Vanessa grabbed my arm hard as I sneezed again. Seeing that I was doing nothing more interesting than spraying the back of the chairs with snot, the wedding party continued their walk out into the hallway.
That was when I saw the florist bringing in huge bouquets, and I gave a sigh of relief. “It’s okay. I’m allergic to birds of paradise.” I gestured to the flowers and covered my mouth as I erupted into another bout of sneezing, though nothing anywhere as violent as they had been in the afternoon, which should have told me that it wasn’t the same situation.
“Where is the dinner? I need to get out of here.” I started to scoot past Vanessa as I stifled another sneeze.
She stood suddenly, and I sneezed on the back of her neck.
“Ew, gross.” She mopped at the spittle she had spread like a cowl around her neck. “I’m going with you.”
Once we got out into the hallway and made our excuses to Auntie Ann, we headed toward Little Italy, the restaurant where the rehearsal dinner was being held. It used to be Isadora’s Ristorante, but after the namesake went on a killing spree, they decided a rebranding was necessary.
I sneezed again, and my eyes started to run. Dabbing at them with my fingertips, I searched for a bathroom. I knew that somewhere along the way was a restroom. “Why don’t you go ahead and get us some drinks? I’m going to touch up my makeup.” I inhaled to sneeze then paused when nothing came. “I think I’m over—” A huge sneeze erupted and cleaned out the rest of my nasal system.
Vanessa grabbed my arm as I almost fell straight back on my butt. “You sure?”
I sniffed, but the tickle in my nose was gone. “I’m fine, but how about you get me a double?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
The bathroom was a funny shape and tucked back in a boring corner of the casino. I used it when I wanted a bit of privacy, since I had never run into anyone else there. As I walked in, there was a sink and mirror, which I used to touch up my eye makeup, then I used a damp paper towel to wash my neck and chest. The cool water felt refreshing.
To the left of the sink was a bank of three toilets, then an aisle that turned to the right, then again, and there was one more stall, which I entered. The extra privacy was nice, and I didn’t rush myself. I was startled when the door to the restroom flew open, loudly slamming into the wall.
I was hit instantly with a flood of emotions coming from the intruder, including lust and deceit. On instinct, I checked that my stall door was locked and lifted my legs off the ground.
Heels clacked down the aisle then around the corner in front of my stall. I caught a flash of high-heeled platforms covered in seed pearls and rhinestones. There was a pause and rustling of clothing before the stomping retreated.
Now that she was sure the bathroom was empty, the door clanged open, and a second set of shoes entered. They started speaking in hushed tones that didn’t clearly carry down to me even when I held my breath.
A husky male voice exchanged quick dialogue with a female voice that I couldn’t convince myself I recognized. But how many other people were in the casino with those exact shoes? It had to be her.
The voices stopped and were replaced by the noise of… something? Clothes rumpling and wet sloppy smacks, like eating. A little husky moan, and I gasped. Kissing, the two people were making out. Was it Vin and Tiffany catching a private moment together? And exactly how private was this moment going to be? I threw up my shields, firmly blocking out all emotions. I also covered my ears, not wanting to hear any more.
Why in the world had I hidden that I was here? I should have let her see that I was in here, and they could have found another place. My instinct had steered me wrong.
I checked my phone as the minutes passed by, but luckily the noises got no more intense until finally Tiffany, between panting breaths, spoke, this time loud enough for me to hear. “I need to get to the dinner. Don’t come for at least thirty minutes. Okay?”
There was a grunt in reply, lost among the slamming bathroom door. I held my breath and strained to listen. I hadn’t been able to clearly hear if both of them had left at the same time. In the meantime, I felt relief for Vin.
After seeing Tiffany with the stripper, I had worried that maybe she wasn’t going to be faithful, but them sneaking some alone time the night before their wedding was pretty romantic. It would have been a lot more romantic if I hadn’t overheard it, but that wasn’t really their fault.
I sorted through my feelings, expecting to feel some regret over what could have been with Vin, but found nothing. Maybe I was really over it.
I sorted myself out and carefully opened the door to the stall. Peering around the corner, I found the rest of the bathroom empty. Who knows what I would have done if one of them had still been standing there? I washed my hands and double-checked my makeup then raced across the casino to the dinner.
I was deep in thought as I crossed by the blackjack tables when, like a shock of static electricity, I knew that someone was watching me. I stopped so suddenly that a trio of twentysomethings ran into the back of me. After a few tangled moments, I sent them on their way with my apologies and a drink dribbled on my forearm.
Looking around, I landed on Thomas’s violet eyes, and the noise in the casino stopped. Or at least I no longer heard the cheers from the craps tables or the dancing songs of the slot machines. Everything dimmed from my awareness but him.
I didn’t remember moving or seeing him move, but suddenly we were less than a foot apart, the tension between us sizzling the air.
“It’s so good to see you,” he said, breaking the moment, and we fell into each other’s arms.
The press of his body against mine sent waves of heat through every limb and circling down into my center. I was lost in the feel of his body against mine and the smell of him in my lungs.
He rubbed his face against the short buzz cut on the side of my hair. He kissed my forehead and stepped back enough to study my face.
I gestured to myself. “You heard about…?”
“Yes, and I knew you were safe, otherwise I would have rushed over, but I knew.” He wrapped his arms around me again and pulled me in close, stroking my back and nuzzling my neck.
I leaned into him more before hearing giggling behind me and realizing that we were still in the middle of the casino. I stepped back. “That bracelet you gave me is probably the only reason I made it.”
He grabbed my left hand and inspected my wrist then lifted my hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on my palm. “That is why I gave it to you, though I had no idea you would actually need it. If I ever find out who did that…” He let the threat hang in the air.
I shivered. I had never heard his tone so cold. I really believed that he would kill the perpetrator himself rather than turn them over to his father. I brushed aside the thought. “Were you just here gambling, or did you come to see me?”
“I heard about the rehearsal and dinner and knew I could run into you. I had a whole plan to bribe a server to bring you a note to meet me, but this is much easier. I can’t believe that I am finally back in Rambler and haven’t been able to see you more. My heart yearns to be near you. Don’t you feel the same?”
I sighed and twined my fingers through his. I hadn’t thought of him as much as normal, but near-death experiences would do that. And now that I was near him, I couldn’t imagine leaving. It was like stepping into a warm cabin with a fire and hot bath after freezing in the cold for an eternity. I had become used to the cold, the loneliness, the aching, but now I was basking in the warmth of Thomas and felt I could never face leaving him.
I grabbed his other hand and smiled up at him. Part of me wondered where these feelings had come from so suddenly, but maybe that was falling in love. Maybe this was what I had waited a lifetime for, and nearly dying had changed everything.
“It’s been a rough week, but I made some decisions.”
“Any chance that one of those decisions was a new haircut? I think it’s beautiful on you.”
>
“Yes, a new haircut, new attitude, new everything. I’m taking control of my life. I want to try new things, have a new approach. I have been passive for far too long.”
“I like the sound of that. Any chance that you are looking for a new boyfriend?”
“Maybe.” I stretched out the two syllables in a singsong tone. “But here’s the thing. I know we have both been hiding things, and I need someone I can trust… with everything. Not right away but eventually. We have to be honest with each other.” I hadn’t really decided any of this until I was already speaking, but it felt right. New me, new opportunities. I still didn’t know what being a Monza meant when it came to relationships, but since Colleen was not going to mentor me, then it was up to me to figure it out. I was ready to take some risks, and that included Thomas.
Genuine surprise crossed his face then warmth as he pulled me into a hug. “I will drop everything if you will go on a date with me.”
“How about we start with the wedding tomorrow?”
“I would love to escort you. Plus, who turns down a free meal with cake?” He folded me into another hug. “You aren’t just teasing me, are you?”
“Maybe a little, but not about the wedding.”
He kissed my ear and whispered, “I’ve never been happier.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Little Italy wasn’t just teeming with people but more like overflowing. I pressed through the crowds around each table, at first thinking that it was just the Friday evening rush until I noticed that no one was seated, and sprinkled evenly throughout were the people from the bridal party. I finally spotted Vanessa talking to Raymond Marcus, one of Vin’s best friends and Vanessa’s on-again, off-again crush.
“Hey, Raymond, what are you doing here?” I accepted the drink that Vanessa held out to me and took a long swig to steady my nerves.
“Moral support for the groom. Originally, I was going to be in the wedding, but then Tiffany didn’t think we were being thankful enough. Can you believe that? Thankful! She really is a… let’s just say a piece of work.” He chugged his beer. “Looks like everyone was invited tonight. Why not just do the vows now and call it a day?”
Vanessa ran a hand through her short locks and giggled. She tipped her chin down and tilted her head to the right with a slight pout on her lips, a look she had been practicing in the mirror on the drive over. “I wish. Except then when would we have our dance?” She batted her eyes at him.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her sugary flirting. I hadn’t been any better with Thomas. My face heated up at the memories.
Vanessa caught sight of my face. “What’s wrong, Ella? You’ve gone all red.”
“Oh, nothing, Vanessa. It’s just really hot in here. So, when’s dinner?” I fanned my face, wishing the blush down.
Vanessa’s mouth pursed into a little smile, and she gave me a knowing look. “They’re starting soon. It was delayed because Tiffany disappeared. She only reappeared like five minutes ago.”
I smirked. “Let me guess, Vin came back a few minutes after her?”
Vanessa and Raymond exchanged a look, then Raymond answered. “Back from where? He’s been here the whole time. I met him at the rehearsal and walked over with him. Speaking of which, he owes me a beer. Catch you later, sweetie.” The last bit was just for Vanessa.
She watched him leave. “Mmm. He is so hot.”
I barely heard her, having gone cold all over. “Are you sure he wasn’t gone at all? Like maybe after they arrived, he took off for a bit?”
“No. He was talking with Raymond until Tiffany came in and dragged him off. That’s when I got my shot at Raymond. He still owes me a kiss from a bet a few years ago. Would it be desperate of me to bring that up?” She turned to face me. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick again? Let me get you a chair.”
“No. It’s not that, but… I was in the bathroom, and I heard Tiffany and a guy… I thought it was Vin, but if he was here the whole time…” Each sentence trailed off as my brain tried to think as my mouth kept talking.
“Did the guy look like Vin?” She scanned the crowd, searching for another man built like a mountain.
“I didn’t see him. I just heard them.”
“Oh. Then it was probably just some other couple making out in the bathroom.”
“Sure. Probably, except that the girl was wearing the same shoes as Tiffany.”
Vanessa turned to face me, finally as freaked out as me. “Oh, crap on a stick. She had those custom made. She spent a few months in Europe picking out crystal, beads, and stuff for her dress and the shoes. Are you sure they were doing it?”
I crinkled up my face, the echoes of the sounds they made replaying in my brain. “Maybe they were sucking on popsicles while kneading bread… in a bathroom… that she had made sure was empty.”
She groaned. “Maybe I’ll do Vin a favor and buy her a one-way ticket to Greece.”
“Or maybe you’ll go tell him?”
She shook her head. “No way. Remember how she was grinding up against that stripper at her bachelorette party? I told Vin the next day, and he chewed me out. Said that he had to marry her and I had to stop hassling him.”
“Had to? How romantic.” I gasped. “Do you think she’s… expecting?”
“If so, the baby will come out with horns and a tail ’cause she’s the devil.” She caught sight of my shocked face. “Relax, I’m just kidding. She’s been drinking like a fish, and I heard her say that she is having her period right now. She’s not pregnant. She’s just evil. Frankly, Vin and she deserve each other.”
“Vanessa!”
She looked a little sheepish but defended her point. “He’s just been such a pain in the rump for weeks, and he and Mom fight constantly. I can’t wait for the wedding to be over. In twenty-four hours, it will be all over, and we can focus on something fun, like finding a killer and drug dealer.”
“Fun times. So you don’t think I owe it to Vin to tell him what I heard?”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure, tell him, but just don’t be too close in case he bites your head off. Now why don’t you go grab us some drinks? I think I need to find Raymond again. I haven’t seen much of him since Vin and his guy quit working at the casino. I’m positive that tomorrow at the reception will finally be the night for us.” She let out a sigh as a dreamy look filled her eyes.
She turned and left before I could argue I left the restaurant for the semi-attached bar next door. I could have waved down one of the waitresses to order for me, but they all looked a little harried.
After I got our drinks and turned to leave, I noticed Vin, alone, at a table in the corner. He couldn’t have been there too long, but he already had three empty glasses in front of him. I weighed Vanessa’s advice against my gut, and in the end, I decided that seeing him was a sign that I was supposed to talk to him.
I quickly grabbed a beer from the bar then went over and took the seat opposite Vin, sliding the beer in front of him.
He gave a grunt and drank the beer until the glass held only bits of foam that slid down the side as he put it on the table between us. He looked at me defiantly, and I sensed that he was ready to argue.
Maybe he already knew what I was going to say. My guess was that he realized the wedding was a bad idea and figured I was going to warn him off of it, but perhaps he didn’t realize Tiffany was already fooling around. I debated what to say and how when he cut me off.
“I was wrong about you.” His tone was aggressive and more than a touch angry.
“About?”
“Being a mage. I figured you were doomed from the start. I mean, you’re still a kid, but your training should have started decades earlier.”
“I’m almost thirty.”
He shook his head. “Just a kid. But you’ve pulled yourself together pretty well.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. It clearly pained him to admit my success. “Thanks.”
He grunted again and held up two fingers to th
e bartender. Mages had a much higher tolerance for alcohol than humans, but if he kept up at this rate, he was going to be under the table in a few minutes.
“Vin, my dad gave me some advice once. He said that often times people stay in a situation because of all the time and money they invested, and that will make them stick with an investment that’s gone bad. You have to ask yourself, ‘Right now, at this exact moment, if I had the money or my freedom or whatever back, would I invest again in this situation?’ Do you get what I’m saying?”
He stared at the table and nodded.
Time stretched out. I wanted to leave it. I was pretty sure he understood my point, but I hadn’t given him the specific information he needed. Even though I didn’t have any feelings for him, I knew he deserved better. Anyone deserved better.
“I was in the bathroom, and Tiffany came in. She was with a man and—”
“Stop!” It was said with calm authority that clamped my mouth shut. “Go.”
Despite the anger he was radiating, I wasn’t intimidated and didn’t look away as he glared at me. I was sad for him. He deserved better than a partner that was cheating on him even before their wedding.
I should have looked away, but I couldn’t. I wanted to say more, but then the anger in his eyes shifted, and I saw his sadness, hopelessness, and still under all that, determination. Like a man determined to walk the plank.
I turned and left him. I couldn’t fix the situation, and it appeared that he wouldn’t, but I could give him privacy.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
After a full twelve hours of sleep, I felt recharged as I drove Vanessa and myself to the salon to get ready for the wedding. Not just rested but renewed. The pain, both physical and emotional, from the past week felt a million miles away. My body and mind were rested, and I had a plan. A plan I had made. I was going to try dating, on the sly of course because mage society still expected Monzas to be celibate, but I had made my best attempt to learn the lifestyle with no one to teach me. That meant I could make my own rules, right?
Casino Witch Mysteries Box Set 2 Page 34
