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“Mia,” Luca says. “Tell Dad what Tony did. You don’t have to go into specifics, but Dad won’t support him then.”
“Dad will get to me,” she says. “He’ll find a way.”
“You can stay with Colt and Lexi,” Luca says. “Lexi has been asking about you nonstop.”
“Colt will keep you safe,” I say, nodding. “In the meantime, stick to the story.”
I open the door for Mia, and she climbs into the passenger seat. When I’m in the driver’s seat, I reach across and take her hand. She squeezes onto me as I pull out of the parking lot. Luca raises the barrier, and we drive away.
“Have you got my painting?” she asked.
“Yeah. It turns out we didn’t need to be discreet after all.”
“Better safe than sorry, I guess,” she says. “At least life can get back to normal now.”
“Yeah. Ma wants to make her Lasagna al Forno for you.”
Mia smiles. “That sounds good.” After a pause, she says softly, “I’m so sorry about your dad.”
“I’m sorry about yours, too. Kids don’t get to choose.”
“But we can,” she mutters.
I wonder if she’s talking about us being able to make positive change in a general sense or children specifically. We can choose not to have children. I try not to think about the hope in Ma’s eyes when she talks about it.
“Where are we going now?”
“Your dad wants to see you, apparently,” I say, “but we don’t have to go to him, Mia. We can tell him you just wanted to go straight to Lexi’s. She’s your best friend. It’s a good cover story.”
“Yeah, and it’s the truth,” she says with a shaky sigh.
I feel like there’s this new rift between us. Things were weirdly easier back when I was her kidnapper.
“Have you still got the phone?” I ask.
“Yeah, why? Should I expect a text?”
“It’s easier over text, anyway.”
She glances at me with a small smile, almost dragging my attention away from the road. Even being apart from her for a few hours was enough to make me hungry for her again. “We can agree on that.”
“I know it’s tough, Mia.”
“I meant what I said,” she cuts in. “Before, aboutmebeing the one to do it.” Her voice gets dark. She’s got a hint of the devil in her, too. “I know it’s messed up. I wish the world weren’t so dark, Dante.”
“It’s a twisted place,” I tell her, “for you and me even more with my dad and your dad. The Marino brothers have their demons, but Colt is different. Colt didn’t have it good.”
“We’re just our own special shade of darkness,” she says. “It’s like when you’re painting a night’s sky, and you gently try slowly blending the black into gray. We’re one of those, Dante—you and me.” Her voice is getting dreamy and tired. She rests her head against the window. “Just take me to Dad. I can face him.”
“What?” I snap.
She turns to me, glaring. “Iwon’treact like I did with Vito again.” I try to focus on the road, but she looks pissed at me, at herself. “I’m better than that. I’m not going to be a scared little kid anymore.”
“I’ll be there,” I tell her. “I’m not leaving you alone with him.”
There’s a long silence as I drift through the city, sensing and feeling her sadness, agony, and pain. She finally whispers, “You don’t even know what he did.”
“You don’t have to say,” I tell her.
