Gina nodded again. She could not defend him.
“Gina, tell me something. Do you want a family?”
“Y-yes. N-no. It’s impossible,” Gina stuttered stubbornly. “I must work. Who will care for this baby? My parents work too. Rome is expensive,” she finished helplessly. How could a woman of Mrs. White’s wealth know how hard it was just to have a decent life?
Come to think of it, why did Mrs. White care so much about her? Gina’s eyes narrowed as a thought came to her. She’d heard about people who made money on human trafficking. Healthy white babies were valuable commodities, it seemed. Is that how these people got so rich? Is that why Mr. White had gone to prison in America?
She gazed around at the elegant furnishings and the expansive view of the bend in the Tiber with new eyes. Was this woman about to offer her money for her baby?
She stood up, suddenly full of purpose.
“I need to leave now,” she told the astonished Mrs. White.
“W-why?” Mrs. White gasped.
“Because I am late,” Gina answered decisively. She stood up. Her tears were dry now. “My family will be expecting me.”
Despite Mrs. White’s protests, Gina remained firm, though in the end she reluctantly agreed to let Carlo drive her home.
Unfortunately, Gina’s brother happened to be parking his Vespa outside their apartment building when the Benz pulled up.
One eyebrow shot up in surprise as Luca watched his sister emerge from its posh interior, assisted by the burly Carlo, who handed her gently out of the car.
Once inside the building, Luca refused to let her disappear upstairs without an explanation. His wiry body on the alert, his normally affable expression drawn into a mask of worry, Luca stood his ground.
When evasions and protests proved fruitless, Gina finally broke down and agreed to explain, but only outside, away from prying ears.
“Oh Jesus,” Luca said, when she finished in tears. He was smoking. They were across the street, hidden behind the huge, filthy recycling containers, invisible to the building residents.
Gina sighed. Her little brother was good and loyal, but clearly not able to help. She was, however, unprepared for his response.
“So why won’t you just have the baby for money?” he said casually, though he was watching her intensely.
“What?!” Gina was shocked. “No!”
“Why not?”
REGINA | 79