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He wheeled my things into the room. I hadn’t brought a lot—one suitcase full of stuff. I’d thought that by packing less I might be able to trick myself into leaving this place sooner rather than later. It was a pipe dream. My father was not going to allow me to return to L.A. until he found the person responsible for my mother and brother’s death.
“Thanks, Simon,” Eli said. His voice was noticeably less angry as he talked to the older man, and there was a small smile on his face. “I’ll take them from here.”
The driver, Simon, nodded slightly. He gave me a small smile. “Enjoy, New York.”
I might have enjoyed New York if I wasn’t exiled here by my father because he did not want to deal with my mother and brother’s murder.
Eli turned his attention back to me, and I tried not to squirm as his dark eyes bore into me. “Are you going to answer my question?”
“No.” I grabbed my suitcase and pulled it towards the bed. Anger was rolling off of Eli in waves. “If you don’t want me here, you can talk to your father.”
There was a mirror to the right of the bed, and it allowed me to see Eli’s face in it. His lips turned completely down as he looked at me. The sight of his anger pissed me off.
“Carla? Eli?” Ivy’s voice called out. It sounded like she was coming down the hall. The anger in his face disappeared immediately, and he was back to looking like he was made of stone.
“There you both are,” she said, her voice jovial as she peeked around the door. “Simon just told me that he delivered your things.”
“He did.”
She looked at Eli, and the smile on her lips dimmed slightly. “Honey,” she addressed him, “can you go tell the cook that we need a few extra places at the table tonight?” She turned to me. “I know it’s your first night, but I thought we might as well introduce you to the entire clan.”
The knots in my stomach tightened.
“Plus, I’m sure it will be nice for you to have some female company. My niece Fiona is just a year old than you, and I’m sure the two of you will be fast friends.”
Eli snorted as he walked out of the room, and I wanted to reach out and throw one of the expensive picture frames at the back of his head.
Ivy’s warm hands took mine once more. “I know that you don’t want to be here,” she said, pulling my thoughts away from her son.
“It’s not that—I think I’m just homesick. I’ve never been this far away.”
Her eyes filled with pity. “You’ve had a difficult few months.”
The tension in my body heightened. I did not know why I was surprised that Ivy knew about what happened. After all, she was now my keeper, and my father would have had to explain why he was sending me to the Blanchi family.
They weren’t just going to take some random girl in, especially when she was the daughter of a cartel member. I still wondered how my father and Marco Blanchi knew one another. He’d never told me.
Ivy squeezed my hand. “You’re safe here,” she said. “Marco made a promise to your father. I know it’s no consolation to what you’ve been through, or what you’ve lost, but I can promise you that no one will come for you here.”
Her words were kind, and I believed them. My father would not have sent me to New York if he did not think that the Blanchis could ensure my safety. These past few months, he’d kept me under lock and key while we dealt with the fallout from what happened at the compound.
Too bad that was the very last thing I wanted.
“Thanks,” I said, turning away from Ivy. While I liked Ivy well-enough, I had no intention of growing close to her. Being in New York was temporary. The moment I figured out how to get out back home, I would leave.
After all, the men who destroyed my life were still out there.
“Do you need anything?”
I shook my head. “I’m going to get settled.”
Ivy heard the dismissal in my tone. “Alright.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll check on you in a little while.”
I tried to appear busy as she walked out of the room, not wanting to give her a reason to turn back. Ivy meant well, that was clear, but I was in no mood for chit chat.
Pretending was exhausting.
I wasn’t okay. Maybe I would never be alright again. When I lost my sister, I felt adrift, but I’d had family around. Our home was sad, but it was still warm and safe.
