Page 40

A buzzing noise fills my head as I read her lips. They form the shapes of the syllables that match the name, “Adam Nice.” It’s literally the worst name she could have said.

“Please tell me this is a joke.” A hollow pain I haven’t felt in ages takes up residence in my gut. It’s churning and threatening me all over again.

Tina’s expression says she’s sorry.

“There’s zero chance Sophia should be looking for that asshole.” I angrily point at no one in particular. I’m fired up again, but in the worst possible way.

“The heart wants what it wants, Gio.” Tina shakes her head like it’s a lost cause, like she didn’t just lock us in a pantry together.

“Her heart doesn’t want him. Trust me.” I turn, becoming alarmed at Sophia being within twenty feet of that fuckface. He’s the scum of the earth. No one knows that better than me.

“What are you texting Sophia?” I ask.

Tina walks to the garage. With just a few hand gestures from her, youngsters are collecting trash, folding tablecloths, wiping down tables, and stacking chairs.

“Aunty, before Sophia left, you said you’d text her. What are you texting her?” My voice is stern, edging into concern.

“I can’t give her bad directions forever. It would be suspicious,” Tina says with a sigh.

“That explains today, but what about now?”

She turns to me. “Adam’s address. I’m out of options.” Her gaze falls in defeat.

“Why not just deliver Red Riding Hood to the Big Bad Wolf?” I growl and march for the jalopy.

“See you next week!” Tina yells, but I don’t have time to wave.

I don’t even have time to think. This problem needs to be fixed before something terrible happens.

Sophia thought her life was bad because of her non-wedding to that awful ex-fiancé? Wait until Adam gets a hold of her. Destroying people’s lives is his forte. He sure as hell did a number on mine.

Ten minutes later, I’m back at the hotel. I run like the wind, crossing the golf course, dodging sprinklers, and hurdling bushes to head off Amelia and Sophia. Somehow, I reach them as they open the front door of the bungalow.

“We need to discuss . . .” I heave, “the details,” I exhale and inhale, “of our arrangement.” I place my hands on my hips and lift my rib cage to force air into my nose.

Amelia and Sophia turn to me with wide-eyed expressions. I can’t blame them. I just appeared out of nowhere. An exhausted Amelia simply rolls her eyes and slinks into the house.

Sophia holds up the key fob.

She thinks I ran all this way for that? She couldn’t be more wrong.

“What time do you want to exchange tomorrow?” Her words are terse. She can’t even look at me after the pantry-kissing incident. It’s worse than her elbowing my gut and pulling out my hair.

“Depends on where you’re going.” I take the key back and slip it into my pocket.

“Does it matter?” Her eyes narrow.

“Tina says you’re on some kind of mission.”

“You have your thing, whatever it is,” Sophia says, waving a hand in my general direction, “and I have mine.”

“Yes, but what if our two things merged?” I ask, prepared for another negotiation, because now, saving Sophia from Adam is my new mission.

14/

sophia

Aggressive Merging