“We have two private planes,” I explained, trying to be patient. “I used Mom’s phone to have the pilot get the one Papa wasn’t using ready by text, and then called a private car company to take me to the airport. A second car service was waiting when I landed.”

“Does your mom know you’re here?” Her voice lost the softness, becoming strained and a little strangled.

“I didn’t want to worry Mom.” She would have felt bad if I told her everything, and I didn’t want her to feel guilty. It wasn’t her fault she didn’t feel well. My little brother or sister was growing inside her, making her sick. She needed the rest, and I needed to learn to handle things on my own.

“Oh my God,” Nova’s mom whispered and grabbed my shoulder, pulling me into the house. I tried not to flinch at her touch, but I still wasn’t completely comfortable around her. She’d proven to me that she wouldn’t hurt either of her children, and I wasn’t nearly as scared of her as I once had been, but that didn’t mean I could turn off my body’s natural reaction to the possibility of an adult woman hurting me.

As she ushered me inside, she lifted her phone to her ear, and moments later, I faintly heard Zio Ciro’s deep voice. “I don’t have time to chat, Felicity. I have a problem here and—”

“Ryan,” she interrupted.

“Yeah…” he answered, surprise thick in his voice. “How did you know?”

She shook her head, causing her dark hair to swish back and forth. “Just a guess. Oh, and by the way, I have a new houseguest. Ryan just showed up at my front door.”

“Thank God,” I heard him groan. “Anya is going ballistic. We thought someone kidnapped him. Cristiano is in Chicago, and he was about to blow up the world.”

“What should I do with him?”

“Just keep him there,” Zio instructed. “I’ll let Cristiano know, and he can fly over to pick him up instead of coming home.” There was a pause, and I just stood there, waiting. “Can I speak to him?”

I took the phone as soon as she offered it, knowing what to expect. The harshness of my uncle’s voice, the worry and stress and actual fear I heard in it, made me feel bad, but not enough to make me regret what I did.

“Your mom is beside herself!” Zio roared. “She practically collapsed when you weren’t there to be picked up from school! Your teachers nearly got a bullet between the eyes.”

“I’m sorry Mom was upset,” I told him honestly. “I didn’t mean to make her worry. That’s not what I wanted. I just didn’t want Nova to be sad.”

That didn’t calm him down at all, but I stood there and listened, knowing it was just one more thing I had to get through before I could see Nova.

“I’m calling Cristiano now, boy. If I were you, I wouldn’t expect to leave this house again for a long-ass time once you get back.”