Page 29 of Set In Stone

“Perhaps.” I thought about the other thing Charlie said about my father andJustine.

If he touched her, likethat…

I couldn’t even finish the thought. Bile rose in the back of my throat. I couldn’t think about it, about him and his stale breath and grimy hands. She was just a child. If he truly did the unthinkable, I could never live withmyself.

I should have known. I should have protectedher.

I stopped pacing and slammed my fist hard onto thedesk.

“Alex!” Krystina jumped in surprise. I looked into her eyes. They were as wide as saucers and full of confusion. But worse, there was fear in themtoo.

Was she afraid ofme?

I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Taking a few calming breaths, I opened them to look at heragain.

“I’m sorry, angel. I didn’t mean to scare you. This is just a lot to process. I suspect that Charlie is going to try to use this as a bargaining tool to strike a plea deal and I only have so much leverage with the DA. At this point, I don’t give a shit if it goes public. All I know is that he can’t get away with what he did to you. I have to get a hold of Justine to confirm or deny. There are just too many things I need answersto.”

Mymother.

Did he really killher?

Had she not abandoned us afterall?

I didn’t voice my questions, but hoped Krystina would connect those dots on her own. I looked at her, begging with my eyes for her to understand. When her gaze fixed on mine, we stared at each other without saying a word. A silent message seemed to pass between us. She nodded slightly, telling me sheunderstood.

Tearing her eyes away from mine, she looked out the windows and shruggedindifferently.

“You could always deny it, Alex. Say the story isn’t true. Claim fake news. It works for somepeople.”

I laughedbitterly.

“I doubt anyone would believe that. Like Charlie said, there’s a missing person and a dead body. Too many things don’t addup.”

She looked thoughtful, as if she too were trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle. It was no use. I had tried for years, yet here I stood with more unknowns than everbefore.

“What about Hale? Charlie mentioned that he might knowsomething.”

“Hale read the article. He hasn’t confirmed or denied anything, but I also never asked him,” I said and shook my head. A part of me was afraid to ask, as if subconsciously I knew he would confirm everything that was said. “I’ll talk to him later tonight after theparty.”

“The party? Surely, you don’t still want to go?” she asked insurprise.

“Want to and have to are two different things. We can’t miss it. There’s been too much build up over this grand opening. I want you to relax and enjoy the night. This is my problem to worry about, notyours.”

“But you said there would be press coverage there. Are you ready to face this head on, especially during Matteo’s bignight?”

“Nobody knows any of this yet,” I told her, motioning to the computer monitor that was still facing her. “The article hasn’t been published. I don’t know how he did it, but Hale bought me a few days. At the very least, I’ll have time to come up with a statement. In the off chance that it’s leaked and we have a paparazzi circus tonight, we won’t be taking any of my personal vehicles. All are too conspicuous in the event that we need to blend in. Hale has secured a limousine for our transportationinstead.”

She reached across the desk and placed her hand over mine. Her eyes searchedmine.

“Alex, I know you have so many questions that need answering, but I have to ask. Did you only tell me your birth name because your hand was forced? Were you ever going to tellme?”

My jaw clenched. I knew my answer would hurt her, but she deserved the truth. No more lies. No moresecrets.

“I thought about telling you, but then decided against it. So the answer is no. I wasn’t going to tell you, angel. Like I said, Alexander Russo no longerexists.”

11

krystina

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