I pulled out my phone and called Wyatt, hoping he’d be up for a chat.
“Hey,” his soft voice flowed across the line and made me feel like I was home again. “How are you?”
“Alive,” I chuckled, “but I’m getting homesick.”
“Homesick or Wyatt-sick.”
“Wyatt-sick.”
“Well, as much as I love to hear that, I’ve decided not to come home for a bit. Georgio gave me some bullshit article that links here in New York. As much as I appreciated where he was coming from, it’s a joke. The upside is I get to spend a little more time here, though.”
“I’m jealous.”
“Jealous?” He laughed. “Two men are after you. What could you possibly be jealous of?”
I fumbled with the blanket and pulled it over my bare legs then pushed the pillow further behind my back, getting comfy. Really, I was just stalling for time.
“Come on Si, give it.” His tone changed, as he sensed something was off.
“Mariano just pulled a dirty card and put me in a dangerous situation. He didn’t see any harm in what happened, and given what I now know about Elio’s family, I’m not sure if I should be mad or not.”
“Dumb it down for me.”
“Let’s just say they are notjustin the oil business.”
“I kind of wondered.”
“You know how when you do bad things all the time, it doesn’t seem bad anymore?”
“Yeah.” His voice rose, and I knew he was concerned.
“I think that’s what happened with Mariano.”
“Bad things are bad things, Sienna. If he can’t see that, maybe he’s not safe to be around?”
“Yeah.” I hated that I understood the situation from both sides.
His phone made a noise as if it shifted against something. “What did Elio say?”
“He doesn’t know.” I felt funny saying it out loud, which confirmed I should have told him.
“Why not?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just trying to navigate all the new things I’m learning since I arrived here. It’s a mind trip, to say the least.”
“That’s because this isn’t just an article for you anymore. This involves your past and your heart.”
“I agree with that one.”
“What did Mariano do, exactly?”
I opened my mouth to tell him then wondered if I should. Wyatt would worry even more than Elio would, and I wasn’t sure I was ready for another watchdog. I hated to lie, though.
“You know how he helped me get that new article? The one to do with the Santoro brothers?”
“I do, and may I say, lucky you.”
“Mariano knew their finder, the guy who helps locate their next hit. And, well, with that interview came a surprise.” I swallowed to try to relax my throat.