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CELENT'S FACE CHANGED like the four seasons, as he stared at Tonita: first the bewilderment of spring, then the softening smile of summer, into the sharp chill of fall, and finally, the icy stare of winter.
Tonita had fired the second shot, hitting Brother Salvatore in the ribs, tearing through his chest, and exiting out his back. She still held the pistol at the ready, just in case the monk made a move.
He did not.
"Why don't you put that away?” Celent said, waving a hand at the pistol.
"What if he's not dead?" Tonita raised up her chin, pointing it in the direction of, what she hoped was, the dead monk.
Celent pulled himself up from the floor, using the back of the sofa as support. Even then, it was a struggle, and though he looked to Tonita for help, she wasn't about to move, until she was sure that the monk on the floor was not coming back to life.
Celent was on his own. Once up, he continued leaning against the sofa, gasping for breath, sweat beading on his brow and above his lip. The struggle earlier with Brother Salvatore, followed by another near death experience with the same crazed monk, was nearly all Celent could take. After a moment, when he had sufficient breath to speak, Celent took the few steps toward Brother Salvatore, knelt down and felt his neck for a pulse.
"I'm quite sure he's dead."
"I’m not taking any chances. Shake him or kick or something," Tonita said, moving slightly to her left so that she would have a straighter shot, should the monk prove to still be alive.
Celent put his fingers to Brother Salvatore’s neck once again. “Really, I’m sure that he is dead.” He stood slowly and went through the motions of making the sign of the cross over the dead monk’s body, but abandoned the gesture half way through, as his hand reached what would have been the bottom of the cross.
Tonita not only lowered the gun, she dropped it on to the floor. The adrenaline jolt that had pushed her into pulling the trigger had now dissipated. She immediately turned her attention to Dominic who didn't look any better now than when he had fallen to the floor. "Listen," she said looking at Celent. "I don't know what you have to do with all of this or why you're in Dominic's apartment, or why, for that matter, this monk guy is in here, and what you two were doing? I don't know and I don't care right now. I saved your life and now you better help Dominic or..." she trailed off. She had apparently forgotten that she had just dropped the pistol to the floor and had nothing in her hand to threaten Celent with. She lowered her eyes to the pistol.
"You won't need that, I can assure you," Celent said. "I'm an old man and I've just taken quite a beating myself from this fellow." He kicked the dead monk's foot.
Tonita eyed him for a moment, her mind was whirling with questions about the monk, Celent and why they were after Dominic. For the moment, though, she could only hope that she had saved the good guy, if there was a good guy, and that he would now help her save Dominic. "All right. You help Dom and we'll figure the rest of this out later."
"Deal," Celent said, and immediately went back to Dominic's side.
Tonita joined him.
After a quick look Celent stood. "We've got to get him to a hospital."
"No." Tonita’s tone was adamant. "No hospital."
Celent took a long look at Tonita. She was young, innocent, and caught in a web from which she was unable to escape. No, he reconsidered the thought. She would never be allowed to escape. Her destiny would forever be tied to Dominic’s. He wondered if she would have made the choices she had, if she’d known the truth at the time? Was she in love? In answer to his own question, he guessed yes.
Dominic’s safety was of the utmost importance to the Church and to Celent. Dominic had been watched every moment of the day and was unaware of the great lengths that Celent had taken to hide the presence of the observers. There were many who watched. Always unseen, but always present. They reported Dominic's every move, including his contacts with Tonita.
When Celent had first been made aware of Tonita’s growing feelings for Dominic, his impulse was to get rid of her. It was complicated enough trying to keep Dominic under surveillance. He did not need or want the intrusion of another. But as he thought it through, he came to a better understanding that Tonita could be an asset to him in his surveillance of Dominic. She slowed Dominic down and it was much easier to spot and follow two, rather than one. Instead of doing away with Tonita, Celent actually did what he could to enhance their relationship. Of course, his hand in their developing relationship could never be revealed. But a bouquet of flowers sent without a note to Tonita or a letter to a friend extolling the relationship that she was beginning with Dominic, allegedly from Tonita, left accidentally at Dominic’s apartment, didn’t hurt the relationship. If Dominic were to fall in love, it wouldn't be such a bad situation, Celent considered. But if the relationship between Dominic and Tonita ever threatened his plans, Tonita could easily be dealt with. As long as she kept Dominic where he could keep a close eye on him, she was an asset. But should she ever become a liability...Well, no need to worry about that now, Celent thought. “You’re right, Tonita, we cannot take the chance of moving him now. We’ll stay here and see to him, unless his condition worsens and we need a doctor. Agreed?”
Tonita eyed him. “Agreed.”