Page 20 of My Sunfall

“Got it,” I reply slowly, not knowing where this is going.

“How long has Chiara been gone?” he asks in a casual conversational tone as he leans back in his chair, swirling the whiskey in his glass.

“Six months, one week, four days and”— I look down at my watch—“fifteen hours.” My jaw locks. I don’t have time for this bullshit.

“Six months already. How time flies,” he goes on in the same tone, “and to think that I’ve sent you out of town once a month for the last five…” His gaze glides up from his glass, pinning me in place.

I go rigid and my heart stops.

“Looks like it’s almost time to send you out again.”

Fucker. I suck in a breath. He has sent me out on diplomatic missions out of town once a month, roughly around the same date. I thought it was to strengthen our presence outside of Boston. But now… Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

I look at Teo and the slow widening of his eyes tells me he’s putting the pieces together, too. Leaning forward, I imitate his tone. “So… Suppose we’re chatting, and you mention that you’ll be sending me out again. When would that be?”

A small smirk pulls the corners of his lips upward. “Next Monday.”

My heart jackhammers in my chest and my breath goes shallow.

“So…let’s say, purely hypothetically, if I’m out of town next Monday…” My voice drops. “What happens here?”

He doesn’t answer right away. After a beat he raises his glass, takes a slow sip, and says in that same casual tone, “Boston will run as it always does. But sometimes, if you pay attention…you’ll notice who else isn’t where they usually are.”

My breath catches.

He meets my eyes over the rim of his glass, and for a second, the mask slips. I see the exhortation there…the truth he can’t speak aloud.

Then he sets his glass down and leans back with a smirk. “But of course, we’re only having a chat.”

Chapter Twelve

Chiara

“Lee,” I sob, as I launch myself at her and Dante, hugging them both like my life depended on it.

“Sis, I’ve missed you so much.” Lily hugs me back with one arm, her other arm is slung around her son who is sitting on her hip, watching me curiously.

“Hello, little sweetheart,” I coo, as I pull away. I stretch out my arms, and he flings himself at me with a sweet babble. “Kiki.”

I laugh through my tears. “Oh my god, you’re talking now, and you’ve got a nickname for your auntie?” My heart is overflowing with love for this little guy and his huge serious eyes as they look up at me.

“He is,” Lily says with a smile. “In a few weeks we won’t be able to stop him. And he’s taken his first step too,” she adds proudly.

My throat constricts painfully and my eyes sting. I’ve missed his first birthday, his first words, his first steps. An acute pang of failure pierces my heart.

Lily senses my turmoil and gently takes my hand. “Come, let’s go inside and have some cake, I promised him he could have a piece today.”

We walk into the small coffee shop and sit down at a table near the window. Her bodyguard takes position by the door, eyes never leaving us.

“Tell me everything about you,” Lily says, with an excited grin.

“It’s going great, actually. It’s quiet, unlike before. Sometimes, it feels a little too quiet because I miss you so much.” I look at little Dante who is stuffing morsels of cake into his mouth. “He’s growing so fast. I can’t believe I’ve missed his first word, or his first step…”

When I look up at Lily, her eyes are sad. “Don’t worry, you’ll get plenty of other firsts together,” she says softly.

I let out a breath. “I think that maybe it’s time to stop hiding…”

She looks sharply up at me but remains silent.