Santi's Downfall

Chapter 9: The Phone Call

It's amazing how a simple brief phone call can pick up the spirits of the most dejected hamster, the most stressed goldfish, and the most neurotic cat.

Noel Edmonds

Haven Pierce's POV

"Hello, Noah...?"

"Hey, stranger," My guy best friend said on the other line with a jolly tone. "What happened to you? Where are you? I thought we already made plans about spending our summer together in my parent's hometown and taking a summer job at my uncle's local business while waiting for the acceptance of our internship?"

I couldn't help but grimace while listening to him recalling our supposed summer plans when I ditched him last minute without as much as saying goodbye to him. Now I feel guilty that I left him hanging without a proper explanation. I glanced briefly in the direction of the Sicilian don and his cousin and also his right-hand man who was looking at me with undisguised interest while I was having this phone call. Suddenly, I fell unconscious with their stare and I had to move a little farther in case they could hear me. "The thing is, my legal guardian showed up at the university yesterday and he took me to his hometown so I could spend the summer here."

"Legal guardian? I didn't know that you have one."

"Me, either," I answered ruefully. "I was not aware of his existence until he introduced himself claiming that my father named him as my legal guardian until I was twenty-five years old."

"And you believed him easily?"

I exhaled a heavy breath while glancing at the picturesque surroundings that spread before me. "At first, I didn't believe him but he has proof that he was, indeed, my legal guardian and it was stated on my father's last will."

I heard Noah whistling softly on the other line. "Well, that's tough. How is it? Is he nice to you?"

I glanced briefly at the table where the two men were sitting. "Yeah, he's a good person..." Well, sort of, depending on how you define a good person. I couldn't say that out loud and might alarm Noah. I thought it might be better if he was just left in the dark about the true nature of my guardian's work.

"That's good to hear." He didn't sound so convinced not that I could blame him. "So where are you right now? Let's FaceTime I want to see you."

I bit my bottom lip, as horror-struck through me, "I can't have FaceTime with you right now. I am in Sicily and the internet connection is bad." I lied smoothly while adding silently. In a notorious mafia's den, in the care of a powerful Sicilian don, to be precise.

"Sicily?!" I could almost imagine the shock on Noah's face at the moment. I also never in my wildest dreams that I could be in this scenic place that you could only see on postcards. "You're telling me that you are in Europe right now and the internet is bad?"

"Yes."

He cursed on the other line while probably trying to process the information that I was not in the US right now. "Shit. I will have a tough time visiting you there. I thought you were just somewhere on the west coast."

My eyes widened considerably while nervously glancing at the men on the table under the shade of a lemon tree. They were patiently waiting for me to finish my phone call and we could resume eating. Why don't just eat without me? They don't need to wait for me. "You want to visit me here?"

"Yes," he answered sheepishly over the phone. "I couldn't possibly let our summer vacation pass without seeing you or spending some time together before our internship next semester."