Kenji was right. It was better for him to remain in the dark, even if he wanted to be involved. A revenge mission could cost him and Gia their livelihood. He was too close to getting everything he’d worked so hard for to lose it on being irrational.
The walk back to his car and the drive home were a montage of emotions. There were several issues he faced, and he needed help brainstorming solutions.
He knew the perfect person to help.
Marley.
Thirty-Three
GIA
The soft knock at her bedroom door, followed by the sounds of little feet and giggling, was the only warning she got right before something landed across her chest.
“Oomph.” Gia groaned even as she tried to hide her smile.
“Wake up!” Tuy?t Mai yelled. Her sweet voice softened her demand.
“I’m up. I’m up.” Rolling over, she caught Tuy?t Mai by the waist and screamed, “Tickle time!”
The peals of laughter would melt anyone’s heart. It softened the sting of being ditched by Jake last night.
“Stop! Stop!” Tuy?t Mai tapped out, tears of laughter streaming down her face.
“All right, you little rascal. I’m up. Now what?” she asked, picking the two-year-old up and hugging her to her chest.
“Pancakes?”
Gia nodded. “Pancakes.” She moved to get up. “Where’s your mom?”
Th?y Mai stood at the door and answered. “She went to help Uncle Jake.”
Frowning, she pushed herself to stand.
What the hell is going on, and why did nobody call me?
“Mom said she’d be back to make pancakes,” Th?y Mai told her little sister, who squealed about wanting chocolate chips in hers. Gia put her down, smiling as Tuy?t Mai joined her older sister and they left her behind.
Though a part of her wanted to stay with her family, her heart still sank when she got a text from Jake about an emergency he and Marley needed to tend to, though he wouldn’t elaborate on the issue. It was a reminder that she wasn’t a part of their family unit, and it hurt.
Jake had called her before bed last night. He reassured her everything was fine but was cagey about the details, which only made her uneasy.
Checking her phone, she saw messages from Kim and Jerry. She opened Kim’s message but ignored the latter.
Kim
Everything has been taken care of.
Gia breathed a sigh of relief. She’d talked to Kim after lunch yesterday. She quickly caught her up on what she had been up to for the past month. Before she could even ask, Kim laid out a plan of action for her. With only a few words, Gia was ready to walk away from her past.
There were more important things in life than chasing an empty dream. Life was too fucking short.
If Alex hadn’t decided to come to town, it would have taken her longer for Gia to finally cut ties with her old life. When the sheriff came by to talk to her, he’d taken her statement in their living room—which she’d found odd, but chalked it up to being a small-town perk. When she asked what would happen to Alex, he frowned and interlaced his fingers. She braced herself for bad news.
“Alex’s father posted bail, and he was released about an hour ago,” Sheriff Lancaster said, his voice rough after years of tobacco use. He’d shot her an apologetic look.
Her hackles rose as she realized Alex was already free to walkaround like he hadn’t drugged her. She didn’t even want to know what he had planned to do with her once he’d gotten her back to the hotel, nor had she asked Sheriff Lancaster any details. What she didn’t know couldn’t hurt her.
Or so she’d like to believe. What she did know was she was done playing games with her life—which was what prompted her phone call with Kim, who demanded an update. When she’d gotten to the part about what Alex had done, Kim’s silence had taken on a dangerous edge. Her silent fury was scarier than if she’d raised her voice. It made the hairs on Gia’s arms rise in both fear and awe. Clearly, she had underestimated how scary Kim was, but it was reassuring to know Kim had her back.
