"Hello?" her soft voice answered. I let out a hiss of air. Burning hot tears streamed down my cheeks. "Hello?" she called again. A pain-filled sob escaped my mouth. I'd been so lonely for so long. I missed human contact. I missed having people to share my life with.
"Nix?" she whispered. I didn't dare speak. I couldn't. It was bad enough that I called her. "Nix," she said again, her voice soft and full of pain. "Baby, where are you? Let me help you." I sobbed harder. My face was hot with emotion. My entire body trembled. I felt completely, utterly broken beyond repair. "Where are you? We can help you," she pleaded.
No. No one could help me. There was no escaping this. I refused to lose her too. I just needed this. This one moment of her and me. I needed to feel connected to the only person who could comfort me. "You can't talk?" she asked. I knew my place was bugged. They'd make me move again if they heard me talking to her. It was only a matter of time before they disconnected my call. I let out another huff of air in answer. Sunshine was always good at reading my mind. Every one of my idiosyncrasies was burned into her awareness of me.
"I'm assuming you're calling about...her."
Smart girl, not using names.
Her. Her. Grace.
Him, too. Oh, Alessandro.
Another sob escaped me.
A fresh wave of tears slipped down my cheeks, and I wiped at them with the back of my hand. I had to take my glasses off because there were so many. "Do you remember the time we found that rat in our apartment?" Sunshine asked. Her change of conversation caught me off guard. I sifted through memories, then released a wary smile when I remembered what she was referencing. We found a dead rat lying on the floor of our apartment. She squealed and screamed, begging me to pick it up. I bent down to grab it, but the fucker jumped away. Turns out, it wasn't dead after all. I nearly pissed myself out of shock.
Wait.
It wasn't really dead. I sat up in bed and gasped. "You remember, don't you? Impossible to forget," she murmured.
I bit my fist before grabbing my laptop. If they weren't dead, then they were out there somewhere. "I miss you," she whispered. "My husband has been extra grumpy lately," she continued.
I bet he was. That was a multi-million dollar plane the Ringleaders burned, not to mention the fact that Grace was put in danger. A pang of guilt ripped through me, but the feeling didn't last. They were alive. Alive!
"I won't let him do anything stupid, though. We're starting to realize that this is bigger than what we're used to."
I started checking flights out of Mexico to Sydney. I realized when I got here that Alessandro found that little breadcrumb. "We have to be careful, you know. We have more to lose now."
I stopped searching to listen to my best friend. What was she talking about? "I'm pregnant," she whispered. "I'm going to be a mom."
I clutched my chest. A baby? My best friend was going to have a baby. Warmth and happiness filled me in that moment, and I had to bite my fist to keep the love I felt from flowing from my mouth. I wanted to be there for her every step of the way. I wanted to support her.
But then my thoughts were interrupted by the crushing reality that I couldn't break like this. I couldn't reach out to her. I couldn't risk her and the baby growing inside of her. If I had my way, I'd listen to her voice on repeat. I'd fall asleep to her words and wrap myself up in the familiarity she offered. But I couldn't be weak. I couldn't risk her.
"Are you still there?" she asked while sobbing. I didn't want to cause her pain. I hated that I was doing this to her. But the alternative was worse. “Nix, I can’t do this without you. I’m so fucking scared. I know it’s selfish, but I need you to come back. Whatever it is, we can tackle it together. Just come home. Let me help you. Let us save you.”
I wanted to do that, I really did. I wanted to be there for all the milestones. Sunshine’s kid would undoubtedly have a piece of my heart, and who else would teach it all of life’s greatest lessons? But knowing she was pregnant just solidified my resolve. I wasn’t just keeping her, Grace, and Alessandro safe anymore, I had her unborn child to think about too.
“Nix? Please just answer me,” she cried out. “I hate being away from you. We’re family, Nix. You’re the only family I have left, the only family that means anything to me. Please just come home.”
I opened and closed my mouth, trying to think of the words to say to provide comfort. Truth was, nothing felt right. At the end of the day, my hands were tied. There wasn’t much I could do. The Ringleaders were everywhere. Even a quick phone call was too risky.
"Banana Split," I said. She would know what that code meant. She would know that I was in danger. She would know that I'm doing what I have to do. It was a phrase we once shared when she was on the run, and I had adopted it for my own miserable predicament.
"Banana Split, my love," she whispered before hanging up. I knew what she meant.
Banana Split was just another way of saying I love you.
I love you, too, Sunshine. And I'll find a way out of this if it kills me.
Chapter Seven
Alessandro
I tried to lean back in my seat, but the economy chairs on our flight left little room for comfort. I guess I had become accustomed to flying private on Gavriel Moretti's jet. I didn't grow up with a silver spoon, but
