“What’s up, Mia?”
Matt is the first to notice I’m not smiling. Always the observant one. I guess it comes with his job.
“I have something to tell you guys.”
“Oh, so this isn’t just a night of Mexican food and Card’s Against Humanities?” Sofia asks as she points to the food Lo brought in from Manhattan for me.
“I’m afraid not.”
I drop my head into my hands. Why is it I’m way more afraid to tell my closest friends the truth about my past than I had been to tell Bash, who I was 99 percent sure was going to put a bullet through my skull?
“What is it, Mia Pia? Is everything okay?” Sofia scoots next to me and wraps her arm around my shoulder.
I shrug her off. I don’t deserve the comfort she offers. I look up to see the hurt in her eyes. Izzy and Matt both hold the same concern in theirs.
“I have something to tell you. This isn’t easy for me.” I take a deep breath. This is my family. The only ones I have left. I just hope they are still sitting here when the dust settles.
“You can tell us anything,” Izzy says as her eyes soften.
Matt doesn’t say anything. He just sits there as still as the calm before the storm. It’s times like this when the soldier in him comes out, the mafia part of him he tends to hide when he’s around us.
“I hope you will still look at me the same when I’m done.”
“Of course, we will, Mia. Don’t be silly.” Sofia gives me a bright smile.
Here goes nothing. “I’m not who I say I am.” The confusion in their faces causes me to quickly continue on. “My real name is Mariana De Luca, and I moved here with my mother after my father disappeared.”
I wait for their reaction. If they don’t react well, I don’t know if I will be able to get the rest out.
“Wow,” Izzy says after a moment of silence.
“Understatement of the year,” Sofia whispers.
“Are you in danger?” Matt’s gruff voice draws my attention to him. Hi his jaw clenched in anger. I flinch back from his gaze.
“I don’t think so. We don’t really know what happened to my father. He wasn’t a good man. He worked for some unsavory people. I don’t know all the details, but when he disappeared, my mother moved us and never spoke his name again.”
I feel the same somber feeling whenever I think of my mother. She had been a tough lady. Never said she loved me, but she was all I ever had. She loved me in her own twisted way, I suppose. She did teach me medicalskills though. Now that I think about it, her job for my father was very similar to the job I am taking now.
“I’ll look into it further. We need to make sure you’re safe.” I melt as the protective gleam in his eyes shines through.
“No need. Lo already knows it all, or so he says. I guess it means I’m safe.”
He nods. I look to Izzy next. She meets my gaze with an angry look.
“I can’t believe you lied to me all this time. What made you tell the truth now?”
I wince at the anger in her tone. I knew she would be the most upset. We’ve been friends for three years, so I’ve lied to her the longest.
“I’m accepting Bash’s offer. In order to do so, I had to tell him the truth.”
“Mia,” Izzy whispers as disappointment fills her face.
I understand why. She doesn’t want me to take the job. She wants me to say no and move on with my life. She doesn’t understand this feeling inside me. The need to help others anyway I can.
“Please, Izzy. It’s my choice. I need this. A bigger purpose. A better life. I can’t have any of it otherwise. If I don’t take this, I will be a waitress the rest of my life. Using a fake name means I can’t earn a college degree and go on to lead the life you want for me. I can’t get married legally. I can have children, but they will always have to live in the shadows like their mother.” I feel the first tears fall onto my cheeks. “At least with this, Bash can help me have a better life. Maybe not better by your extremely high standards, but better than the life I have now. Please understand. This is my choice, and I’m happy with it.”
She stares at me a moment before lowering her head.
