Page 42 of Soulmate of the Mafia King
“Capiche.” I saluted him with my good arm.
Enstrom huffed and stormed out of the room. Paige and I fell into helpless laughter.
“Is he always like that?” she gasped.
I nodded, tears in my eyes.
When our laughter finally petered out, she looked at me seriously. “You really do need to rest.”
“I’ll do what I can.” I winked. “What do you say we start now.”
“God, yes.” She smiled.
Together, we wobbled to our bedroom, our bed, and collapsed on top of the sheets still dressed. It was good to be home.
CHAPTER 33
PAIGE
After a full night’s—and afternoon’s—sleep, I managed to get up to go check in at the shelter the next day. I’d kissed Tom before leaving, reminded him to rest, and told Miranda to stop him if he tried to get up for anything more than a bathroom break, but I didn’t really believe he’d last long. Honestly, I’d be stunned if he was in bed when I got home. Part of me understood the impulse. I’d woken this morning itching to get back to my life. But I didn’t have a pneumo-whatever-the-fuck that could kill me if I wasn’t careful.
I parked in front of the shelter, shook out my shoulders, and put Tom’s inability to sit still behind me. I loved him, but I couldn’t live my whole life doting on him. Other people needed my doting.
I strode up the stairs of the shelter and blew a kiss to the picture of Dad on the wall. For the first time, I understood why he’d gotten out of the mafia and why he’d gotten in in the first place. But before I could even finish putting my keys in my pocket, Lauren rushed up to me and wrapped me in a bear hug.
“You didn’t answer if you were coming in today!” she yelled into my ear.
“And that means hearing damage. Got it.” I winced.
“Stop deflecting with humor and be excited to see me,” she demanded.
With a small smile, I hugged her back. Francis ran in small circles around our legs, barking softly. I’d missed so much while I was in Egypt, but I didn’t realize how much my friends were part of that. The days without Lauren—and, if I was being honest, Sera—carved a hole in my heart that refilled as I inhaled her faint, floral perfume.
Finally, she released me. “God. Okay. Lily is around somewhere, and so is Sera. We should round them up and have a meeting.” She touched her cheek as if she didn’t know she was still grinning wildly. “Once I look like a professional, maybe.”
I laughed. “Did you really miss me that much?”
“I was scared,” she said honestly. “I knew you said you were safe, but until I saw you walk in…”
I hugged her one more time, quickly. “I’ll get Sera; you get Lily.”
She nodded sharply and marched off, her grin still firmly in place.
After a possibly more exuberant reunion with Sera, the four of us convened in one of the smaller group rooms.
“Tell me everything.” I ran my hands over my jeans. “I just want to hop back in.”
A torrent of information came at me. Only three of the women we’d rescued from Egypt remained. Some of the rooms had to be switched around because Daniela, from the Mansion, kept trying to convince people to sneak out and murder their abusers. Lauren grimaced at that and said she was working on it. Sera’s mom had found us a full-time food vendor who was already obsessed with Andi. Altogether, things were running smoothly, but they’d be smoother with my help.
Exactly how I liked things.
I launched myself into the day. Paperwork, group, ironing out logistical wrinkles, and then a meeting I snuck onto the calendar with the three remaining women from Egypt. I sat across from them at a small table.
“Hi,” I said. “I don’t know if you remember me?—”
“You’re Paige,” one of the women, a dark-haired one I vaguely remembered who hung around Cora, said. “This is your shelter.”
The other two women nodded.
