by Malone, M.
Lucia could only sigh. Okay, new rules and a new cleaning lady, this one older. Someone Nonna couldn't push around so easily.
"I do these things so that you can be taken care of even when I'm not here. You have to let me help."
"Nonsense. I can take care of myself."
Lucia crossed her arms. "Do I need to remind you that you’ve been very ill? You should be resting. Let someone else take care of you for once."
Nonna waved her off. "I'm a grown woman. I'll tell you —"
A knock at the door stopped the argument mid-flow.
"Are you expecting anyone?"
She held up a hand to prevent Nonna from going to open the door. Nonna shook her head in amusement.
“Yes, actually, I am expecting someone. I have a life, too, young lady.”
Lucia laughed. What was wrong with her? She'd become nearly as paranoid as Noah. After peering through the peephole, she opened the door to find a dark-haired man on her grandmother's steps.
"Can I help you?"
He smiled broadly showing straight, blindingly white teeth. "I'm here to see Rosa DeMarco. I'm a doctor."
He didn't look like her Nonna's doctor. She glanced back at her grandmother. "Nonna?"
Her grandmother grinned, pushing her aside to open the door and welcome him.
"Antonio! I'm so glad you were able to come by to check on me."
Nonna stepped back to let him by and he walked straight into the living room as if he knew his way around. Lucia had no choice but to follow them both. Her grandmother sat on the couch watching with avid interest as he pulled out a stethoscope and blood pressure pump.
Lucia watched the two of them with mounting suspicion. "So, how long have you been my grandmother's doctor? And do you work with Dr. Erlichman?"
Dr. Antonio opened his mouth to answer, but Nonna answered for him.
"You remember my friend Esther? Well, this is her grandson, Antonio. Obviously, he's a doctor. And while he's home helping her out for a month, he checked on me. Especially since I was ill. He wanted to make sure that I was following all my doctor’s orders."
Antonio nodded. "It's no trouble. My grandmother lives three doors down. So after I check on her, I look in on your grandmother." He flashed another grin.
Lucia licked her lips. Something was up. She could feel it. "Well, I am grateful. Nonna doesn't usually let anyone help her. She’s very independent."
He chuckled. "Oh, I'm well acquainted with her. That's why I was so surprised she asked me to check up on her every now and again. I'm sorry I was late today. I got held up with a friend in Brooklyn."
Lucia cocked her head. "Oh, did you guys have a set appointment? I would've taken my time getting here if I'd known that."
Lucia got the distinct impression her grandmother wanted her to arrive just when she had. Just in time to meet Dr. Antonio. Who, for all intents and purposes, was very good-looking. Tall, lean, thick dark hair. Everything about him screamed, 'I'm a good Italian boy.' But Lucia was in no mood.
"Okay then, I'll leave you to it. I have phone calls to make anyway."
The old lady thought she was tricky. Damn, she’d had to run out of her office, change in the building bathroom, hop two trains and a bus just to get here at the specific time her grandmother said she needed her. Under normal circumstances, she would have come on Saturday. But her grandmother said she'd been feeling weak since her illness, so of course Lucia had wanted to check on her.
You've been played.
Thirty minutes later, after Dr. Antonio came into the kitchen to say goodbye to her, Lucia faced off against her grandmother.
"You think I can't recognize a set up when I see one?"
Nonna rolled her eyes. "Lucia, all I'm trying to do is introduce you to some nice Italian boys. Who knows the kind of people you’re meeting in the city? Antonio goes to church. He's a doctor. You could do worse. Honestly, you act like I'm trying to force you into an arranged marriage. All I'm doing is introducing you. He thinks you're very pretty."
Lucia threw her hands up. "Nonna, that is not the point. I'm sure he is a very nice guy." But not Noah. She shoved that thought far aside. "I'm just not looking to date anyone right now."
Her grandmother scoffed. "Instead, what? You're running around playing sleuth? Trying to find out what happened to your brother? That's not the kind of life I want for you. I want you to be married and have babies, not skulking around in the dark looking in places you shouldn't be."
It was an old argument. Lucia turned to the stove and turned on the kettle. "I appreciate what you're trying to do. And I know you just want me to be happy. But you can't rule my life. Between you and Noah, I could use some breathing room.”
Lucia reached for the tea but the box on the counter was empty. She spotted a large tin behind the flour. Maybe Nonna had started putting her teas in there. She pulled out the can to open it. But instead of tea, there was a wad of cash.
Holy hell.
"Nonna. What is this?"
Her grandmother snatched the container out of her hand with more force than Lucia had ever seen her use. "It's just something I keep for a rainy day."
"That must be some rainy day you’re expecting. Is there a tsunami coming? That's a lot of money, Nonna. There must be thousands of dollars in there."
Nonna closed the lid quickly and shoved it back behind the other canisters. "Yes. I've been saving for years. A little bit here, a little bit there. I find ways to save money. That's money I use just in case." She squared her shoulders. "I'm an old lady. I'm entitled to some secrets."
Lucia chuckled. "As long as those secrets don't include more men for me to meet, that is fine."
But even as she made her cup of tea and one for her grandmother, Lucia wondered what other secrets her Nonna was hiding.
#
Lucia's feet were killing her. By the time she got home, the penny loafers had pinched so much she was convinced she'd never walk right again. Nonna didn't approve of stilettos and high heels. Which was a real bummer because they were pretty and, well, her boss insisted that she wear them.
The shoes her grandmother would prefer she wear were uncomfortable as hell. Once she got home, the first thing she did was kick them off inside her door. She tossed the mail onto the counter and then limped over to the couch and plopped down. She quickly checked her emails on her phone.
She grinned when she saw the confirmation for the surprise she'd set up for Noah. He would be livid. But he was the one who’d started their little war, so turnabout was fair play. And this was perfect. Because she would also get back at the gang at Blake Security for that little prank they’d pulled on her last Halloween.
Whoever thought up acting out The Shining in a warehouse building was seriously sick. She blamed Matthias. He might look sweet, but he was secretly devious.
If this surprise didn't get Noah off her back she didn't know what would. She relaxed against the cushions of the couch, allowing the tempting pull of sleep to close in around her, but then she turned her head.
No. She needed food first. And food was all the way over there—in the fridge.
Food was overrated, right? The more she gave any credence to the thought the more her stomach rumbled. "Okay, fine. I'll get up."
She pushed herself to standing and winced with every step as she padded into the kitchen. She pulled together the makings of a quick soup and preheated the oven for some bread Nonna had sent home with her. It wasn't much, and it definitely wasn't fancy, but for now it would do. This week she’d been so busy she’d been flying by the seat of her pants as far as meals went.
She stared at the pile of mail and sighed. Eventually, she started sorting through the stack. Mostly bills. A few magazine subscriptions. That had been her major indulgence when she moved out on her own, openly getting a magazine subscription to every major fashion magazine. Eventually it had started to add up so she’d pulled back to just a few, but they were still her guilty pleasure. She was lucky she’d found a r
ent-controlled apartment so she could afford the little splurges like this.
She methodically went through the bills, putting most of them away to deal with later while making a mental note to call the student loan office. Then she was down to one last envelope. Plain manila. Her address typed.
No return address.
She frowned. No postmark. Could it have come from the Housing Association? They occasionally would drop leaflets or notices into everyone's mailbox. Most of those were mailed, but it was possible that they’d decided to hand-deliver something. It must be pretty urgent. She flipped over the letter and there were no markings or logos on the back. Just a plain envelope. Putting a finger under a small gap, she peeled it open and pulled out the letter inside. As she unfolded it, she noted there was only one line of text:
Stop. Digging.
A cold chill ran up her spine as the letter floated to the counter.
Oh shit. Did someone know what she was up to? How was that even possible? Who would care? She’d been careful and wasn’t advertising what she was doing. Why would her getting answers now be a problem for anyone? Did that mean she was finally on the right track?
She’d gone with her brother that day as he was in a panic to stop something from happening. But what? For the past two years, she'd become obsessed with remembering. She’d written down everything she could remember but not a single memory cast any light onto that day.
She'd even tried hypnosis once. That had backfired. While she'd been very relaxed at first, she’d burst into tears as she’d tried to force her mind back to that memory.
That day in her life was like a big black hole.
At least she had the first memory of the day with Rafe on Coney Island. Anything after he got that phone call was a complete blank until the next morning when she woke up expecting to see her brother, but instead was told by Nonna that he was gone.
She'd been looking for answers ever since. She needed those answers. Because if she didn't have them, how would she ever mend the hole in her heart? Keep pushing and you won't have a heart anymore, she thought as she looked down at the message. Were the answers she needed worth dying for?
She picked up the letter. Maybe not. Maybe she did need to let go. Maybe for once she needed to listen to Noah and her Nonna and just get on with life. Walk away. Pretend that she could be normal. Is that what Rafe would want for her? Could she do that though? Could she just walk away and let it go? Her eyes glanced back at the sheet of paper. What if this time, it didn't just affect her? What if it affected Nonna, too?
She didn't need any more persuading. She ran back to the couch, picked up the phone and typed out a quick message to Matthias.
- That thing I asked you for? Never mind. Just leave it alone. I don’t need to know anymore.
She tossed her phone on the couch and scrubbed her hands over her face. Maybe this was for the best. Rafe would want more for her than a life of looking over her shoulder.
chapter 5
Lucia still wasn’t talking to him.
Most days when he woke up, he wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. He’d always been a light sleeper, useful when you never know if you’ll wake with a gun to your head. But even once Rafe had taken him in, he’d always started each day as a blank slate. He wasn’t happy or sad, just resigned to do whatever was necessary to make sure he survived to see the next morning.
But that day he’d woken with a cloud of foreboding. It was a strange thing to feel so much when you weren’t used to giving a shit about anything. He hadn’t really understood how familiar he’d become with Lucia’s gentle intrusion in his life. Her soft glances and constant questions had started out as annoying and then became reassuring. Somehow he’d grown accustomed to someone caring about him.
But for the last week he’d had an abrupt return to what life was like before. No Lucia stopping by the office to bring him a home cooked meal. No calls to ask if he’d come by and fix something or kill a bug. No hugs that made him feel like a heart still beat somewhere within him. She was angry with him, and although she’d been mad at him before, this was different.
Maybe this is the new normal, he thought as he walked down a level to the office over two hours later than his usual time. He’d overslept for the first time in years and it only added to his cranky mood.
Noah’s first clue that it wasn’t going to be a typical day was seeing that Matthias was waiting for him in the common area.
“Yes, he just got here.” Matthias hung up then, looking exasperated. “Did you forget we had a new client intake this morning? I tried calling your phone.”
Damn. He never fucked up with clients. “Sorry, I overslept.”
By the twitch in his eyebrow it was clear Matthias wanted to call bullshit on that, but wisely he didn’t say anything. Noah walked past him and into the conference room.
“My apologies, we can start now. I’m Noah Blake and I hope the others have already introduced themselves.”
The men sitting around the table nodded and smiled. They all looked extremely young and more likely to be on their way to a frat party than a business meeting. He looked down at the new client form that Matthias placed in front of him. Their firm was listed as owning and operating a chain of fitness centers. Suddenly, the fact that they all had those awful orange spray tans and more muscles than your average desk jockey made sense. This should be a pretty easy intake all around. Which was a good thing, since he was exhausted and definitely not functioning at full tilt.
“So, tell me what brings you to Blake Security gentlemen.”
“Actually, we came by to deliver a message,” said one of the men sitting directly across from Noah. “Jason, hit the music!”
All three of the men stood suddenly and ripped their shirts open, revealing oiled-up chests and six-pack abs. Rock music blared from somewhere that Noah couldn’t identify.
What. The. Fuck.
Two seconds went by in complete, stunned silence before there was an explosion of movement and multiple weapons aimed in every direction. Next to him, Jonas had his Glock 9 pointing at the new client directly across from him, and Noah had his Sig Sauer aimed at the man across from him. Oskar had the guy who’d been sitting next to him in a headlock. The guy’s face was bright red and going nearly purple.
The man across from Noah held his hands up slowly. “Well, this isn’t the usual response to a birthday-gram.”
“Wait, what?” Noah asked through clenched teeth.
He held up the card in his hand and wiggled it. Noah indicated with his head for Matthias to go get it. Matthias took the card gingerly and opened it. Suddenly he snorted. He walked over to Noah and held out the neon green card.
“It’s just a birthday card.”
“I thought they said they had a message for us?”
“We do,” one of the guys interjected. “A message from Lucia. Can we put our hands down?”
“Yes.” Noah nodded at the others to let the men go.
As soon as all their weapons were sheathed, the men glanced at each other and then one by one they ripped off their slacks, the tearing sound of fabric startling Noah so much he almost drew his gun again.
“Happy Birthday, Noah!” They screeched in unison and then proceeded to sing. Every time they sang “Happy Birthday,” they shimmied and gyrated in unison until their extremely tiny banana hammocks were dangerously close to giving up the fight.
Oh. Fuck. No.
Just what he needed on top of a night of no sleep; a room full of dudes with their dicks hanging out.
He opened the card and immediately recognized Lucia’s handwriting. Just the sight of it brought a jolt of unexpected warmth to his heart. Until the three men approached, gyrating and rolling their abs as they finished the song, flinging their arms up at the end. In the silence that followed, the only sound was their breathing and Oskar’s muffled laughter behind him.
Jonas clapped and Matthias joined in.
“Thank you. This has definitely
made things more interesting around here, and it’s not even my birthday,” Jonas boomed.
“Or mine,” Noah added under his breath, coughing when Jonas elbowed him in the gut.
“Yes, thank you.” He bit out the words, figuring if he played along they’d leave faster than if he explained the whole thing was a mistake. Okay, not a mistake — a prank.
“Oh I almost forgot!” One of the guys held up a small noisemaker. The others, once they saw his, pulled out similar ones. They all blew on them, releasing a chorus of loud honks and streams of glittery confetti that exploded in the air around them.
Noah blinked as confetti streamed all over him. He watched as the men waved happily and then grabbed their clothes before filing out. A piece of confetti tickled the edge of his nose and he sneezed suddenly. When he opened his eyes, Jonas stood next to him, his hand covering his mouth.
“Don’t even say it,” he growled.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Jonas held his hands up in surrender.
Wordlessly, Noah walked over to the garbage can and brushed as much of the confetti off as possible. Glitter stuck to his shirt and hands, and he’d probably be washing it out until next week.
Jonas helped him gather the confetti streamers and stuffed them into the garbage can next to the conference table. Then he laughed suddenly. “I can’t believe she got you a stripper-gram.”
Noah had never been so pissed and simultaneously amused. How was it possible that he wanted to spank her and kiss her all at once? Actually he knew exactly how that was. The funniest part was that she’d no doubt thought the strippers would embarrass him in some way. Maybe she thought this would even the score between them, her embarrassment countered by his. It only showed how little she actually knew of him. You could only be embarrassed if you had any shame left.
He’d lost what little shame he had back on the streets.
“That girl has balls, that’s for sure.” Jonas handed over the folder he’d been carrying under his arm. “At least she’s not pretending you don’t exist anymore.”
