The closer Teresa got, the better Haven could make out her features. The woman looked as if she were made out of plastic, her face expressionless and coated in heavy makeup. Her body was disproportionate, every part of her tucked and tweaked.

Dr. DeMarco greeted the couple as Celia made drinks, ignoring Haven again when she told her she could handle it. Haven threw together a cherry Coke for Carmine, spiking it with a little vodka. They carried the glasses into the family room, and Haven’s anxiety grew as she approached their guests. She handed a glass of scotch to Salvatore, her hand shaking from nerves.

“It’s nice to see you again,” he said.

“You too, sir,” she said, avoiding his gaze. Haven handed a glass of some orange liqueur to his wife. “Here you go, ma’am.”

Teresa took it, bringing it to her nose and inhaling. “This isn’t made right,” she said, thrusting it toward her and spilling some on the floor. The room went instantly silent.

“I’m sorry,” Haven said as she took the drink back.

She turned around and nearly collided with Celia, who grabbed the glass from her hand. “I must be losing my touch. I thought I made it perfectly.”

Teresa glanced between Celia and Haven. “I must’ve been mistaken,” she conceded, reaching for the glass again and taking a sip. “Perfect as usual, Celia.”

“I thought so,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. “We all make mistakes.”

The expression on Teresa’s face said she didn’t agree.

Celia took a seat across the room, and Corrado sat down on the arm beside her. Haven handed the cherry Coke to Carmine and started to move away, but he pulled her into his lap and wrapped a protective arm around her. Teresa coughed as she choked on her drink, her eyes shifting to Dr. DeMarco as she let out a bitter laugh.

“Teresa,” Salvatore warned, but she simply smiled as he turned his attention to Carmine. “I’m afraid we won’t be able to stay long, Principe. We have a flight for a vacation in Florida, but I had to take a detour to wish you a happy birthday.”

“I appreciate it,” Carmine said. “I wasn’t expecting to see you.”

“It’s not every day my godson turns eighteen. This is a big deal.”

“Doesn’t seem that way.”

Salvatore laughed. “Oh, but it is. Do you have any plans this summer?”

Carmine’s grip on Haven tightened, but his voice showed no sign of distress. “Football camp. Other than that, we’ll probably just hang out before my brother leaves.”

“And after summer’s over?”

“I’m sure senior year will be kicking my ass for a while.”

Salvatore raised his eyebrows. “And after you graduate?”

Carmine remained silent for a moment. “College, I guess.”

Salvatore’s smile diminished. He glanced at Dr. DeMarco as if he expected him to speak up, but he didn’t say a word. “And the girl?” Salvatore asked, his gaze shifting to Haven. “I’m curious what your family intends to do with her. Given the situation, I gather you don’t plan to let her be sold.”

Carmine’s eyes narrowed. “Of course not.”

“Of course not,” Salvatore echoed. “And after you’re gone for college, your father won’t want to live here alone with her. Just think of the gossip. I’m sure the rumors are already aplenty.”

Dr. DeMarco cleared his throat. “I’ve been weaning her to the world, so she can join it.”

“That’s noble of you, Vincent, but I’m not sure that’s wise,” Salvatore said. “She must know quite a bit. How can we be sure anything she’s seen or heard won’t be disclosed to anyone?”

Dr. DeMarco glanced at her. “I’ll vouch for her.”

His words were met with a vicious laugh from Salvatore. “After what happened when . . . well, you know . . . I don’t think your opinion can be taken at face value on this.”

“It’s not the same,” Dr. DeMarco said.

“Yes, it is, Vincent. You know the dangers and risks. You can’t let her loose without someone taking responsibility for her, and you’re in no frame of mind to do it.”

It sickened Haven to have her fate being discussed as if she weren’t there, but equally as shocked that Dr. DeMarco intended to let her go. She couldn’t fathom why the man would go through the trouble of paying for her if he planned to let her walk away.

“Maybe she should come with me,” Salvatore said. “She’d be taken care of in my home.”

“No way,” Carmine said. “If you need someone to take responsibility for her, I will.”

Salvatore shook his head. “You can’t do that when you’re not a part of this. Besides, I’m not positive that’s the right course of action.”

They were at an impasse when another voice chimed in, quiet but forceful. “I’ll do it.”

Everyone’s attention turned to Corrado.

“What?” Salvatore asked.

“I’ll vouch for the girl,” he said again.

Salvatore looked as if he’d been struck. “Are you sure you want to?”

“It’s not a matter of want,” Corrado said. “If it’s necessary, I’ll do it. I trust Vincent when he says she won’t talk, and if she does, I’ll handle her. Simple enough.”

* * *

The guests departed around six in the evening, and Carmine opened presents from his family. Feeling bad for having nothing to give him, Haven watched longingly as others bombarded him with an array of gifts. Afterward, they put on a movie, but Haven couldn’t focus on what was happening.

About halfway through, she told Carmine she was going upstairs, wanting a moment alone. She headed to her bedroom and climbed into the cold bed. Pulling the blanket over her, she snuggled into a pillow and drifted off to sleep. She was awoken later when the bed shifted, and she blinked a few times as she adjusted to the darkness.

Carmine slid in beside her. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Her voice was thick with sleep. “What time is it?”

“Midnight,” he said as she snuggled up to him. He was warm and smelled like a mixture of cologne and smoke. “We watched Scarface. Go figure.”

“That’s nice,” she said, although Scarface sounded like a horror movie to her. It reminded her of monsters, and a flicker of hers flashed in her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly to ward off the image of mangled skin. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you anything for your birthday.”

“I have all I need, Haven. We can be together now.”

“Did they really mean that stuff about me?”

Carmine buried his face in her hair. “Yes.”

The confirmation sent her emotions surging. “It’s that easy?”

He sighed. “I wouldn’t call it easy. The hard part is ahead of us. But you’ll be able to do whatever now: go to school, marry me, make a houseful of babies if that’s what you want. Could leave my ass, too, if you wanna do that.”

She was stunned he’d think that. “I’ll never leave you.”

“That’s good to hear, colibri. I’m just saying you could.”

“What does it mean when someone vouches for you, anyway?”

He said nothing. Sleep nearly took Haven under as she figured he wasn’t coherent enough to answer. He finally spoke, though, his voice barely loud enough for her to hear. “It means they guarantee your loyalty. Slaves aren’t the only ones who pay for others’ mistakes, Haven. Corrado just swore if you made one, he’d pay for it with his life.”

She blanched. “But I don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me.”

“Corrado knows what he’s doing,” he said. “You may not trust them, but you gotta trust me when I say this is the only way, baby. It’s the only way you can be free.”

Free. She once looked up the word in the thesaurus Carmine had given her and memorized the words on the page: unrestrained, emancipated, independent, individualistic, liberated, self-directing, self-governing, self-ruling; antonym: bound, enslaved. That had been her—enslaved—but not anymore. Now, because of Carmine, she knew what the word free meant, and soon, she realized, she could know how it felt.

36

Carmine was in a fog as he dragged himself out of bed the next day. After washing the sweat and grime from his body, he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He desperately needed a haircut and a shave, but otherwise he looked like the same Carmine DeMarco. Same person he had seen every day for years, but he didn’t feel the same anymore. It wasn’t because he was older or wiser—far from it. It was because of her.

He smiled when he saw Haven in the library, her fingertips grazing the spines of a row of books. She pulled one off a shelf, her brow furrowing as she studied the front cover. He chuckled at her expression, and her eyes snapped in his direction. “I didn’t hear you come out of your room.”

“You aren’t the only one who knows how to be quiet, Ninja.”

She replaced the book on the shelf. “Hmm, well, maybe we should get you a bell.”

“Hey, at least I don’t almost give you heart attacks. You used to startle the hell out of me. I thought for sure you’d need to give me CPR a few times.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Don’t be so sure. You make my heart race every time you come near me.”

He strolled over to where she stood and leaned down to kiss her. He nipped at her bottom lip as he pulled back, pressing his palm against her chest. “How’s the heart?”

“Feels like it’s going to explode.”

“It won’t,” he said. “It’s strong; it’s not gonna break.”

Her smile fell. “Promise?”

Carmine stared at her, confused by her sudden shift in demeanor, when it struck him what he’d said. “Promise. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure it continues to beat.”

“Good.”

“So what are you doing in the library?”

She turned around, scanning the books again. “I was looking for something to read. I feel like I should learn something.”

“I get out of school for the summer, and you decide it’s time to learn? That’s kinda backward.”

“I know, but if I’m going to be free, I shouldn’t be stupid.”

“You aren’t stupid, but there’s nothing wrong with learning. If you wanna learn, I’m all for it. Actually, you know what? I have an idea.”

Grabbing her hand, she offered no resistance as he pulled her toward the steps. Once they reached Vincent’s office on the second floor, Carmine grabbed the knob but hesitated. He knocked instead, and Corrado opened it, stepping to the side so they could enter. Haven stiffened as she took a seat, looking at Carmine nervously as Corrado walked to the other side of the room.

“Do you need something?” Vincent asked from behind his desk, his fingers stilled on the keys of his laptop.

“I wondered how hard it would be to get Haven a GED.”