“She’s adorable.”
“And she knows how to work it.” He laughs as I shake my head. “Drive safely, and thanks again.”
“Anytime. You know that.”
I close the door and head on in, knowing he won’t leave until I’m inside. I head across the foyer, passing two women arguing. One has a huge double stroller, laden with groceries and two sleeping kids. The other is wearing a polo shirt with a smallheadset mic. I make my way to the stairs as their argument escalates.
“What do you mean there’s no elevator? How am I supposed to get that upstairs on my own?”
“I’m more than happy to help you, ma’am.”
The door to the stairwell closes behind me, cutting them off. As I walk up the first flight, I hear footsteps coming in my direction, so I stay to the far left. I’m halfway up when I see the person coming toward me. We both freeze in surprise.
“Pig?”
“Not anymore.”
He continues to walk, edging past me, clearly not happy to see me. I can’t say I blame him. I wouldn’t be happy to see me either. And though I know it’s not solely on me—the reason Havoc kicked him out—I still feel responsible.
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. It wasn’t personal.”
“Yeah, for you maybe, but for me it was very fucking personal.”
“Right. Sorry.” I take him in. He looks scruffy and unkempt, and his face is gaunt. “Are you okay?”
“What the fuck do you think, Citi? Am I okay? You’re seriously asking me that?”
“Yeah, I guess I am,” I whisper.”
“Well, I already have one therapist, so I don’t need another. When I want the advice of a former sex toy, I’ll ask.”
I rear back as if he slapped me. “Oh, ouch.” I move past him, putting some space between us, suddenly very conscious that it’s just the two of us in this stairwell.
“Just saying it like I see it.”
“I can see why they call you Pig,” I murmur, but I keep walking, done with this whole conversation. I hurry up the stairs, wanting to get far away from the asshole. Thankfully, I don’t hear any footsteps behind me until I get to the top, andthen I hear him retreat before he’s gone. I let out a shaky breath as I pull the door open and walk through, taking a seat outside Michael’s door so I can catch my breath.
The encounter has left me shaken. Yes, there was always something off about Pig. But mostly it was because I thought he didn’t care, not because I felt threatened by him. But now I’m wondering if my unease was because my subconscious felt something my eyes had failed to see.
I lift my hands to look at them and see them shaking ever so slightly. Feeling like an idiot for letting him rattle me, I take deep breaths and slowly blow them out again. I curse the man for putting me on edge, especially before I have to go in and talk about my feelings.
When I finally have my thoughts back under control, I pull out my cell phone to let Ambros know what just happened and find I already have a text from him. I open it and start reading.
Havoc has called emergency church. I suspect the DNA results are in, so I might be a little late. I can have Con wait for you, or you can eat at the cafe without me, and I’ll head on up the second I’m done here.
I stare at the screen, not sure what to say. I might not know Lil, but I still feel sad for all that she went through. Part of me is praying this isn’t her. The other part of me feels guilty about that. If it isn’t, then another mother is out there somewhere, not knowing her baby girl is gone. As a mom myself, that pain is a universal one. No parent is supposed to outlive their child.
This is going to affect all the brothers. I text him back that I’ll wait at the cafe until he’s done, so Con can help with Star if Capone is struggling with the news.
No problem. I’ll keep you updated on what we find out. Love you.
I love you, too,I text back before slipping my phone into my pocket.
Blowing out a steadying breath, I get to my feet and knock on the door, noticing belatedly that the door plaque is missing. I’m about to walk down the corridor to see if he’s moved when I hear him call for me to come in. I open the door and find him in his wheelchair, looking out the window. He turns when I enter and smiles at me, albeit a tired one.
“Citi. It’s good to see you again.”
“You too. I was a little worried you’d moved when I didn’t see your name on the door.”
