My father’s eyes crinkle with mirth. “Smart girl.”
“I learn from the best.” I wink at him.
“Don’t let your mother hear that.”
“Hear what?” I retort, aloof, before cracking a smile.
However, as I climb the stairs to my room, I don’t miss how my father doesn’t go to bed. Instead, I watch him head towards his office and lock himself inside.
Hmm. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know he’s going to spend most of the night making calls, trying to dig up intel on Kirill and the real reason why he showed up at tonight’s charity ball. Truth be told, I’m a little curious myself.
Kirill said his brother ordered him to make a largercontributionto the city, to improveBratva’simage, or some noble bullshit like that. But seeing Kirill twice in as many days has to mean something. And I’m not conceited enough to think it has anything to do with me. Still, I don’t buy his poor excuse of suddenly being ordered to play nice with high society either.
TheBratvais definitely up to something. I just wish I knew what that something is.
All those thoughts go out the window when I open my bedroom door and find Annamaria already in bed, her back to me, scrolling on her burner phone.
“You know Mom will have a conniption fit if she catches you with that,” I call out, plopping down on my bed and kicking my heels off.
“She hasn’t found it yet,” Annamaria replies softly before hiding the phone inside her pillowcase.
It’s true. Anna has had a second phone since she was thirteen, and she’s yet to get caught with it. Mostly because no one in our family would ever dream she’s capable of deceiving anyone—let alone keeping a secret like a burner all to herself. Also, because she’s careful. Painfully careful. She keeps both phones in identical cases so no one can tell which one she’s actually using. She even goes as far as keeping the same lock screen on both. It’s subtle, but so far, it’s been an effective camouflage.
I’ve never given her grief about it because I get it. I wouldn’t put it past our mother—or one of our overprotective fathers—to have one of the twins hack her phone just so they’d know which sites she’s visiting or who she’s talking to just to keep her safe from the vultures of the world.
Not that Anna talks to anyone who doesn’t have Romano as their last name. Still, I can’t help but be proud of her for outsmarting our parents. Anna doesn’t have a deceitful bone in her body, but she’s always been private. And I give her props for setting that kind of boundary with the rest of us, even if none of them know about it. Well, except me, of course.
Anna doesn’t keep secrets from me. And I don’t keep secrets from her, no matter how much they might hurt.
“I’m sorry I was such a bitch on our ride home,” I say, before standing up and getting undressed.
“You weren’t a…” She chews her lower lip, unable to even say the wordbitch. “I just don’t like seeing you always start a fight with Mom.”
“I didn’t start it.” She hikes her blonde eyebrow as if calling bullshit. “Fine. I started it. But you have to admit that Mom sure makes it easy.”
“Whatever. I just wish you two were kinder to each other.”
Yeah, me too.
But I don’t say that. Instead, I kick my dress to the floor, pull on a T-shirt, and sneak my way into Anna’s bed, cuddling her from behind.
“I’m sorry I fucked up your night,” I say, resting my chin on her shoulder.
“That’s okay. Not like it was a good one to begin with,” she says, holding her hands over mine on her belly.
“That bad, huh? Didn’t have fun even a little bit?”
“Not really. But that’s okay. I’m used to it.”
My heart plummets at the resignation in her voice.
This just won’t do.
“What are you doing tomorrow?” I ask, needing to put a smile back on my sister’s face. “Do you think you can fit in some quality sister time into your busy schedule?”
“That’s a joke, right?” She smiles timidly.
“I’m serious,” I say, starting to tickle her, grateful when she lets out a genuine laugh.
