He nods. “Troy from Tenssie. Ten…zee.” He frowns, struggling with the pronunciation. “I’m not saying it right. It’s a state in the United States.”
“Tennessee?”
Leo’s eyes brighten. “That one. How far is Tennessee from California?”
“Pretty far. At least a two-day drive.”
He frowns. “I won’t drive, silly. I’ll fly on my jet.”
There’s that. “How do you know Troy?”
“She’s my uncle’s girlfriend. They had a baby. If you ask nicely, maybe my uncle will show you pictures of Miralynn. She’s cute, and since I have no siblings, my uncle says she’s my baby sister, and when I grow up, I’ll have to look out for her.”
My belly churns. To prevent myself from throwing up, I press a palm over my mouth and look in the direction of Alessio’s office. He’s still watching me. Our eyes lock.
Oh my God, this man has a girlfriend and a baby. Did they break up before we slept together? Are they still together but long-distance? Is Alessio a cheater? I hate cheaters, and I’m not the type of a girl who would take another woman’s man. And the baby. Jesus. I was not prepared for this.
They must’ve broken up. It would make sense, since Alessio’s baby mama, Troy, I think Leo said was her name, stayed with Alessio before. Now she’s not here. This sounds about right since I can’t imagine Alessio in a long-distance relationship with a woman when he can’t even allow Leo and me to have a day at the beach on an island he owns and controls.
Leo’s not lying, but I can’t make sense of what he told me either. And there is no way in hell Alessio would allow his baby to live so far away from him.
But wait, the other day on the phone, Alessio referenced a small town in the States. Was it a small town in Tennessee?
I swallow bile. I think this Troy woman Leo is talking about is related to the man who was on the phone with Alessio. But why would Leo call him his uncle? Does Alessio have a brother?
“Lake, you don’t look okay,” Leo says.
I drink a sip of orange juice. “I’m fine, really. Just ate too much.” I can’t ask about this woman anymore because I don’t want Leo to be my informant. It’ll kill me if I pull information from him. But if I don’t, it’ll kill my uncle. This sword is double edged, and every which way I turn it, the blade will cut.
I force myself to move on with our day. “Since we started with geography, let’s continue in the study room.”
Leo frowns. “But we’re leaving soon.”
I open my mouth to ask Leo where we’re going when I hear the unmistakable clatter of my suitcase’s wheels rolling over the courtyard. Rosalba enters the kitchen through the mud room and walks past us, pulling a black suitcase behind her. Since travel suitcases can be difficult to tell apart, I tied a green ribbon and a frog-shaped traveling tag on the handle of mine.
I rush after Rosalba, but Leo gasps, sensing my alarm, so I turn and kiss the top of his head. “Nobody told me we’re traveling, that’s all. I need to have a word with your uncle.”
Leo shakes his head. “I told him to tell you as soon as you woke up.”
Awww. “I wish he’d listened to you.”
“He said he wants to surprise you.” Leo crooks his finger, beckoning me. When I bend toward him, he whispers, “My uncle likes you.”
“What about Troy?” Oh no! It just spilled out of me like water out of a broken dam.
Leo leans back, his face adorably confused. “What about her?”
I can’t stop now, but if I don’t have an answer, I might erupt in tears and admit I’ve lied, and then Alessio will kill me. “You said your uncle is with Troy, and they have a baby.”
Leo’s eyes widen. “I wasn’t talking about my uncle Alessio. If he had a baby, he would be married, and I would have another aunt. Do you like him back?”
Okay, see now, this makes sense, but also, I’m not sure how to answer the boy, so I chicken out.
“I’ll be right back.”
I move toward the foyer. Alessio likes me? I tuck my hair behind my ear. Really likes me? That’s nice to hear.
In the foyer, I spot two large suitcases and one smaller one with a blue letter A engraved on a picture of a toy airplane. Clearly, the three of us are traveling. But we can’t travel, because I need to deliver the gun tonight. The woman will have her cronies murder my uncle if I don’t.
