He pulls out his phone, but my hand lands on his arm. “No.”
My lip curls, but my voice is little more than a croak. “I have another idea.”
The dining hall is quiet this morning, just a handful of people dotted around. My eyes land on the Crow table. Amie glances up and pauses. Her eyes slide down, to the vicious-looking marks around my neck.
“I’ve been trying to get hold of you for days.” Sliding into the seat opposite, I wait for Dom to bring breakfast over. When he slides the bowl in front of me, I glare down at the plain yogurt and drizzle of honey like it’s a personal insult.
Of all the things he could have picked.
Amie glances at me and then away. “Sorry. I’ve been… it’s been busy.”
Her voice is cool, and I frown. “Are you okay?”
She shakes her head, and an awkward look makes its way onto her face. “I should be asking you that. Your neck… it looks painful.”
“It is,” I admit. More than I’m letting on. I’ve dosed myself up with maximum painkillers, but it’s not enough to do more than slightly dampen the burning.
She doesn’t respond, and I stare down into my bowl. This… this feels awkward. Uncomfortable. And I have absolutely no idea why that would be the case.
“Was everything okay the other night?” I ask abruptly, and she looks confused. “When the guys took you home?”
“Oh – yeah. They were fine.” She laughs. “Man, I was tanked.”
I blink as she stands up from the table. “You haven’t finished your food.”
She shrugs. “Yeah. I have a full day. See you.”
I turn to watch as she walks off, my fingers tapping on the table until someone slides into her vacated seat. Alessandro’s eyes widen as he gets a good look at my neck. “Oh, shit. I mean – uh—,”
“Spit it out,” I mutter, and he reddens. “Sorry. I, um. I’m in.”
My eyes fly back up to his grinning face.
Finally, somegoodnews. It’s about fucking time I caught a break. My eyes almost close in relief, and I can’t help but grin back at him, even if it makes my neck ache more. It probably looks grotesque, thanks to the popped blood vessels in my eyes. To his credit, he only cringes a little.
“I’m impressed. Thanks, Sandro. Meet me at my office in… three hours? That work for you?”
I abandon my shitty horrible yogurt. Life is too short to eat food that looks and tastes like it belongs in a fucking prison. Vincent and Tony are following me around today, another two younger Crows with them, and they walk me over to the building where we have our law lectures. Or, as Lorena likes to call them, ourgoddamn fucking common senselectures.
Every session, I like her a little more. It’s just me and Stefano today. Dom is off picking up some of the work he’s been forced to put aside in his role as chief babysitter, and I have no idea where the others are. I’m just glad to be spared the hell of hours in a room with Gio Fusco.
Lorena stomps in a good fifteen minutes later, coffee in hand. She pauses to take in my face, a low whistle escaping her painted lips. “They still alive?”
I hold her gaze. “No.”
She clicks her tongue. “Didn’t think they would be.”
Her voice almost sounds like approval, and my chin lifts as she launches into a story about the art world that I find myself engrossed in. With their focus on money laundering and fraud through art and high-class forgeries, Luc woulddefinitelyfind it useful.
I add a few more notes to the page. Not that I plan on sharing them with him.
Probably not.
Dom is leaning against the wall, his eyes scanning our surroundings as I exit. Stefano ducks around us without speaking, and I watch as his back disappears down the hall. “You ready?”
“My office next. I need to meet with Sandro.”
“He found a way in?” When I nod, Dom lets out a breath. “Shit, Cat. This whole fucking shitshow could be done by dinner.”
