“Just one of many secrets,” she said, watching me. Then she threw me an oven mitt.
I caught it and took the eggplant rollatini out, setting it next to her on a trivet.
“We were created by secrets,” I said to her. “Anything less would feel unnatural.”
“Not necessarily,” she said. “Sharon could have told you she knew Assanti. Her code is not his.”
“First. Do you have superhuman hearing? Second. Why would she? It’s not like there was a reason for her to bring it up before now. ‘Oh yeah, by the way, even though this is coming out of nowhere, I know your boss. He’s my childhood friend.’”
“I don’t know,amica. I think there’s more to this story than what’s on the surface.”
“YES!” I shouted.
We both became quiet, until we both exploded with laughter.
“That feels good.” I sighed. “To laugh.”
“It does,” she said, wiping her eyes.
“And it feelssogood to have someone believe me,” I said. “Or confirm what I’ve been feeling.”
Cilla placed her hand over mine. “Without a doubt, I believe you, Rosalia,” she whispered. “I wish you would have come to me sooner. I know I’m young, but I grew up in this life, too. They have their oaths, and we have ours. Screw those bitches you work with. Not everyone is like them. Even if they are, that’s not me. I got your back.”
Pressure built up behind my eyes, but I didn’t cry. I sniffed and then pulled myself together when the door to my room opened and Dr. Sharon and Aniello walked out. I offered them both something to eat, but they both declined.
“Are you sure?” I asked Aniello. “I made you some soup.”
He looked at the pot, at Cilla, and then at me. “I’m good,” he said.
I walked them both to the door, hating that my heart felt heavy after he’d turned me down. It was soup, I reminded myself. It wasn’t like he refused me something vital, but still. It stung.
Dr. Sharon hesitated for a second, then told him she’d wait for him in the car.
He was leaving with her?
Yeah, maybe he thought Cilla had slipped something in his soup, but that still didn’t give him the right to use me and then leave with her, especially since I had cooked for him.
The sudden anger inside of me took me by surprise.
If Aniello had been warming me up with his stare earlier, this…unexpected jealousy burned me from within. I didn’t know who I hated more in the moment—the beautiful vet or the classically handsome killer.
His eyes took in my face. “You’re pissed.”
“I don’t get pissed,” I said, about to shut the door on him.
He stopped me before I could. “You should try happy on for a little while so you can tell the difference.”
“Are we done,sir?” Shit. I was getting snappy but couldn’t seem to help myself. Yeah, he was my boss, but after last night, he had crossed a line. In this setting, I wasn’t going to let him rule me. Not like he did at Club D.
His arm kept the door from shutting, and he leaned in some, close enough that I could feel his breath wash across my lips. Which pissed me off. His mouth smelled like mint, probably because he usedmytoothpaste. Why didn’t he wait to use Sharon’s toothpaste instead? Not only was he an ungrateful ass, but a cheeky ass.
“Get your mind on straight,” he said. “This wasn’t a fucking date.”
“Never thought it was,” I said. “A date is when a man takes a woman out for fun. Not gets her to help him stop bleeding and get his fever down.”
“Then leaves her to walk to her car alone,” he said. “That’s a fucking winning date.” His tone was cold and condescending, and I tried to shut the door harder in his face. He was unmovable.
“You really should have brushed your teeth a little better,” I said. “Every word that comes out of your mouth is dirty.”
