Page 7 of Tesoro: Mayhem Makers

“She was so nice,” Andi robs my thoughts as she pulls me down the aisle. “Sapphire, too.” She adds as we join the line for the next author, Kathleen Dugger. This event has been amazing, exactly what I needed to give me a long overdue reprieve.

“I purposely waited until after you saw Cayce to ask; what is the deal with you and Brady?” Laughter from a few rows over grabs my attention momentarily. I knew this day would come, yet I was nowhere near prepared for it.

“It's complicated.”

“Bullshit,” Andi snaps, bringing my attention back to her and the women standing around us. “Your exam is complicated. The man who is telling the entire hospital he’s fucking you, is not.”

“What?” My voice is much louder than I intended, garnering a few harsh stares from the women around us.

Andi remains silent as she studies my face. “So it’s not true.”

“Hell no, it’s not true. He wants something I can’t give him.” While it’s the truth, it's also far from the full story, one so twisted I doubt I will ever iron it out.

“What does he want?”

This conversation needs to happen with copious amounts of alcohol. Andi deserves to know the truth. “Not here,” I shake my head. “I need to use the bathroom and you owe me lunch.” Growing up in an Italian home, food was the centerpiece of difficult discussions. Every argument I’d ever witnessed between my grandparents was either paused or squashed completely over a bowl of ragu´.

“Fine,” she huffs. “I saw a bathroom across from where we came in. You go pee and I will get us a table at the restaurant we passed.”

Nodding, I silently agree, a ball of nerves forming in my stomach. I hope my gut instinct about Andi is correct, I would hate to lose her as a friend.

As I wash my hands, I take a hard look at myself in the mirror. Green eyes I got from my mother look tired and defeated. Skin, which hadn’t seen a ray of sun in years, looking dull and pale. How many times had I promised myself I would take a long vacation, yet found excuse after excuse for not doing it?

Pulling open the door, I take a step over the threshold to find Andi standing, staring at her phone. The slight smile on her lips tells me she is reading something involving gossip swirling around the hospital.

“Hey, I thought you were getting us a table?”

Andi’s eyes snap to mine as she lowers her phone. Taking a measured step toward her, I hear the ding of the elevator to my right a split second before something massive collides with me.

“Maron.” I hear as I try to right myself, spoken in the deepest baritone voice I’ve ever heard.

“Are you ok…” He trails off as our gazes collide, a shocked look coating his features. Handsome doesn't delve deep enough to describe him. Ice blue eyes surrounded by thick lashes. Dark, wavy hair I imagine is so thick I could get lost in it. A dusting of facial hair gives a hint of the intensity to him.

“Tesoro?”

I’m stunned into silence as his grip on my shoulder increases. The name he uttered, a term of endearment my grandfather called my grandmother everyday until his death.

“What the fuck, Dante?” An angry voice sounds behind him. “We need to go.” My attention shifts to the owner of the voice, a slightly taller man, but clearly a relative as the features are similar. He rushes past, not giving us a sliver of a look as he keeps pace with another, much older man.

“Non è possibile,” he whispers, disbelief clouding his features. His eyes narrow as he releases his grip before taking a step backward before launching into a full retreat.

I watch as the man walks with determination to catch up with his friends. His fingers speared into the crown of his head before disappearing onto the street.

“Kate?” I hear Andi call, however my attention remains on the closed door of the hotel.

“Hey, are you okay?” She demands, tugging at my arm and finally gaining my attention.

“What?”

Andi searches my face, concern reflected in her brown orbs.

“What did he say to you?”

Glancing over my shoulder, I play back the conversation in my head as I watch a couple slip through the doors.

“He um…” I trail off, trying to wrap my head around his odd words. “He said it wasn't possible and called me treasured.”

“Well, good thing he is cute, cause crazy isn’t a quality any woman wants in a man.”

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