“That’s literally the onlyAuroraI know. Do you know another?”
“Nope, but this world is safer without any other versions of her. What she want?” he repeats.
“A laptop.”
“They don’t have those in New York?” Ares deadpans.
“She’s at Kyla and Lorenzo’s place with her boyfriend. No one is supposed to know she’s here,” I tell him. “Shit, I need to ditch my dad’s driver so I can sneak into my sister’s house.”
“I’ll go. I’ll take her what she needs.” Ares stands from the table. “You need to stay out of trouble.”
“And you need to learn you’re not the boss of me, Ares De Bellis,” I counter. “I can and will do whatever I want.”
“I’m well aware, but what you want isn’t always the best of ideas,” he reminds me before walking away.
Chapter Sixteen
Skipping school isn’t an unusual thing for me to do. Turning up at my uncle’s house in the middle of the school day is. Which is why, when I walk in, Uncle Marcel is waiting for me in the foyer. The guards obviously alerted him to my arrival.
“You lost? Last I checked, this isn’t a classroom, Ares,” my uncle says.
“Shame. I bet I could learn a lot.” I make a point to look around. “Like how not to furnish a place, for example, or what colours not to paint walls.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here to see Zia Zoe.” I smile, knowing this will just piss my uncle off.
It’s one of my favourite pastimes, seeing which uncle I can rile up the most. Usually, It’s Uncle Marcel. He doesn’t have kids of his own and seems to have the least amount of patience for my bullshit. My Uncle Gabe is the hardest to crack. He’s always cool, calm, and collected. Uncle Gio I tend not to fuck with a lot. He’s the boss and honestly probably the scariest.
“Why?”
“Because out of the two of you, I like her the most.” I shrug. “Is she here?”
Uncle Marcel smirks. “Yeah, I like her better too. She’s in the kitchen.”
I walk past him. “Did you know her cousin was in town?”
“Lorenzo? He’s been here a while.”
“No, Aurora,” I clarify.
“Aurora’s here? Where?”
“At her brother’s house. You didn’t know?”
“No. But you need to stay clear of anywhere that girl is.” Uncle Marcel’s tone changes to something more serious, making me stop in my tracks.
“Why?”
“There’s a bounty on her head. She started seeing some Irish kid from the O’Malley family and his parents aren’t too happy about their union. If they’re here, they’re both in hiding. How’d you find out?”
“Zara saw her when she was at her sister’s.”
“What’s going on with you and Zara?” Uncle Marcel asks.
“Nothing.”
“Keep it that way. Her father’s a fucking psychopath,” my uncle grumbles under his breath.
