“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Wow, Tia. Are you okay? Are you still in Costa Rica?”
“I’m fine. What’s new?”
“What’s new? You’ve been gone since grad and you ask what’s new? What the hell is new with you?”
“I’m, uh, on my honeymoon.”
“Your honeymoon.”
“Yes. I’m on my honeymoon and…”
“And you’re calling me out of the blue three hours before I’m supposed to leave to come to where you are? Right.”
She was full of skepticism.
“Right. I need you to not come to where I am, Mee.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m on my honeymoon.”
“Your honeymoon. Your honeymoon with Tommy Ferrano Jr., son of murdered businessman by the same name. You can’t see my air quotes around the word businessman, Tia, but I say that knowing that the businessman your new husband is was your ice cream hottie and that he has kidnapped you and is holding you against your will. We are going to get you out of this. Got me on hands-free? Your darling demonic husband there listening? Listen you sonofabitch, you let her go. I have connections, too, and we are going to get her out of there and your Italian mafia ass is gonna rot in jail.”
“Mia!” Tia shrieked. She looked at me, mortified.
“Tia, we are going to get you out of there. Ferrano? You listening? Let’s negotiate. I have leverage, believe me when I tell you I have fucking leverage.”
Fuck. Was this little bitch for real? Was I gonna have to order a hit for a teenager?
“Mia I am happily married. Happily. I’m on my freaking honeymoon. I don’t want you to rescue me. I am deliriously in love. What on earth? You’ve got the wrong end of the stick, Mee…”
“Tia, Beth heard Rose and Cal talking to the cops. We later found out your father is in jail. We know that you were kidnapped. We know a lot about the Ferrano family.”
“We? Who’s we?”
“Me, Beth, Ruby, Nick. We’ve been working together. Nick’s uncle works at an IT security and online forensics company and he’s been interning there. They’ve been watching for you.”
Nick. Little punk.
“Oh my god, Mia. You’re so off base it isn’t even funny. Don’t come here. Don’t worry about me. I’m on my freaking honeymoon. I’m in love. I’m happy.”
Tia looked frantic. Her hands were in her hair and she was looking pleadingly at the phone sitting on the sofa between us.
“Oh, all right…” she let that hang. “I won’t rescue you. I can hear how happy you are. I’ll just back off.”
The sarcasm dripped through the phone line.
Tia took the phone and took it off hands free, giving me an index finger.
“Mee, you’re not on hands free anymore. I am serious. Things aren’t always what they seem, okay?”
She stared at me while listening on the phone.
“No,” Tia continued. “I am serious. I’m in love. We’re happy. We’re just on our honeymoon. You don’t know the whole story.” She glanced at me and chewed her lip. “I don’t know yet. It’s open ended.” She shrugged. “No, you can’t come here. Listen Mee, if you follow us, there are people who could follow you and put Tommy and me in danger…”
“Fuck, Tia!” I hissed.