"I know," she says, her voice soft and low, but not entirely convincing. It's almost like she wants to believe it, she's just a bit unsure.
I can't say I blame her though; trust has never been my strong suit either.
Our moment is interrupted when Miller barges into the room, his jaw tense and his body more rigid than usual. He's pissed, that much is obvious.
He stops beside me, the space between his brows creasing at the state of my outfit, but he focuses on Cora. "You left The Wellerton today?"
Cora tilts her head toward him and leans back in the tub. "And?"
"That wasn't part of the agreement. You said you'd stay here."
"Actually, I said I'd work from home this week. I never said anything about not leaving the building." Cora props her elbow outside the tub and sets her head in her hand. "Technicality."
Miller's chest heaves and narrows his gaze. "I'm not happy about this."
"Join the club," Cora says, her sarcastic tone making me pinch my lips together to suppress a laugh.
That's my girl, I want to mutter but decide against infuriating Miller any more than he already is.
"Plus," she adds, "I got some dirt." Cora stands in the tub, not caring at all that she's completely nude in front of both of us, my cock having just been inside her moments prior.
With my help, she climbs out and dries off, wrapping the towel around her body.
"Meet me in the kitchen in five." She waves her hand to shoo us off and it works like a charm, both of us leaving the bathroom in an instant.
I step into her bedroom and make my way over to the bag of clothes that I've been keeping here, looking for something to change into.
"What was that all about?" Miller asks me.
I glance over my shoulder. "I have no idea. You know as much as me."
He lets out a sigh before leaving me there to undress without his eyes on me, not that I would have cared; we've had to strip out of bloody clothes in front of each other in the past. What's so different about mine being wet?
Once I'm dressed, I stroll to the kitchen and wait for Cora, making her a latte in case she happens to be craving one, and pour her a glass of water, too. I'm positioning the cups on the counter when she walks in, a sort of glow about her that lights up the space in my chest where my heart belongs. For years, I thought it was empty, but she reminds me that it may not have been lost after all.
"So, what's this dirt?" Miller says, barely giving her a chance to enter the room.
She continues forward and climbs onto the stool that has become hers in the few days she's been staying here and takes a sip of her water. Cora then grabs onto the mug and offers me a soft smile, a sort of non-verbal thank you. She's in no rush to answer Miller's question and I find it hilarious.
"Mmm, this is good." Cora licks at her lip to remove the froth left behind. Slowly, she lowers the mug onto the counter and turns toward Miller. "I met London's future husband today."
Miller tightens his hand into a fist. "What?"
"His name is Joe, and apparently he's Vito's son." She pauses and says, "I introduced myself with a fake name, and he seemed stupid enough to buy it."
He loosens his hand, his fingers twitching a bit. He should really consider going to anger management. Maybe read a self-help book. I'm no stranger to being filled with rage, but it tends to not manifest itself so obviously the way his does. Although, I do have quite a few years on him, giving me an edge on controlling the beasts that live within me. I wasn't exactly a great example of calm and collected when I was in my twenty-somethings either.
"I've interacted with him a couple of times," I tell Miller and Cora. "Real arrogant kid, definitely not very bright. But he's entitled, and dangerous. Not a good guy." I recall the girl he had roughed up and paid off to keep her mouth shut. That was the last job I would ever work for him.
"London mentioned that her dad was close with this Vito guy, and there's this group of old dudes that meet with him pretty regularly. Sometimes at his house, sometimes at a place called...uh, what's it called?" Cora draws a blank and taps her finger on the counter.
"The Manor," I add.
She nods. "Yeah, that, what is it?"
"The Manor is a neutral ground for criminals to get together. Very strict rule of no violence of any means." It makes sense that he would have those meetings there if he was trying to convince them to come over on his side in his attempt to overthrow Dominic.
"That must be the place I saw Ricardo..." Cora tells us.
