“I’m at Sofia’s place,” I admit. “How fast can you get here?”
“I’m on my way,” he says before hanging up.
You gotta love Uncle Gio. There were no follow-up questions, just a clear understanding that help is needed. I turn to Sofia to fill her in. “Gio is on his way,” I report.
“Great,” she says, rubbing her hands together. I can tell she’s nervous, and I want to comfort her. I know it’s a big deal, that she’s going to have to explain herself multiple times to multiple people before getting the kind of help she needs. We set the ball in motion, but a lot of work is still to be done.
“Hey,” I say, sitting down beside her. “I’ll be right here.”
“I’ve been awful to you,” Sofia moans.
“Yes, you have,” I agree with a chuckle.
“I don’t know why I thought you could have been involved. I know you,” she says, turning wide, glossy, puppy dog eyes on me.
“It’s understandable,” I reply, because I do understand her point.
“But you had panic attacks over your bar exam,” she reminds me. “I don’t know how I thought you could ever be involved in something so devious.”
“Well,” I explain, not wanting to give her too much fuel for her guilt-ridden fire, “the panic attacks weren’t exactly because of the exam.”
“What were they about?” she asks.
“Never mind,” I shrug off the question. I’ve been forthcoming enough. She doesn’t need to know that I’m in training to replace my father.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wait long until Uncle Gio shows up. He knocks on the door, and I only have to take two steps from where I’m sitting to answer it. He nods at me, scanning the interior of the apartment as only people who need to know where all the exits are. Walking inside, his gaze falls on Sofia, his distaste clear.
“Hello,” he says in a monotone voice.
She stands up. “Hello.”
“Hear her out,” I instruct my uncle.
Gio turns to Sofia, waiting for her story.
“I’d like to apologize for any inconvenience I’ve caused your family,” Sofia begins.
Gio nods, willing to accept the polite admission.
“I thought you had killed my brother,” she continues.
Gio relaxes. This is something he can appreciate. We all know what it’s like to lose a family member, and the overwhelming emotional response it creates. Everyone in my household has a vendetta against Andretti. He’s done so much damage over the years. We all hate him. Sofia’s desire for revenge strikes a chord in his heart and makes it easier to hear the rest.
“I just found this recording that my brother made,” Sofia says, starting up the video again.
Gio watches the video without a visible reaction, but by the time it’s over, he seems willing to help. “Your brother says that there might be information on the company hard drive that could prove Andretti is pulling the strings.”
“Yes,” Sofia replies, standing up and going to her closet. She crouches to rummage through a box and comes back with a yellow legal pad. Pushing two sheets aside, she reveals a hidden block of text that has a username and a password. “This was my brother’s access information. I tried to see if there was anything left in his drive, but it’s been wiped clean.”
“In the message, he says that there’s a backup,” Gio reminds us.
“He also said it would be impossible to get,” I remind them.
“Not necessarily,” Sofia assures me. She sits down, opening the newspaper’s webpage and scrolling down to the bottom to the link for the staff login. She types in her own name and an eight-digit number, and the screen opens to reveal a second desktop. “This is my account,” she tells us. “You can see that all my files are still there. Well, at least all the files you left me with.”
“Me?” I ask, confused.
“Um, that day you went to my office, all my files on your dad were erased. I just assumed it was you,” she says hesitantly.
