Chapter 10
I was too drained for conversation as Hahn and I drove back to the hospital. I still needed to make one more phone call, though. I would have rather tap-danced with the devil before making it.
I pulled out my phone, went to my address book and scrolled down until I found his number then pressed it with my finger. Seconds later the ringing in my ears began. It had to be my mind playing tricks on me because the volume seemed to get louder with each ring.
“Hello.” His voice was still so familiar. But, what would once have made my thighs tingle left me feeling—nothing.
“Alexandro.”
“Gina.” He exhaled deeply. He was calm, but I could hear the irritation in his voice. “What manner of madness is going on now?”
“You think so highly of me.” The sarcasm dripped from my lips. “How do you know I’m not calling to check on Cicely or to say congratulations on the birth of your daughter?”
“Because I know and you know that you keep tabs on Cecily through all kinds of underhanded means. You already know the important stuff, so there is no reason to call and check on her. Lucinda is almost six months old. I can’t imagine I’d get a congratulations on that. Bottom line, what’s this call about?”
“Nina’s alive.”
He didn’t sound shocked. “Braylee told me.”
“Figures. She tells you everything?”
Alex remained silent.
“I guess she does. Anyway, aren’t you the least bit curious about Nina? Like, where she’s been all these years?”
“No. Not even a little. She allowed her daughter to think she was dead for fifteen years. We should keep it that way.”
“Can’t disagree with you.”
“Interesting you would say that. At any rate, I hope your reunion was a happy one but keep your brand of crazy on your side of the world. If you’re not exactly sure what I mean because of a language barrier, let me explain it this way. Cecily believes she’s dead. I see no reason for her to think otherwise.”
“Alex, we can’t agree that the sun is yellow, but on this, we’re perfectly in sync.”
I could feel his frustration coming through the phone. “Damn. If you’re calling and agreeing with me, then that means you don’t have this situation under control.”
“I’m working a couple of different angles to make sure Nina doesn’t hurt Cecily, but I’m calling you so that you can be on guard. She threatened to use her against me.”
Alexandro was silent. I knew he was wondering if his family would ever be able to rid themselves of us. I couldn’t blame him. We were bad news. “Gina, listen—Cecily is thriving after losing her father. I will do anything to protect my niece. I mean anything.”
“I would expect no less. I only called to give you a heads-up. You do what you have to do on your end, and I’ll do what I have to on mine. Hopefully, we won’t have to cross paths to achieve our goals. At the end of the day, I think we both want Cecily safe.”
“If it will put your mind at ease, I increased Cecily’s security the moment Braylee told me about Nina.”
“Good.”
His voice held the tiniest bit of compassion. “Gina . . .”
“Yeah?”
“We have our differences big differences, but thank you for loving Cecily enough to allow her to grow up with as much peace as possible.”
I wanted to say that I wasn’t a monster that needed to be kept away from her, but the truth of the matter was . . . I was. There was nothing the Lee-Xiou family could offer Cecily that would make her a better person. We were poison plain and simple.
I was full of too many emotions tonight. My throat was thick, I cleared it. “Take care of her, Alex.” It had been a long time since we’d been able to have anything close to a civil conversation. The absence of snapping at one another was probably the closest we’d ever get to being friendly. We would never be friends, but it was something—for a man I once loved.
Our silence was filled with regret and remorse for a time long ago. I attempted to lighten the mood by getting back on familiar ground. “While your choice in a wife leaves a lot to be desired . . .”
“Couldn’t help yourself could you?”
I could feel the smile in his voice just as I was sure he could hear the laughter in mine. “You know me, Alexandro Manchetti. Seriously, congratulations on the birth of your daughter. I genuinely mean that.”
“Thank you and . . . Gina, take care of yourself.”
We disconnected. I leaned back onto the headrest and closed my eyes hoping to clear my mind. If only briefly. Hahn left me with my own thoughts for the remainder of the drive until we pulled up in front of the hospital.
“Are you okay?”
I didn’t, couldn’t move. “Fine. Just need a good twenty-four hours of uninterrupted sleep.” Inside, I wept for so many reasons—a dream denied, a different kind of life, and a love longed for.
“Gina. About that, am I free to be honest with you?” Hahn gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter.
“Of course.”
“You’re burning it at both ends. You’ve got to get some rest. We need you present and focused.”
The corners of my lips edged up just a bit. “You’ve heard the saying; I’ll rest when I’m dead, which might
