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It was the first time Griffin was silent. He took a long time to ponder before he spoke. “He’s not so bad.”
Wow. That was the first time I’d heard him say something nice about my uncle. “Did something happen?”
“I think we buried the hatchet. That’s all you need to know.”
“That’s good to hear. My father told me how much my uncle stressed about you.”
Griffin sidestepped the subject. “It feels wrong keeping this a secret. I helped you because there wasn’t time to think of anything else. But now that the mission is complete, we need to think about how we’re going to handle this.”
“My family has dissolved the issue with the Skull Kings. There’s no issue on that front.”
“But Egor could become an issue.”
“Unlikely,” I answered.
“Alright, even if that’s true, how are you going to explain Mia?”
I shrugged even though he couldn’t see me. “My family doesn’t really ask about my personal life. Sometimes my mom pesters me about kids, but her questions don’t go too deep.”
“But they’ve never seen you with someone, right?”
“I suppose.”
“And you won’t be able to hide Mia forever. Since she has a kid, that’s even more suspicious.”
I hadn’t thought that far in advance. “I could tell them she needed work, so I decided to help her out.”
“Out of the goodness of your heart?” he asked incredulously.
“What?” I demanded. “Crow has a butler. My parents had a butler, but now they just have a maid. It’s not that strange.”
“But Mia is young and beautiful.”
“Maybe I sleep with her once in a while. So?”
He chuckled. “You’re getting awfully defensive, man.”
“I just don’t think I need to explain her purpose. Not when I’m not even sure what her purpose is.”
He sighed into the phone. “Conway’s wife was basically a slave to him for a while. Seems to be a Barsetti trait.”
“Just because Conway did that doesn’t mean the rest of the Barsetti men have.”
He was so quiet it seemed like he’d hung up.
“Griffin?”
“Just giving you some friendly advice. You’re right, everything is probably fine. The dust has finally settled, and peace should reign. But Crow butted into my relationship without mercy, and with your family being so close, I think it’ll happen to you as well. And since you did go to the Underground again…your family might have the right to know.”
When my father had confronted me about it, I told him I wouldn’t return. I felt bad for lying to him, even after the problem had been fixed. Sometimes my father was difficult to talk to because he was so aggressive and emotional. Ironically, my mother was the more pragmatic one. I loved my father, but I’d always been closer to my mother. “I see what you’re saying.”
“I think they’re going to find out anyway. May as well be the one to tell them.”
“And if I don’t, will you?”
He scoffed into the phone, clearly insulted. “I’m no snitch.”
“That’s not what I meant—”
“I may come from the streets, but I’m not a rat. I’ll take your secret to the grave—because I’m a man. But you’re lucky enough to have a compassionate and loyal family. They’ll understand a lot better than you think they will.”
“I can’t even picture that conversation…”
“You can spin it a little,” he said with a chuckle. “Don’t mention she’s stuck in indentured servitude. You can skim over that part.”
“Alright. I’ll take care of it once I’m out there.”
“Good. And that better be soon. I don’t like sharing Vanessa with anyone. I’ve paid for her with my blood and sacrifice. The only reason why I’m on my best behavior is because Mia seems like a nice person who’s been through a lot. But trust me, my sympathy won’t last long.”
“I believe it.”
He hung up without saying goodbye.
It was the most extensive conversation I’d had with Griffin, and I realized we’d bonded—in a strange way. It was the most interaction I’d had with him, and it was obvious he was just as loyal as Vanessa claimed he was. He’d dropped everything to help me, despite the crazy circumstance. He’d already proven himself, so he didn’t need to prove himself further. He did it because he wanted to—because he was part of the Barsetti family.
Once the money had been transferred, the house was officially mine. The movers packed my essentials, and I drove to Tuscany in one of my million-dollar rides. On the drive, I called Griffin through the speaker system.
“Coming to get her?” he blurted, cutting right to the chase.
“Yes.”
“Thank fucking god. They went to get their nails and have lunch.”
“That sounds nice. Girl time.”
“Girl time means not Griffin time.”
I chuckled. “Man, you sound like an egomaniac. It’s not like you don’t see Vanessa.”
All I got was a growl in response.
“Anyway, I’m on my way. I was wondering if I could talk to Mia.”
“Like I said, she’s out with Vanessa.”
