Nodding, I piled bubbles into a mound in front of me.“Well, I mean, Iwasa little angry at first.”
She nodded emphatically.“Understandable.”
“Then, stubborn.”
She nodded even more emphatically.“That tracks.”
“And I was worried about you, Nash, and my dad. I’m still worried about Dad,” I said, my face crumpling as if I might cry, though I held it back.“I will not go off and have a whirlwind romance while the rest of you fend for yourselves.”
Sybil nodded but looked ready to rebuke.“Bee, Nash checked on your dad before we left Toronto. He was fine, I promise. Nash also has his own people watching out for him. In addition, Nash’s sources say there is quite a force of FBI operatives hovering around.”
I choked back a sudden sob.“Gray assured me Dad was being kept safe.”
She grinned.“Well, Gray wasn’t wrong. Your dadissafe and believes you’re with us, which, coincidentally, you are!”
I let out a relieved sigh.“You’re quite the little therapist, you know that?”
Sybil chuckled.“Heaven knows I’ve had plenty of practice.”
I flicked a few bubbles her way and laughed.
When the laughter subsided, she looked me over, not missing a single beat.“So, this is Gray’sunclewho’s after you?”
I tried not to let that affect me as much as it did.“Yeah. He has—or had—three uncles. His dad was the eldest of the four sons. Then there was his uncle David; I think he’s still alive. Matteo, who’s our problem, is younger than David. And then the youngest… that was Luca.” I exhaled slowly, shaking my head.“Luca’s family was also killed in a way similar to Gray’s. To me, it seems like a pretty classic power struggle, like you’d see in a movie.”
“They’re animals!” she hissed.
“Well, itisthe mafia. They aren’t exactly warm and fuzzy,” I said.
She grumbled adorably.“You’d think by now they’d have a more efficient way of doing things, wouldn’t you? I mean, does killing people really solve anything?” she asked.
I had to agree.
She went on,“What about this older uncle, David? Why can’t he step in? He’s older than Matteo, right? Why can’t he just kick his little brother’s ass or something?”
I hadn’t really thought about it. Gray had shared little about David, but really? I didn’t want to push too hard, not yet.“I’m sure David is probably just focused on surviving. Maybe he fears Matteo?” I replied.
She shrugged.“It’s worth considering. I mean, I may not be prepared to hire a hitman to kill this guy, but maybe there are others willing to do something about it?‘Murder adjacent’, so to speak. Perhaps we could approach the other uncle and gauge his opinion on his brother’s dealings? It wouldn’t hurt to poke around, right?”
I held my breath and submerged myself in the water to ponder. In my view, no, it wouldn’t be harmful to gather information, provided it didn’t increase our vulnerability. As I surfaced, Sybil was waiting, anticipating my answer.“Let’s speak with Gray. Surely he can contact David and get some answers.”
She nodded once, as if to seal the deal, then scooted the stool closer.“So, tell me something good. I need a laugh.”
It wasn’t difficult to find a story to tell.“Well, you have to hear about the diaper incident.”
Her eyebrows shot to the ceiling.“Diaper?”
“Oh yeah,” I giggled.“And the bear sleepover.”
She leaned back in shock.“Bear!? Damn, girl, you’ve been busy. I should have just honeymooned here!”
I smiled.
She bit her lip, thinking.“And I also want to know about that weasel thing Gray was carrying. He was so cute. I want one.”
“Oh yes.Larry…”I grumbled and rolled my eyes.“Don’t even get me started on that little demon.”
Chapter 29
