CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FIVE – A HARD FAREWELL

Back at the shop, Joan filled Maria in on what had transpired. The older woman listened with growing concern. "Oh, cara," she sighed when Joan had finished. "What have you gotten yourself into?" Joan sank into a chair, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I don't know, Maria. But I do know that this is only a temporary solution. I need to find a way out of this mess, for all our sakes." As she lay in bed that night, unable to sleep, Joan's mind whirled with possibilities. She knew she couldn't keep playing both sides forever. Sooner or later, either Scipione's men or Il Lupo's gang would catch on to her game. She needed a plan, something more permanent. But what? As she stared at the ceiling, Joan realized that her options were quickly running out. She'd come to Sicily to escape her past, but it seemed that her past was determined to catch up with her. With a heavy sigh, Joan turned onto her side, watching the moonlight filter through the curtains. Whatever came next, she knew one thing f