So, I have to wait.
It’s just past five on Sunday morning when I finally go downstairs to the kitchen to make some coffee. It’s obvious that I won’t be getting any sleep. Maybe this afternoon I’ll ask Stellato watch the girls if I need to steal an hour’s sleep. If I don’t, then tomorrow at work is going to be a huge challenge. I’m not one of those people who can lose sleep and still thrive. It makes me moody, and I can’t think straight. I still get things done, I still hide my difficulties, but it makes life harder.
Leaving the lights off as I move through the mansion, I use the soft morning light of sunrise to find my way around.
But as I walk into the kitchen, I get a massive fright.
Josiah is standing next to the coffee machine in the dark.
My sharp gasp has him turning quickly towards me.
“Kayla,” he says quietly. “You’re up early?”
“Or late, whichever way you view it,” I reply.
“You didn’t sleep?” he sounds worried.
I shake my head.No.
“Why don’t you go back to bed, and I’ll bring you some coffee?” he asks.
“No, thank you, it would only frustrate me to lie in bed for another second. I might go for a run before the girls wake up,” I reply.
“A run? I didn’t know you ran?” he muses.
I smile tightly. “I don’t. It’s more of a slow, chunky jog. I wasn’t born to be a runner, but sometimes it helps me clear my thoughts,” I shrug.
“I see. Is it because of last night…because of…”
“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it,” I reply quickly.The less I know, the better.I’m not sure I’m ready to have him explaining the details of his mafia life to me. It might freakme out even more. For now, I’m barely holding the fear inside myself. I can’t overwhelm my poor head with more information.
“I understand,” he says quietly. “But if you change your mind, I’m here to talk…to answer anything.” He smiles at me, and his eyes are soft and warm. He doesn’t look like a monster. He doesn’t look like a mafia boss.
What does a mafia boss look like, anyway?
All I know is that I can’t trust him. He is probably so used to lying to everyone about everything. It’s how you get so much power. You manipulate and steal…you become a criminal.
I tear my eyes away from him as my heart starts pounding anxiously.
“I think I’ll have tea instead of coffee,” I decide out loud. The caffeine might wake me up, but it also might make the anxiety worse.
“I’ll make it,” he says, reaching for a mug.
“No, please, don’t worry about it. I need something to do,” I tell him.
He steps back from the counter, holding his coffee mug. “Then I’ll leave you in peace,” he smiles.
He has such a beautiful smile.
The devil can be just as beautiful as an angel.
***
Monday morning.
Yesterday was the longest day of my life. I managed to sneak in a thirty-minute nap just after lunchtime, but it wasn’t really enough. At least I slept well last night.
The office is filled with all the usual Monday morning noises, people chatting about what they did over the weekend, while others rush around trying to quickly finish things that were actually due last Friday.
