“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.
I shook my head, eyebrows raised, and folded my arms.
“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.”
“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.”
“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, alright…” she let that hang, “I won’t rescue you. I can hear how happy you are. I’ll just back off.” She was full of shit.
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 listened for a second, her eyes on me.
“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. She winced. I grabbed the phone from her.
“Mia? Tommy Ferrano,” I said, giving Tia a shake of my head. She paled.
“Tommy Ferrano?” she said, “I’d say nice to meet you but I’m sure it’s not. We are onto you, you motherfucker. You hurt a hair on her head and you will go down.”
“Listen Mia, Tia and I are on our honeymoon but there are people we don’t want to know where we are. You come here you could be followed. You might have compromised her safety already and you’d definitely compromise your own safety. I need you to not fly here. I’ll have you reimbursed for your ticket and whatever other expenses…”
“You seriously expect me to believe that you forced my friend to be with you and that she’s okay with this? I know she was forced. I know this for a fact. I visited her father in jail and he enlightened me. He also gave me his login for Facebook and I saw the message Tia sent him after grad.”
Fuck. Fucking Greg.
“You think you know everything but you only know the half of it. You don’t know what you’re dabbling in here and if you care about Tia’s safety you need to stand down.”
“You’re threatening me?”
“No. I’m telling you that I don’t want you putting her in danger. Stand down.”
“I don’t believe she’s okay and I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes. I’ll cancel my flight but only if you produce her. I need to see her and talk to her so I can determine for myself whether or not she’s actually okay. Get on a plane today.”