Page 58 of Mafia Don's Secret Twins

I know what I need to do. I need to keep him interested, keep this going. Make him think that he has a chance with me, so that he can protect me when…

You need to lead him on. You need to keep him close.

You’re a terrible human if you do that.

I suck in a deep breath.

“Listen, Andrei…”

“Would you like to go for a walk?”

I blink, looking at him.

To my surprise, Andrei looks… nervous. His big, elegant hands, that normally are completely controlled, fidget on the zippers of his jacket. He looks like he’s waiting for my response, and he’s afraid of what he’s going to hear.

“Is my dad going to be mad about that?”

He gives me a look, and just the very corner of his lips tips up. “He won’t complain.”

“Okay,” I whisper. “Let me put on my tennis shoes.”

I quickly do so. Andrei is waiting for me by the door, which I close with a soft click.

He follows me into the hall.

Andrei always follows me about two steps behind. I thought, previously, that it was like… a guard thing. He would fall behind so that I could walk in front of him.

I didn’t consider that it was anything other than his work.

Until now.

Quickly and quietly, I take the fastest route to the garden. The estate is on top of a massive plot of land, and my father does employ someone to maintain a huge garden space. It’s not as big as the compound that El Chapo had, supposedly, and we don’t have a zoo on the premises or anything like that.

But I think that, given the chance, my dad would definitely try to import some zoo animals here.

We start through the garden, following a gravel path. My feet crunch on it, the sound almost too loud. We pass a couple of guards, who take one look at Andrei before looking quickly away.

Finally, toward the further part of the garden, I turn. “Do you notice that anymore?”

Andrei pauses. “Notice what?”

“That,” I say, my eyes drifting to the place that we passed the last guard.

Andrei’s face hardens. “I don’t notice anymore.”

However, based on the darkness there, I think he very much does notice.

“Hmm.” I sigh. I look around. This part of the garden has a little green hedge, which my father employs multiple gardeners to keep looking crisp. I guess he must have let the gardening team go, though, because the hedge looks unruly and overgrown. Banana trees loom overhead, and there are other fruits as well. Mangoes, my mother’s favorite fruit, as well as some figs. Guava, which is what I love.

Huh.

I never noticed before.

The hedge arches around a large circle, and there’s a fountain at the center. The water moves quickly and smells slightly chemical, which is probably because of all the mosquito stuff that’s tossed in it to make sure we all don’t come down with malaria or something. There’s a small bench in front of the fountain, a cement thing that is slightly covered in moss.

“Here,” I say, gesturing to the bench. “Sit with me.”

I sit, and my heart beats a little faster.

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