“No.”
“Do you know who Sofia is?”
“I hacked some communications between her and Gio, none of which were traceable.”
“That’s not good, right?”
“It represents skill and intent, but we don’t know what the intent is. We also don’t know if Sofia is an enemy or friend. That’s unclear in the communications.”
“Do you think Gio is in danger?”
“I think, to some degree, you’re both always in danger, though I think some of that can be alleviated. The how of that, we can talk about. Right now, we’re living in the moment. We need to find your brother.”
“And protect Kace. I’m worried about Kace.”
“Which means you care about him. I get that. First things first, we need to establish trust. He reaches for his phone and hits a button. “References in your messages now.” My phone buzzes in my pocket and he adds, “That’s me. I linked you to a private server with extensive data, and references, on me and my team, for your review.”
I grab my phone and confirm before I glance at him. “Did Kace give you my number?”
“He didn’t have to. I can find anything I need on my own. If anyone can find your brother, I can.” He motions in the direction Kace and Savage disappeared. “I’m going to go grab some coffee and let you think. If you want to continue this conversation, I’ll be with Kace and Savage, waiting.” He does just that. He rounds the couch and walks away.
I stare after him and then turn back to the window, but I don’t see the Hudson River. Instead, I’m thrown back in time, thrust into a memory I’d shared with my mother. I’d been thirteen, only two years in the States when my school invited us all to join the orchestra. Mom had been home when Gio, then eighteen and in college, but living at home, had brought me home. I burst into the door in excitement. “I want to play the violin, Mom! They invited me to play the violin at school.”
Mom turns from the stove to gape at me, her dark hair pulled back, the horror in her face exposed. She eyes Gio. “Did you know about this?”
“She’s a kid, Mom,” he argues for me as he’d promised he would on the way home. “Let her play.”
Fire lights her eyes and her voice quakes with anger. “Are you serious, Gio? You know how dangerous any connection to our past is.” She kneels in front of me and grabs my arm. “No violin. Ever.”
“But I—”
“You will die, Aria. We will all die. People are hunting us. Don’t you understand?”
“Jesus, Mom,” Gio snaps. “Are you really telling her she’s going to die? She’s a kid.”
“Who I love and want to live. This isn’t just about you, me, or her. Which brings me to that girl I saw you with last night at the ice cream shop. This isn’t just about you, me, or your sister. It’s about the people we let close to us that could get caught in the crossfire. Don’t be selfish, Gio. Don’t get someone hurt because you were selfish.”
I slip back into the present, but the memory of them fighting and me crying remains with me.
Kace is in the crossfire, and it’s too late to change that. Perhaps the moment I fell into his arms, I created a reckless note, but it’s done. I could leave, but to what end? I could insist I stay away from Kace, while Walker helps until I know he’s safe. Or I could do what Kace would want, and just assume he’s safe. Or even assume that it’s too late to save Kace if I don’t save myself and Gio, so I might as well stay by his side.
It’s a critical decision, perhaps the biggest of my life. I know what my mother would do. I know what my brother would do, which is what he believes my father would do.
But this time, this is on me, all on me. I have to step forward in my own shoes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
I’ve been conditioned to run.
I recognize this about myself. And I took enough psychology to be quite clear on how much humans are creatures of habit, even if that habit is self-destructive. There is a point, though, where we dare to walk in another direction, to face our fear of walking in another direction. And it’s that time for me.
I walk up the stairs to the kitchen to face the unknown, but I’ll do so with Kace by my side. That’s the thing about two damaged souls who connect. Sometimes they destroy each other. But when the stars align, when the souls align with them, you heal each other. You make each other stronger. In my heart of hearts, I believe he makes me stronger. I dare to believe that I just might do the same for him.