Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
“It’s been a while,” I say awkwardly, still battling to understand my husband’s intention. He’s never been a fan of Colin. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good,” he says in a too bright tone. “You?”
There was a time when we were best friends. Are we really going to make small talk? “Ryan told me you and May got back together. Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
Silence.
“Colin?”
“Listen, Bella.” Another pause. “I haven’t heard from you in months.”
“I’m sorry. It’s not that I wasn’t worried about you—”
“I know.” His tone is curt. “Ryan told me.”
“Okay.” This is so uncomfortable. “Then you understand.”
I dare a glance at my husband, who’s still studying me with dark, piercing eyes.
“I told May,” Colin says. “About that day.”
He means about what happened in the church when Angelo came barging in with guns and threatened to shoot my best friend for agreeing to marry me.
“Oh,” I say.
“She’s pregnant.”
“May?” I exclaim. “Oh my God. That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“With the baby on the way, we’re getting married this winter.”
“That’s great. I’m so happy for both of you.” I add with a smile, “Well, for the three of you.”
“The thing is, May isn’t so casual about the whole affair.”
“About what?” I ask, my mouth going dry as a suspicion forms in my mind.
“We don’t want trouble, Bella. With the baby and everything…”
I’m looking into Angelo’s eyes instead of into Colin’s as my childhood friend deals the blow. Sympathy sparks in my husband’s gaze as Colin tells me he no longer wants to hear from me. And who can blame him after everything I put him through?
The most surprising aspect is that the rejection doesn’t hit me as hard as I expected it to. My life is different now. Too many things happened. We both moved on. I’m no longer a part of my friends’ lives. We outgrew each other. Even speaking to Colin now feels as if there’s years between us instead of miles.
“I understand,” I say. “Take care of May and the baby.”
“You take care too.”
His words have a ring of finality, but he doesn’t end the call. He leaves the sad task of cutting the ties to me.
I press the red button and hand the phone to Angelo.
Something akin to victory washes over his expression even as he asks with uncharacteristic compassion, “You okay?”
“Was that your goal? To show me Colin never wants to hear from me again?”
He cups my cheek. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I just needed to be sure how you feel about him.”
“I always loved him as a friend. You know that.”
He presses a kiss on my forehead. “Wait for me, cara.”
The words conjure a memory of the day he came to my house with gifts for Pirate, asking me to wait for him. And I did. I waited. I never stopped waiting, not even after he betrayed me. But all that is in the past, and I’m ready to move on.
Before I can formulate a reply, he sets me free. He hesitates only for a second, and then he goes to that place I saw in his eyes, the one that made him look so tormented.
Chapter
Twenty
Angelo
* * *
On my way back to the old house, I dial my driver, Waldo, and instruct him to fetch the kids when the school comes out at four. The cleanup team has enough time to take care of the cellar before the kids arrive home. Then I call the man I put in charge of keeping an eye on Daisy and Laura’s whereabouts.
“They boarded a private yacht for Bonifacio. I’m driving there as we speak. I should be there in an hour.”
“Do we have eyes on the yacht?”
“Yes, sir. The drone pilot is on it.”
“Good. Let me know where they stay and who they meet. I want every detail down to what they order for breakfast.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
I leave the car in the garage and make my way straight to the jetty. The skipper waits on the yacht. A storm is building on the sea, but I’m in too much of a rush to organize a plane. By the time I’ve secured a pilot and he’s drawn up a flight plan, I could’ve already been in Marseille with the yacht.
Both the skipper and I are experienced at the helm. This won’t be the first storm we navigate. We check the weather forecast before figuring out the best route. If we go south before cutting west, we’ll avoid the worst of the storm.
The skipper takes the first shift. While he mans the bridge, I make a few phone calls in the lounge. It doesn’t take long to find out where Hugo hangs out. After putting the necessary measures in place, I call my informant who infiltrated my uncle’s team, but he’s none the wiser. He tells me that Uncle Nico is careful, keeping a tight lid on his business.