The Heir

Chapter 32

"God, I am so excited for this break," Enzo declares as the wheels of the jet touch down.

"Me too," Ryan says from beside me. "I told Charlie I'd help her get the nursery all set up."

"That sounds fun," I chirp, looking out the window.

Nearly a dozen SUVs wait on the private air strip, far more than usual. I can see my mom and uncle waiting beside one of them. The time has come, it's officially autumn break, and Duke and I finally figured it out.

I can't believe I didn't figure it out sooner. His weird jealousy towards Duke at the dance. The real deal photography. The secret project. All of it. I should have realized sooner.

It's Will. He's the one that's been stalking me. He's the one writing notes and taking pictures. He's the one breaking into my room and stealing my panties. The only issue is we figured it out too late to do anything about it.

I try to push that to the back of my mind as best I can. Lying straight to my father's face is not easy and, much like Ryan, he can see right through me. So it's best to appreciate the fact that Will can't get to me when I'm home.

"I can't believe your dad actually said no to Noah," Ryan says. "I mean, it's two days."

"You know how he is," I wave my hand dismissively. "Plus, what would he think about all the soldiers?"

"Not to mention how the littles would treat him," Enzo calls out. Ryan and I both turn to look at him.

"What?" Enzo looks between us. "He's exactly their type."

"I hadn't even thought of that," I admit.

The stairs to the jet begin to descend, a loud whirring motor. I grab my bag and lead the way to the tarmac. The sun is painfully bright and it is much warmer here than back at Montrose. I use my hand to shield my eyes from the sun as I approach the bulletproof vehicles.

"Mia bambinos!" Mom exclaims, rushing over to pull me into a hug. She releases me quickly to hug Enzo as well.

"How's it going, Ry," Gio claps him on the shoulder. "Facing any potential jail time?"

"Very funny," Ryan shrugs him off, even as he grins. "There's no evidence even if they wanted to."

"Ryan!" my mom whips around to look at him. "We've talked about this!"

"Yeah, I know," he dismisses her quickly. "Where's Charlie?"

"At the doctors," Mom replies, urging us towards the cars. "Just a regular visit, no need to worry."

"Oh," Ryan nods. "Okay."

"I can't wait to hear all about your first few months," Mom smiles at my brother.

"It was nothing special," he shrugs in response. The back doors to two of the vehicles are held open by foot soldiers. Mom slides into one but puts her hand up to stop me.

"What?"

"You're going with your Uncle Gio," she says, biting back a smile. "Good luck."

"Good luck with what?" I ask, utterly confused.

"Move," Enzo shoves me aside and gets into the car. The door is slammed shut and I turn to Gio's car.

"C'mon," he waves me over. "We don't have all day."

I rush to get into the backseat of the car where Ryan is already settled. Gio starts the engine and pulls off. My brows furrow and I glance at Ryan but he returns the same expression.

Gio doesn't drive. And he most certainly does not drive us. I honestly don't remember the last time I was in a car with him at all but I do know that I've only ever seen him driving his shiny sports cars.