Page 36 of Set In Stone

“Everything is fine. I think the night was a huge success. The food critics loved the place. Matteo has a lot to look forwardto.”

“I didn’t mean about the restaurant,” she said, her words barely above awhisper.

I knew that, but I was hoping she didn’t want to revisit the conversation we had before the party, despite my promise to answer her questions. The problem loomed over us all night. And while it never reared its ugly head, it was always lurking in theshadows.

“Justine hasn’t answered any of my calls. She hasn’t gotten back to Hale either. I’mconcerned.”

Krystina became quiet, but I knew my angel. I was sure she had a thousand thoughts running through her mind. More than likely, she was deciding on which one to voice first. She reached out, ran her hand up my thigh, over my chest, before coming to rest on my cheek. She pulled back slightly and looked up at me. Her dark brown eyes were full of patience, but I could see the questions swirling in their depthtoo.

“Why Stone?” sheasked.

“Stone?”

“Yes. Why did you choosethat?”

I looked up ahead. The limo had begun to move, merging into the late evening traffic. Hale gave me a sideways glance, alerting me to the fact that we could be heard. Leaning forward, I pressed the button that would raise the privacy glass. I didn’t mind if Hale heard our conversation, as he was one of the very few who knew the history of my name. However, the limousine driver was out of the question. I knew the story would most likely come out soon, but I needed to hang on to my identity for just a little whilelonger.

Once the privacy glass was all the way up, I tilted my head to look down atKrystina.

“My grandfather’s name was Edward Stonewall. He was a European football player, or soccer player, as people in the United States call it. He played for Sheffield in the late nineteen forties, after the Second World War. He was a good defender, very good if the recounts I’ve read are correct, until he got injured. Leaving the sport was difficult for him. Fortunately, he had a young Italian wife to pick up the pieces,” I paused and took a moment to reminisce. I looked out the window at the passing buildings. The nightlights briefly illuminated them and created a mesmerizing strobe-like effect. “Lucille Silvestri, my grandmother, was a force to be reckoned with. She took the money he earned and moved them both to the United States. She said they needed a freshstart.”

“You said Stonewall. Did he shorten thename?”

“Yes and no. Everyone called him Stone, but it wasn’t his legal name and it was not one that he used. He didn’t start using it until,” I stopped momentarily and shook my head, not wanting to remember. “He didn’t start using the name until Justine and I started having a hard time in school. Everyone knew about the Russo kids, their dead father, and missing mother. We couldn’t escapeit.”

“The day of the car accident, the reason I went to the library,” she began. Hurt shown in her eyes, tearing at my heart. I knew what she was going to say next, but I stillasked.

“What about thelibrary?”

“I told you why I was going there that day, Alex. I wanted to look into your family. I couldn’t find anything online and I just wanted to help you. You could have told me all of this then, but you never said anything.Why?”

“Outside of the fact that I wanted to keep the name dead and buried, there was also too much going on at the time. You were in the hospital and had barely begun to recover from your injuries when it came up. What was I supposed tosay?”

“How about the truth?” she asked quietly, but I could still hear the accusation in hertone.

“No. The truth didn’t matter. My grandmother, like she did for her and my grandfather years earlier, gave us a freshstart.”

“How did she manage that? I mean, a story such as yours…” she trailed off. She didn’t need to go into detail. I livedit.

“We moved to another part of the city. She enrolled us in a new school under the names Alexander and Justine Stone. It was around this time that my grandparents legally changed their name to Stone. In doing so, it protected us and gave them anonymity from their previous life in England so as not to be easily discovered. Following my grandfather’s wishes, Justine and I legally changed ours once we turned eighteen.” I shrugged. “It was an easy adjustment because we had been going by Stone foryears.”

“Who else knows this story besides Charlie, and well, nowThe CityTimes?”

I considered her question. It was a fair inquiry, especially after the way I deliberately kept the information fromher.

“Hale and his mother know. I just recently learned that Justine told Charlie. I suspect that Matteo knows too, but I’m notcertain.”

“Yoususpect?”

“Matteo’s grandmother, my grandmother, and Hale’s mother were all friends,” I clarified. “Matteo is five years younger than me, so it’s possible that he doesn’t remember the chaos of what went on back then. But he’s dropped hints here and there that makes me think he knows. Either way, I can trust him to not say anything. Other than those mentioned, Justine and I are the only ones who know about the name change. And, of course, now you know aswell.”

“What about Stephen orBryan?”

“They don’t know. Although, I have contemplated telling Stephen. He is my lawyer after all. Given the current situation, I suppose I’ll have to tell him sooner rather thanlater.”

She looked thoughtful for a minute before her eyes suddenly widened. She bolted upright.

“No! Alex, I think Suzanne knowstoo!”

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