As a matter of fact, I stand and change my plans. This shit ends today. I won’t lose my sister.
I rush down the stairs, headed for my car. “Dad, I’ll have to take a rain check, sorry,” I call as I exit the door.
I jump in my car and head for Lizzy’s school. No one bullies my sister.
Gio
Lizzy means the world to Nyla. When she’s not working, she’s at the house with Lizzy. Nyla works a lot though, helping Gwen with the business.
She may not go out in the field a lot, but the office work keeps her busy. Then there’s all the stuff she does for me and training the dolls, working the internet side of things, and traveling when I need her to. I feel like this is my fault.
I look up as Ming walks into my office. I had Jace send for her. I’m going to step in and fix this for Ny.
“Have you met Lizzy?” I ask, getting straight to the point.
“Nyla’s little sister? Yeah, in passing. She’s a sweet kid.”
“She needs friends. I want you to give her a job at the rink. Become her friend. Make her a part of the roller derby team.”
“Won’t that expose the dolls?”
I shrug. “As long as she doesn’t figure out who Ny is to me or her involvement I don’t care. Figure it out. She needs to be around people who treat her well.”
“Okay, I’ve got it.”
Nyla
“I should have known you weren’t going to let this go,” Gio breathes.
“I didn’t mean for her to get arrested, but it was so worth it.” I give a sinister smile as I sniffle while sitting between Gio’s legs as we sit on the bed in our bedroom. “I just wish I saw this sooner.”
“Did you get to talk to her?”
“Yeah, you know what? The part that gets to me is she wasn’t afraid of them, she’s afraid of herself. What did we do? What did Gwen and I do to her?”
“You guys gave her the skills to protect herself from a very real threat. You’ve given her what you’ve given dozens of others who are now in a position not to be bullied or abused.”
“Maybe college will be better for her. I’m going to pay closer attention, that’s for sure.”
“And even then, you can do but so much. She’s going to make her own decisions and all you can do is hope she listens to the wisdom you’ve been giving her through the years.”
“Are we talking about my sister or your brother?”
He blows out a breath. “Both.”
“You did all you could to try to keep him from marrying her. It’s what he wants,” I say as I look up into his eyes.
He scowls. “She’s a cunt. Why can’t he see that?”
“Love blinds you sometimes.”
He snorts. “Love. Bullshit. She’s two years older and gave him some ass. Now he’s lost his mind. He’s not thinking with his head, he’s thinking with his dick.”
“The wedding is in a few months. What are you going to do?”
“Stugots. I’m going to let him bump his head. This is the only way he’s going to learn. If I try to force him to see, I’ll make it worse. I hate it but I have to let this one happen.”
“That’s really mature of you. The old Gio would have put an end to this and told him to get the fuck over it.”
“I’m thirty-one. I can’t lead my life with the mind of a sixteen-year-old.”
I reach to cup his face and lift up to kiss him. He takes over the kiss. Peace washes over me.
“I love the man you’ve become, but I don’t think there was ever a time you thought as a sixteen-year-old.”
He chuckles and kisses my nose. “That might be true.” He shrugs. “I love the woman you’ve become, but I see so much more coming. Lizzy will be fine. I promise.”
“Thanks for the talk and for coming up. I know you have a lot going on.”
“Anything for you.”
CHAPTER 49
Wedding Mistakes
Nyla
Five months later…
I’m a little bummed I don’t get to go to the wedding. I may not be fond of who Dante has chosen to marry, but I still wish I could be there to see him cross this milestone in life.
I feel like we’ve all missed out on so much, so many opportunities as the family we once were. I can only imagine how all of this makes Ava feel. I’ve been thinking about going to see her soon.
“Good morning,” Jace croons as he comes into the kitchen.
“Today’s the day. You guys ready?” I ask without looking up from my computer.
“I’m ready to do my part. You have those docs ready for me?”
“Yup, they’re in the printer.”
I turn to point and have to do a double take. Jace looks damn fine in his navy suit and white dress shirt with a blue tie. His hair is down, but it’s not taking anything away from the look.