent glanced at the ti Carmine usually irl would scurry out of the library, darting to her bedrooh When Car but relief Judgment Day had come One step closer to peace

The knob turned and Car the door behind hi, thankful he had actuallythe view back to the library

Caraze, seeing the curiosity and confusion Resentment lurked underneath, but Vincent couldn’t bla slept in years," Carmine said "And Christ, have you eaten?"

Vincent leaned back in his chair "You want to discuss my health, Carmine?"

His expression was sober "Yeah, you look fucked up"

"Well, thanks for the co tellsoutside e to hold an intervention"

"How?" Car the ca to wonder if you ever planned to cohed "I didn’t knohat to say No sense barging in just to look at you, since you look like shit and all"

"Considering you’re here now, does that ot tired of standing in the hall"

"Ah, I’m better to look at than the white walls, at least?"

Carmine cracked a smile "No, but it’s nice to know I’m not the only one around here who relio," Vincent said, regretting his choice of words the moment they escaped his lips Carmine’s smile fell, and Vincent knew exactly what he wanted to know He’d been dreading this day for years

"When ere in Blackburn, Katrina said so," Car the sa didn’t mean ere the samethat Haven wasn’t her And it’s not only that--there’s other shit, too So I’, you know"

"You want to kno I met your mother"

"The truth"

The truth Vincent couldn’t avoid it any afternoon as he stood in the yard of the Moretti ht his hand up to block out the blinding sun as he walked around the side of the house, searching for shade As soon as he turned the corner, he crashed into soirl in front of hilowed in the sunshine, a stark contrast froreen eyes watched him cautiously as he stared into them in a trance Her mouth moved, but the words were lost on hiripped in a vice

Colpo di fulmine He was done for

"Is there a problem?" she asked when he pulled her into the shade

"The only problem is I don’t know your name"

She smiled "I’m Maura"

Maura Her hair flowed past her shoulders and freckles dotted her nose She wasn’t Italian--not even close No Italian he had ever met had eyes that color

Those eyesVincent could never get enough of theest child, he saw the sae away Sometimes it was still hard for Vincent to take

"And as an Irish girl doing at a party for two Italians?"

Vincent wondered the saainst the side of the house, his legs spread out in front of him as he fanned his sweaty skin Maura’s knees were pulled up to her chest as she plucked the dry grass around the there for at least an hour

"No, but you can go inside The cool air will o with ood at all"

He laughed "Then I’one, and until they do, I’one?"

"No, I doubt they remember I’m alive," he said "What about you?"