treatments and medications, some of which made things worse, none of it helping in the end…”
“Understandable, but this isn’t the same thing, Gio. I get that there’s still a good deal of stigma around medication, but if this can help you feel better and improve the chances of your condition not hurting you, isn’t it worth a try?”
“What if it makes me feel worse?”
“Then we’ll talk to your doctor and go from there. One day at a time, yeah?”
Gio nodded. Sacha was right. He couldn’t keep going the way he was. How many episodes had he had in the last month alone? Gio hadn’t been taking care of himself, and that needed to stop. He took the pill with some water, then kissed Sacha’s cheek. “Thank you.” Knowing Sacha was at his side, helping him navigate this new journey, made it all seem less daunting. He could do this.
“Ready?”
“My shoes are by the door.” Gio slipped into his pull-on sneakers, then grabbed his wallet and keys. “Ready.”
Saint stood to one side. He opened the front door and scanned the area outside, nodded to Sacha, who stepped out after him, with Chip on his heels. Chip sniffed the air but remained quietly at his side.
“Okay,” Saint said, motioning for Gio to come outside. This was his life now; he might as well get used to it. He stood next to Saint, who set the alarm and locked up the house, and then they walked to the SUV. Gio climbed into the back, followed by Chip and then Sacha. Once Saint was behind the wheel, Sacha leaned in between the seats and showed him his phone.
“This is where we’re going.”
Saint typed it into the GPS. “Got it.”
Wherever they were going, it was just over twenty minutes away and off US-1. Sacha was tight-lipped, giving absolutely nothing away.
“You must be really good at poker,” Gio grumbled, making Sacha laugh.
“You bet. Note of warning, don’t play poker with the Kings. Between Lucky and Ace, they will take all your money and not feel even the least bit bad about it.”
“Duly noted.”
Chip climbed over Sacha so he could stick his nose against the window. He whined, and Sacha shook his head. “Sorry, bud. I can’t put the window down. We’ll be there soon enough.”
There wasn’t much traffic where they were headed, so they got there quickly. The area was sparse. Mostly a few buildings scattered here and there, with lots of trees and shrubbery. They turned right and drove up a concrete driveaway flanked by magnolia trees, then stopped at an iron gate at the end. Sacha tapped away at his phone, then put it to his ear.
“Hi, it’s Sacha Wilder. I’m at the gate in the black SUV. Thanks.”
Soon after, the electronic gate opened and they drove through. There seemed to be quite a bit of security here. Gio had no idea what was going on, but he was wildly intrigued. Saint parked, and they got out. They were surrounded by greenery and fencing, with a couple of buildings and a house.
“Where are we?” Gio looked around, but it was hard to tell. It was some kind of facility for something.
“You’ll see. And listen, no pressure, okay? This is about what feels right to you.”
“Um, okay?” Just what was going on?
The door to the house opened, and a blond woman with a messy bun dressed in dirt-stained jeans and a dirty black T-shirt walked out, her smile wide.
“Mr. Wilder?”
Sacha crossed the gravel courtyard, his smile friendly. “Kendra, so good to finally meet you. This is Giovanni, who I told you about.” He turned and motioned to Gio.
Sacha had told her about him? What exactly had he told her? Gio was so confused, but he smiled politely at the woman. “It’s lovely to meet you, Kendra. Please, call me Gio.”
“Great to meet you, Gio.” She opened the door wide and motioned them to come through until she noticed Chip. “And who is this handsome boy?”
“This is Chip,” Sacha said.
“Chip, I’ve heard all about you.” She waited as Chip sniffed her, then barked happily. “Can I give him a treat?”
“Sure.”
She reached into her pocket and removed a treat. “Sit.”
Chip sat and waited patiently, then caught the treat in midair when she tossed it at him.
“Gio, if you go out to the back, we’ll be right with you,” Kendra said, then turned to Sacha. “If you wait in here with Chip, I’ll call you when we’re ready.”
“Sounds good.”
We? Gio followed Sacha through the house toward the back