My hand hovers for a moment before I send.
The response comes fast.
You have no choice
One phone call and your trip to paradise will become a living nightmare
I’m still processing that when the next message arrives.
To say nothing about the boy you’ve done your best to hide
Or the pretty pharmacy tech watching him
The phone nearly slips from my fingers.
He didn’t have to name Anthony or Lydia for me to know that he’s threatening them. Fear creeps into my heart. How long has he known about them?
Leave them both alone
They have nothing to do with this.
That decision is not up to me anymore
I stare at the screen until the words blur. What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
The three dots of a message being drafted keep flashing.
My father’s patience is not infinite
He wants this affair settled once and for all
For your family’s sake, please give him what he wants
I don’t know how to interpret these messages, and I’m not about to jeopardize my position by calling Nico now to clarify. But I know better than to trust him, even as he positions himself as the reasonable one, and a buffer between me and his monstrous father.
My fingers move before I can stop myself.
Do you have even the slightest idea of what is here?
The three dots start flashing again. They keep flashing, over and over, and I know that Nico is looking for the right words to say. I can practically see him typing his message, before erasing it all only to start over again.
Finally, a message comes.
Yes
Its brevity tells me everything I need to know from him. Then, the dots start again.
Which is why you need to trust me
Give me one good reason to
She was my sister before he was ever my nephew
For her sake, don’t hurt him
There’s a part of her that lives in him!
I know…
