Playing The Game - Book Four in The WSU Series

- Chapter Forty-Four -

Five Months Later...

"So, you're still not talking to him?" I ask, and Sofia raises an eyebrow before replying, "dad has practically tied me to this property," Sofia explains with a sigh.

I sit back in my chair to see the sunset over the sea in front of us. Since summer is arriving the sun stays up until later hours, I love the sun. I've always thought I found comfort in the dark, but these past two months have been heaven. Me and Sofia lounge about all day, sometimes, I've we're smart enough we manage to sneak off into the city of Florence. "That's because you fucked up," I kindly inform Sofia with a smile as she rolls her eyes at me, she knows I'm telling the truth.

I did tell her not to do it, she did it anyway. The longer I spend with Sofia, the more I realize how alike she is to Aria. Both are carefree, and both are amazing friends. Aria calls me once every two weeks, I switch out the burner phones every week to make sure the call can't be traced to here. Kian, nor the New York Famille need to know I'm currently hiding out at the Lewis residence. Of course, Andrew Lewis had to welcome me with loving arms since he is my godfather and was friends with my father. Speaking of him, I haven't heard anything from him, not that I wish to, or miss him, but I am curious.

The girls believe I've had to stay behind in New York to help with my dad's campaign, but in truth, I haven't been keeping up with the news. Fuck knows what my fathers doing as governor. Every time the girls try to bring up my dad I make some excuse to end the call, he's fine. If my father wanted to find me to drag me back to New York, he would.

"I didn't fuck up," Sofia comments as she sips on her lemonade, her shades raised so that I could see her eyes. Unlike Andrew, hers are more green than blue. "I simply didn't follow every command he sets," she says with a grin. Since her incident last summer Sofia hasn't tried to be the good daughter that she really is. I didn't ask what happened, I don't care that Sofia got drunk in New York City without anyone watching her. "Maybe you should?" I suggest with a shrug as I watch how calm the ocean is at this time in the evening. It's truly beautiful, Gio was right, somewhere hot was the dream.

Where mind was always Switerzland or Norway, Gios was anywhere hot. He was right, the warmth is better than the cold. "Where's the fun in following the rules?" Sofia asks with a grin as she too glances off towards the sea. The Lewis Family lives just outside of Florence, yet, in the summer they live in the region of Livorno. I'm grateful Andrew hasn't informed my dad or Kian for that matter. Yet, the Italians don't really get on with New York, nor the West, that's one thing they have in common. "Rules are made to be broken," Sofia remarks, and I hold back an argument, I'll let her have this.

"You know," she says as she leans forward, she places her glass down on the table between us before speaking again. "You could go back home," Sofia comments, "to Kian," she whispers his name as if I could have forgotten. I glance down at the ring that I could have taken off, but I didn't. "You can go home," Sofia whispers, she knows that in truth I'm miserable here, without my family, without Kian. "I can't," I repeat aloud, that's all my mind has been filled with. The impossible idea of going home. "Kian will never forgive me," I state with confidence and Sofias' smile fades at the harsh truth. "I ran," I remind her, "you enter alive, you leave dead. And I left Kian, my husband," I say, "the new capo of the New York Famille."