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He finally cast lance over his shoulder “There was no one to take care of you when you ith those hn today, they would have killed you for sure Somewhere in your mind, you knew that To escape that coh it That there’d be someone to watch out for you Back then you had to survive Now your ure out how to… live”

I didn’t knohat to … if I’d lashed out at Father like I had Vaughn, he would have killed ht back

“I don’t knohat I want for him more,” Luca whispered

I kneas talking about his son Gio would have been faced with the same choice as me

“You want hi the lock on the screen door and opening it I had a good view of Luca’s profile as I htly and sed hard

“I didn’t really understand,” Luca said softly “Or maybe I didn’t want to”

“Understand what?”

“The suffering those kids we got out went through” He took another drag on his cigarette “We saved theh And the ones we couldn’t… I forgot about those I had to forget… we all did”

“So you could keep looking for Gio,” I said

He nodded alhn thinks I didn’t see what he did and in soht But when they first took Gio, I went after his There was this one boy… he… he…”

Luca just shook his head “I had to forget about him,” he whispered “I had to find my son”

I felt hn, this man was haunted

And not just by the loss of his son

“Will you tell me about your son?” I asked as I moved to stand next to one of the pillars that bracketed the steps Luca was sitting on

Luca stubbed out his cigarette, then pulled out the pack frohter I flinched when he reached into his pocket again He must have noticed my reaction because he said, “It’s a picture of Gio Most of them are on my phone but Con took that when he searched uess one of Con’s grandparents was a secret s else that could be used as a weapon They’re with Vaughn in the roo to you, which I don’t, I couldn’t”

Luca kept talking as he pulled a small picture fro able to hurt uy who needed to have a weapon to subdue so out with that knife for a second time?

“Gio gave this to me the day he was taken… school picture,” Luca said as he reached his arm out to hand me the picture