by T K Barber
She rotated to face him and smiled. “I think they’re good. But try it. We’ll wait.”
Thomas snorted. “No pressure or anything.”
Marianna grinned wider, but Nick narrowed his eyes at her. Thomas gestured to them with the macaroon and popped the whole thing in his mouth.
What started out as a cross between fluffy and chewy mushed into a weird paste. He furrowed his brow. The cream in the middle was good enough, he guessed. But . . .
He cast his gaze to the roof and chewed with a single shake of his head.
He managed to force it down with a hard swallow, and gave a small cough. “Wow, that was . . .” He drew his cheek back. “You all like those, huh?”
A small chorus of chuckles met his ears, and he coughed again.
“Tell you what, I won’t be makin’ those in my sh—eh . . . for any reason.”
Nick furrowed his brow, and Thomas scratched the back of his head, twisting to look at Marianna. He hadn’t meant to, but he sucked in a breath at the motion, and her eyes widened, just a hair.
“There’s water in the fridge, help yourself.” She gestured with her head to what he assumed was the fridge, even though it just looked like two giant cabinet doors.
He needed to get it together. No more slip-ups. He tugged open the massive door and his brows lifted in amazement.
Who needed this much food? Who did she cook for, the entire mob? He had to stop himself from rifling through the shelves just to see what all she had in there and found the designer water perched near the back.
Now that was something he never got. Put some different dirt in it and slap a label on it, people would pay through the nose. He snagged one of the short, green bottles, reluctantly closed the door, hiding all the secret goodies he just knew were in there, and leaned his back against the counter.
Marianna was watching him when he looked back at her, and he threw her a toothy grin.
She refocused on Nick. “How is Annalise doing?”
Thomas choked on the first swallow of water, sending his lungs into panic mode.
That was absolutely not what he expected. He held up one hand in a sign that he was fine, while the other attempted to keep his inner workings inside his body. After a few moments, he could finally clear his throat and wiped his eyes as he laughed.
“Sorry ‘bout that. Go right on ahead.”
Nick lowered his brow at him, staring him down for what felt like twenty years before he finally looked back at Marianna.
“She’s doing good. Better. Just on that one pill still, for the nightmares.”
Marianna hummed in acknowledgment as she chewed.
Thomas’s heart broke, and he gnawed on the inside of his lip.
He wouldn’t wish nightmares like his on anyone. He hoped like hell hers weren’t. . .were they about. . .him? His pulse quickened and he struggled not to get lost in that moment again. He shot a quick look at Marianna. What else was she going to ask? God, maybe this wasn’t a good idea.
Scarlet cleared her throat and smiled.
“Ryker, the therapist, he’s been helping a lot more these past few days, tonight too, in fact. He’s really pushing her to focus on the shop. It’s good. Though, I think he likes her.”
Holy shit. That guy was her doctor? Thomas’s gut wrenched with fear and anger. That guy was bad news any way you sliced it. He needed to warn them.
Thomas glanced at Marianna again but froze. Oh . . . what could he even say? ‘The guy recognized me and told me it would be bad for Anna’s recovery for her to find out I was alive and was violent’ . . . all of which was exactly true . . .
He deflated. The fact he was hunching hard on that guy being crooked really wouldn’t be read as anything other than good old-fashioned jealousy. Damn it.
Nick bristled. “Over my dead body. One: She’s too young. Two: I don’t like that guy.”
Thomas fought a smile. He knew he’d like Nick.
Scarlet snorted. “One: She’ll be nineteen in five days. I think it’s time to cut the apron strings. Two: You don’t like any guy that so much as breathes in her direction.”
Thomas’s eyes went wide. He hadn’t even known when her birthday was! Thank God he hadn’t missed it. But it wouldn’t matter if he knew or not if he never got to damn see her. And he’d done a fair bit more than breathe in Anna’s direction. Well, not nearly enough. Never enough, honestly. But still. That was a conversation he wasn’t looking forward to having.
Nick twisted his mouth to the side, but his smile was still obvious. Scarlet bumped into him with her shoulder, and he rolled his eyes. That made Thomas’s stomach twist. That was the exact way Anna rolled hers, head shake and all. God, he missed her.
Scarlet grinned as she brushed crumbs off the counter. “And, yeah. He’s a bit older than her, but . . . ” She shifted her hands up and down in the air like she was weighing things.
Nick scowled and irritation pricked the back of Thomas’s neck. Hell yeah, he was too old for her. If he was one second older than Thomas was, he was too damn old. Come hell or high damn water that man was not going to be around Anna one second longer than he had to be.
Scarlet sighed. “Seriously though, babe. I think it would be really good for her if she moved on. Help her heal. Get closure. I can’t truly imagine what she went through, but I know I wouldn’t be halfway close to normal without you. She needs to at least consider it. That’s all I’m saying.”
Marianna’s smile fell, and she shifted her feet. Thomas slowly set his water bottle down on the island and shrank a good two inches by way of a slump.
Talk about a mule kick to the gut. His heart ached. He hadn’t in a million years considered . . . even if she was alright with the fact he was alive, he still might not be good for her. How could loving her so much be a bad thing?
He rubbed his side and fought against clutching his chest. God, he hadn’t even been able to take a full breath since he came to and found out she wasn’t there. He almost expected the doc to tell him he only had half a heart left when that x-ray came back. He’d dry up and blow away if he never got to see her again.
Might not be able to come right out and say what he felt, but he had to try something.
He cleared his throat. “Ain’t my place to butt in, ‘cause, ya know, it’s not like I know her or anything. Or, obviously him for that matter. But, don’t that seem like a bad idea? I mean, he gets paid to keep her in meds, right? Besides, what’s she even know about him? And there’s no way he’s her type, that’s for damn sure. Even if he went to some fa—”
“Alexander.” Marianna’s sharp tone cut through the room, clamping Thomas’s jaw shut and forcing the rest of his words back down his throat. He flicked a wide-eyed gaze to her and blinked as she brushed her hands together, and folded them on top of the counter.
“Go see if Booker needs help.”
“I . . . Okay.” Damn his big mouth. “Sure, yeah.” Thomas jammed his hands in his pockets and nodded to the room. “Nice to meet you all.”
He took two steps, and Nick cleared his throat. “He’s got a point.”
Thomas’s head popped up to meet Nick’s eyes, then he glanced at Scarlet beside him.
She chewed on the side of her mouth and looked up at Nick, then to her mother. “Mom, you checked into him . . . right?”
Thomas was standing closer to Marianna than anyone with where he’d stopped, so he felt sure he was the only one who heard her breath catch in her throat. And just that sound made his whole body buzz with fear.
She hadn’t. She didn’t. But Thomas had already figured that out. Didn’t take long of talking to that punk to know he was far from the up and up. Everything in him wanted to spin and bolt out that door like he was on fire, but he just focused on breathing.
He’d let them work it out, then they’d fix it. Probably with fewer bloody knuckles than his way would. Though, with Nick, there might be a few more.
She swallow
ed and smiled. “Of course I did.” Thomas cut his eyes back to her in time to see the tightening of her jaw, as Nick and Scarlet relaxed their postures slightly.
Marianna suddenly covered her mouth and yawned. Thomas nearly laughed out loud. That couldn’t have sounded faker if she’d been trying. But he knew what she was doing.
“I’m sorry everyone, today was a bit busier than I expected. I think we’ll need to postpone dinner to another night.”
Thomas nodded. That suited him just fine. He’d have time to figure out what he was going to do now, at least. He turned to see Rico fixing Marianna with an intense stare, then caught the minuscule flick of her hand at her side. Rico thinned his lips and headed toward the back door.
So, she must be planning on digging up dirt on the doc all on her own. That seemed a bit . . . inefficient. All for the sake of saving face?
That was straight opposite of how pop ran their family. He used everyone with a pulse in some way or another, whether they wanted to help or not.
And most didn’t.
Pop was the master of what he called ‘gardening.’ He had pockets full of secrets, and he’d peel them out like dollar bills. Said it was the only currency worth having.
Thomas pursed his lips as Nick eyed Rico’s path around the island, then flicked a narrow gaze to Marianna. Thomas fought another smile. Nick was reading the room, too. Man. They would make a kick-ass team.
Marianna’s forced exhale drew Thomas’s attention again, and she gave him a small smile, then gestured to the door with her head. Thomas lowered his brow. Yeah, yeah. He was going. He stalled a second. Probably wouldn’t do to hug his new boss in front of other folks, even if he had known her forever.
He gave her a tight smile with a nod, then drew up his shoulders as he walked between Rico and Nick.
One step and he was on the path the front-drive, small curled leaves crunching under his feet. That citrus smell hit him again, and he smiled. Anna liked grapefruit best. Second to peaches. Would she even remember telling him that? God, like he’d ever forget a single thing she said.
He stepped under the trellis and nodded to Booker through the windshield, who cranked the car.
Booker rolled down the passenger window and threw his brows up. “I see you lived.”
Thomas snorted as he dropped down into the passenger seat.
He didn’t really see what all the fuss was about. Mrs. Pri—Marianna was actually nice. Maybe it’s ‘cause he wasn’t on her bad side.
Thomas exhaled and let his head fall back to the headrest. Booker stared at him a few seconds longer before clearing his throat.
Thomas twisted his head. “What?”
“Well?” Booker’s eyes widened. “What’d she want?”
That all too familiar cautious itch in the back of his brain sparked to life, and Thomas squinted. Why did he care?
“Nothin’ really. I’m beat. You mind taking me home?”
Booker smiled. “Funny. That’s the only place you can go, you know that.”
Thomas crossed his arms and slid down the seat, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth. “Yeah, I know.”
The tires groaned as Booker pulled back onto the main road. Thomas watched with half a mind as this house turned into that one, that road into another.
At least he’d found out when her birthday was. Now he just had to figure out how to see her.
Marianna
The latch clicked, and Marianna chewed the inside of her lip as she smoothed down the front of her blouse. That went far diff—
“So, who the hell is that?”
Nick’s curt tone snapped Marianna’s focus away from the door to his glare and heavy brow. The corners of her mouth twitched, and she passed a glance to Rico, who froze at the edge of the island.
“Alexander.” She folded her hands in front of her and smiled in full. “A new member.”
Nick scoffed and crossed his arms. “Does he have a last name?”
Rico took a nearly imperceptible step toward Nick, and Marianna flicked her eyes to the side. Rico grit his teeth, his jaw muscle jumping from the strain.
“Babe, we should trust her.” Scarlet put a restraining hand on Nick’s forearm, but he didn’t even glance at her.
So focused. Good to know his senses were sharp. It would have bothered her more if he hadn’t picked up on something being off.
“Of course he does, dear. It’s Holiday. Alexander Holiday.”
A cold pit formed in her stomach, but she maintained. It was a favorite fake last name of Lyle’s.
Nick stretched to his full height. “He had more than a passing interest in Annalise. Why—”
“It’s not like Annalise’s situation was a secret. In fact, it was the farthest from secret as it could have been. We mobilized, Nick. A full on assault of two well staffed warehouses with several lives lost. Surely you understand by now that’s no small feat. So, it really shouldn’t surprise you that a member of The Family would show ‘more than a passing interest’.”
A short burst of air shot out of his mouth before he rested his hands on the countertop.
“Okay. I’ll give you that. But something is off with him. I don’t like being lied to.”
“Noted. Anything else?” Marianna quirked a brow and lifted her chin.
Utter silence blanketed the room for two seconds before Nick sighed and glanced at Scarlet, who raised her brows, gesturing with her head toward Marianna.
With a grumble, he lifted both palms and held them up in surrender.
Marianna smiled and plucked out another Macaroon with her index finger and thumb.
“His name is Alexander. Rico vouched for him, and I chose to let him in. That’s honestly more than you need to know.”
She turned a glance to Rico, who didn’t skip a beat. Though, he never did.
“Sì. He comes from good stock.”
He threw her one of his lovely, quick smiles and crossed his arms. Marianna blinked before she turned back to level her cool gaze at Nick.
“Fine.” He shook his head. “Keep your secrets. You just keep Annalise out of whatever you’ve got going on, understand?”
Marianna raised her brows in amusement. How sweet he thought he could order her around. “You don’t need to worry about that. She’ll be perfectly safe.”
She took a small bite and glanced back at Rico’s tense frame, the outlines of his arm muscles visible even under his sleeves. She fought a smile. He looked like he could take out a lion with his bare hands.
She took a step closer and touched his arm. The muscle jumped and he inhaled as he cut his eyes at her.
“We’re good.” She gave it a pat, then let her hand slide down to rest on the counter.
His light blue eyes held hers for two beats before he gave her a single nod and rolled out his shoulder as he planted his hands on his hips.
He glanced at Nick, stepped around Scarlet, and opened the door. He turned to face them both and smiled. “Buona Notte.”
Nick clenched his jaw and left without a glance back. Scarlet thinned her lips and rounded the counter toward Marianna, who smiled and held open her arms.
“I don’t blame him,” she gave her a squeeze then pushed Scarlet back to catch her gaze. “But you’re correct that you should trust me. I’ve got everyone’s best interest in mind.”
“I trust you, Mom. I can’t say I’m not crazy curious. But,” Scarlet leaned back against the counter and squinted. “Are you looking out for your own best interests, too? I’m worried. Running this whole thing alone has got to be a shit load to handle.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’m stronger than I look. Now, go tend to your fiancé’s delicate ego.”
Scarlet snorted and shook her head. “Don’t let him hear you say that. Bye, Mom.”
She stepped up to Rico, giving him a once-over as he held the door open.
“You know, I still can’t buy this whole ‘Rico’s a badass
’ routine.”
Rico’s chest erupted in several thick, warm laughs, and Marianna’s heart jumped. She’d always enjoyed that sound. It was a rare thing these days.
“Piccola, I’ve protected you and your mother for a very long time. Among many other tasks.” He cut his eyes to Marianna then back to Scarlet.
A short breath left Scarlet’s mouth, and she tilted her head. “Even when dad was still, uh, living here?”
Rico nodded, and the corners of his full mouth turned down. “Especially then.”
Marianna swallowed. Well, she hadn’t been expecting this. Scarlet just had no clue what they’d had to endure, all for that damn arranged marriage.
Marianna’s chest tightened. How many tears? Threats? Sleepless nights? Ian’s rise to power had been swift and violent, far sooner than planned by the families.
No one spoke of The Butcher’s Sweep, once he adopted The Banker as his moniker. One of Twin Bay’s darker histories. As if there were any bright ones.
Sweet little Rico, though not little by a long shot now, had been her friend through it all. Even when the rest of his family turned on her.
She couldn’t blame them, but it still hurt. She was so grateful he took the official job as her guard when he turned eighteen. Honestly, he was the only reason she had held on, at times.
“Huh. Well.” Scarlet slapped him on the shoulder, and his brows launched up. “Thanks. Also, stop calling me tiny.” Scarlet grinned and narrowed her eyes. “I’m far from it, in fact. I’m just average. The rest of,” she pointed at him, then in a loose circle around the room. “You are freakishly tall.”
Rico chuckled and shrugged, pushing the door open wider. “Notte, Scarlet.”
Scarlet threw a small wave back over her shoulder to Marianna and cleared the doorway.
Marianna maintained her smile even after the door closed, despite the fact she wanted to crumple into a self-deprecating heap on the floor. How could she have missed something so glaring? It wasn’t like her at all. Surely, he had to be on the level.
Rico folded his arms across his chest and caught her gaze. “Are you okay?”
