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“You know what he looks like?”
“Of course we do. Kieran might be even more famous than Midas was, and he’s single, so his name gets thrown around a lot here.” Ayla pauses. “You should put in a good word with him, so maybe he’ll tell Flounder to text me.”
“Isn’t Flounder a little old for you?”
“Age is just a number, sister. Now, tell us what you’ve done to celebrate your birthday.”
Andrina chimes in. “Happy birthday, Ari!”
“Yes, happy birthday!”
I smile. “It’s been low-key. I haven’t felt the best today.”
Another partial truth.
“Maybe Mr. Van der Zee has something wonderful planned for later?”
“I doubt that. Besides, getting to talk to the three of you is more than enough. I’ve missed you.”
Ayla says, “We’ve missed you, too. Have you heard from any of the others?”
“No, have you?”
There’s a long pause and I glance at the screen to make sure the call wasn’t dropped.
“Girls?”
Arista says, “We’re still here. We’ve talked to Adella a few times.”
Something in her tone puts me on alert.
“How is she?”
“Pregnant and miserable. Her husband is still cheating on her.”
“Poor Adella.”
Andrina says, “I wish I could talk to Dad right now. I’d tell him what a monster he is for doing this to us. I used to be so afraid of what would happen to me when he decided to marry me off. Now, I wish I could tell him I’mnevergoing to marry a man!” She pauses. “If you talk to him, will you let him know, Ari?”
Ayla adds, “We love it here, but sometimes it feels too good to be true. The first month, I expected Dad to burst in and tell us we were going back home and that he had married us off.”
“That’s not going to happen. I swear.”
“We trust you Ari.” Someone calls Ayla’s name in the background, and she says, “Shoot. We’re late for curfew check. Happy birthday, sis. We can’t wait to see you.”
My other two sisters chime in. “Happy birthday. We love you!”
The call ends before I can reply.
I replay their words over in my head. They seem happy, but it kills me that my older sister, Adella, isn’t doing well. I wish there was some way I could help her, but she married the head of the Boston Mafia. Interfering would only lead to someone I love getting hurt. I also wonder how my other sisters are doing.
I’m deep in thought when Kieran taps on the door.
“Did you have a pleasant conversation?”
My eyes water. “I did. Thank you.”
“Are the girls liking the boarding school?”
