I bobbed my head. “You.”
He pulled me into his broad chest and stroked the back of my head. “I’m sorry you had to choose.”
So was I, but strangely, I was happy, too. My mother finally got her wish: My father had quit his job, and she had him all to herself. As for me, my journey hadn’t ended up where I’d wanted, but my ghost—made of solid flesh and bone, and who loved me—was all I wanted. I had faith that everything else would work itself out—I’d find a way to see my parents again.
“I don’t know, seems like fate to me,” I said.
He kissed me deeply and then stared into my eyes. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.
He smiled awkwardly. “So are you ready?”
My stomach lurched. “Ready for…what?”
Paolo cupped my cheek. “We can’t stay here. Not after so many phone calls—even with precautions, it’s too risky.”
“Where will we go?” I asked.
Paolo grinned and then shrugged. “I’m not sure, actually. Falling in love with you and running away was the one thing I never planned for.”
How funny. Mr. Contingency didn’t have one for this scenario? I found that completely adorable for some reason.
I gave it a moment of thought. “How about Italy?” He spoke the language.
His mouth twisted a bit. “About that, Dakota, I should tell you something.”
Oh no.
Again, he smiled awkwardly. “Remember I told you about my family?”
“Powerful. Connected. Something like that?” I said, with dread in my tone.
“Yes,” he said. “The reason I went to work for your father is because I wanted to escape them.”
I gasped. “Whyyy?”
“They are not very nice people. Think, Godfather, but much worse.”
Oh great. “Your family is…Italian mobsters?”
“They prefer to be called la famiglia, but yes. And my mother’s death was just one of many in a long string of retaliations and tragedies. That’s why I left as soon as I could. I couldn’t be a part of that. Your father was the one who helped me escape them.”
I felt a twinge of pride. He had to be a good guy, right? “Are they looking for you?” I asked.
“I think they’ve given up, but I’m not sure.” That sounded like a story, an unpleasant one, for another day. And I’d kind of reached my limit.
I sighed. “Okay. Nix on Italy,” I said. “How about somewhere warm in Latin America?” I assumed Paolo’s Spanish was decent; he was great at faking the accent.
“Excellent choice.” Paolo kissed me again, but then I had another thought.
“Wait. Is there anything else I need to know about you? Prison record? Wanted by the FBI?”
Funny. Paolo actually paused to think about the answer. “There is much to tell you, but nothing like that.”
I sighed with relief.
“Come. It’s time to get dressed.” He took my hand and pulled me up from the bed, and stared into my eyes.
“Can I send Mandy and Bridget postcards before we go?”
“No. I’m sorry,” he said. “But we will find another way to let them know you are all right.”
Good. Because I wouldn’t want them to worry.
I kissed him quickly. “Just promise that wherever we end up, I’ll get a chance to study psychology, and that I can get my Spy Kids training. I have a feeling I’ll need both.”
“You do understand that you won’t actually have to work? Ever,” he added.
“If you think I’m going to sponge off you for the rest of my life—”
“You’re more than welcome to; however, as much as I’ve earned over these past few years, I’m certain your father’s investment skills far exceed mine.”
What did he mean by that? “Sorry?”
“Dakota, your father made a very large sum of money over the years. And since your mother insisted on living like a normal, middle-class family, I don’t think he spent much.”
“And?” I asked.
“Let us just say that I’m a lowly, single-digit millionaire compared to you.”
I sucked in a breath and let the air flap my lips. This news was simply one more strange, strange thing to pile on top. And, frankly, it didn’t fall into the “critical” or “life-threatening” heap. Nope. Don’t care.
“So you’ve been stalking me for my fortune?” I said jokingly.
“Of course. What other reason would I want you, other than for your vast fortune?” His eyes swept over my body.
“Funny.”
“I have my moments,” he said. But with his thick accent, which I’d now become accustomed to, it sounded like he’d said, I hab my momenzzz.
“So, given that money is no object, does that mean I can still go to school?” I asked.
He grinned proudly, and I wondered if it was because he liked the fact I wouldn’t become a giant slacker.
“For you, anything is possible, Dakota.”
I beamed at him. Because when a man like Paolo said something like that, you knew it had to be true. It was like he controlled the universe single-handedly. “Anything, huh?”
“Anything,” he said confidently.