I smile and lean in. “What do you think?” I hold her gaze for a moment, but she finally looks away first.
“You’re fucking with me,” she mutters and puts some more space between us. “Seriously, that AI thing is deranged.”
“Lady’s fine. Don’t mind her. Lady, you’ll be nice to my wife, isn’t that right?”
“Of course, Mass. Your family is my only priority.”
Allie yelps and looks around. Panic makes her cheeks turn red. “She’s watching?!”
“Listening. Her name’s the trigger word. Everything else gets dumped into memory and flushed after five seconds. Don’t worry. It’s all locally done.”
“Cool. Great. The AI’s listening now too.” She scowls for a moment, drinks her coffee, and seems to like it. “Why am I locked out of that room, by the way? I thought I had freedom in this place.”
“You do. That room is off-limits. Everything else is yours.”
“What about the beach? Can I go outside?”
“Yes, you can. There’s a stretch of beach on the property. It’s very safe.”
“And heavily guarded.”
“Of course. You’d better wear a very conservative bikini. I’d hate to have to kill my men for looking at my wife the wrong way.”
She snorts and smiles a little. But she quickly schools her face. “Are you going to make me do more filing today?”
“No, not today.” I sit across from her and decide this is as good a time as any. “We’re going on a trip later this afternoon.”
“Seriously? Where?”
“I have business in Turkey. I want you there with me.”
“I’ve never been to Turkey.” She doesn’t seem to mind as much as I thought she would. “I guess that’s better than hanging around. How long are we going? I’ll need to make sure I have enough stuff for Rosie.”
I hold up a hand. “About her. I think it’s best if we leave our daughter here where she’ll be safest.”
Allie pulls back. She looks at me sharply and lowers the coffee down to the table. “Absolutely not.”
“This is the safest place in the world?—”
“Then why not leave me here too?”
“Because I want you with me. You’ll be bored here. This way is better?—”
“Better for you. I’m not going anywhere without my daughter.”
I open my mouth to argue with her. I knew she’d react like this, and I still blundered into this confrontation anyway. But as soon as I imagine what Turkey will be like without Rosie, all the fight drains away.
Allie will hate it. And a part of me will too.
Why not bring my entire family? Why leave the child behind?
It’s true, she’d be safer here.
Still, I want my daughter there for the same reason I want my wife.
“Alright. We’ll bring her.”
Allie looks suspicious. “Just like that? You’re caving?”
