Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56680 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 283(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Since when did I become Miss Optimist?
Colt has left the room, but as I walk around the large kitchen with David—he seems to prefer it when I move—I can hear his voice when I’m right at the edge. There’s some sort of grate in the wall, high up, maybe for air conditioning.
Lexi hums from the other side of the kitchen, flipping bacon.
Colt’s voice is low. “Are you sure this is the right choice? Are you sure she can handle this?”
My skin pricks. Who is he talking about?
“She’s only nineteen. Wait, Dante did this?”
An evil shiver moves up my spine. Colt’s voice goes quieter, and then Lexi looks over. I have to keep walking, so it appears I’m pacing for David, not eavesdropping. When my circuit takes me back to the corner, Lexi serves up the bacon, and Colt is back in the room. He sits down, drinking a coffee.
“How are you feeling, Mia?” I say.
She’s only nineteen. What did Dante do?
“I’m fine,” I tell him.
“Even after everything?”
“Colt,” Lexi snaps as she brings the plate of bacon over.
“It’s okay, Lex. Yeah, even after everything. I’m not going to be afraid anymore. I’m not going to let the past define me.”
Lexi touches my arm, smiling. “I’m so proud of you.”
“You showed me how first,” I say.
Colt sighs. “After breakfast, Mia, Leonardo Marino has ordered me to take you somewhere. You’re going to need to be clear-headed and ready and tough.” He takes a long, slow sip of his coffee. “You’ll need to be real tough.”
Another shiver dances over me, a confusing one. Dante did this, whatever it is.
Colt drives us out of the city, over the bridge. Shadow sits in the backseat with me, his big head resting on my legs. I stroke my hand gently over the top of his head.
“Do you have any questions?” Colt says. “You haven’t said a word since we set off.”
I shake my head. “I’m ready.”
“You don’t know what it is,” he says darkly. “If I was Dante—”
“What?” I say when he cuts off.
Colt sighs. “If I were him, I would handle this without you. I made the offer once to Lexi, but she couldn’t do it.”
“Lexi and I aren’t the same,” I snap. “What Ralph did was disgusting. Ralph was a bad, bad person, but that man, Tony, he is…” Hell no. I get to choose now. “He was my dad. He was supposed to take care of me. Instead, he did the opposite, in the sickest way.”
“So you know what this is, then,” Colt says.
“The only thing that makes sense is you’ve got Dad. Tony. You’re bringing me to him.”
Colt nods. “How did you know?”
“From the way you were talking. From the phone call I overheard before we left, and… and that’s it.”
No, that’s not it. The other reason is that when I left my man’s car last night, he had this super serious look on his face. He stared at me, his voice low, his eyes gleaming. “I’m going to give you the choice…”
Colt sighs. “Leonardo has given his blessing. It’s either… Well, I’ll let Dante tell you.”
He gets quiet and keeps driving. I stroke my hand over Shadow some more. “You know, Mia, Lexi wanted to do something like this.”
“It’s how you met,” I say.
“I stopped her. Now, she’s glad. She doesn’t need those memories in her head.”
“My head’s already filled with nasty memories.”
“Dante shouldn’t—”
“Dante is letting me choose,” I hiss, “because he respects me, and we’re a team. We can’t all be like you and Lexi, okay? Or Luca or Ruby or Elio and Scarlet, okay?”
Colt speaks stiffly. “Nobody is asking you to be, but this is a dark path.”
He’s hit the nail on the head. Dark. Different. My belly hums warmly, almost like there’s life in there, almost like there’s a future. But we’re not going to do that or anything. What, then? What about after?
Suddenly, fear tries to creep over me, like some poisonous, invasive plant species, twisting my thoughts. What if… what if… I won’t latch onto the bad what-ifs. I’m done with that way of thinking.
We don’t say anything for the rest of the car ride. It’s almost an hour of quiet, with Shadow resting his head in my lap the whole time. Something almost maternal touches me as I stroke his head. Soon, Colt turns down a bumpy, dirty track. Trees rise tall around us, blocking the sun and putting us in medium shadow.
He drives to the end of the path, then sighs, sitting back. “It’s that way, about thirty feet.” Colt gestures into the trees. “A small metal structure. Dante will be there. We’ll be nearby.”
“We?”
“Me, Shadow, the other Family men, but the choice has to be yours.”
“Wish me luck, boy.”
After giving Shadow another rub on the head, I climb from the car. The air smells faintly of salt water as if a breeze is carrying it from the ocean. I walk through the trees, the ground soft underneath. Then I spot a slit of sunlight glinting against the structure.