Page 58 of Her Guardian
It’s a message from Boyd.
Boyd:It’s over. Everyone is fine. I’m going to hit the streets. There was nothing on the wall.
Sarah:I’m glad you’re okay! Nothing on the wall? That’s strange.
Boyd:You’re the expert.
Sarah:Are you coming back to Salvalagio?
Boyd:No. I’m hitting the streets again today. I’ll try to come back tonight, but it might be late.
Sarah:I’ll try to stay up, so you don’t have to kick my bed when you get here!
Boyd:I didn’t kick it last night. More like a gentle nudge.
Sarah:Try being the one in the bed when it happens!
Boyd:See you tonight.
I let out a sigh of relief and put my phone down. Boyd’s okay. He’s back on the hunt for the Mafia Prince Killer. Hopefully that means he won’t run into any danger. I have plenty of faith in Boyd’s abilities, but I don’t think he’s going to find anythinguseful on the streets. Nobody even got a description of the Mafia Prince Killer before Arthur Dykstra was arrested.
I get up, shower, and get dressed. I sit down on my bed and I’m scrolling through all the breaking updates about the latest murders when I get a text message from Lea.
Lea:Hey, I came to Salvalagio with Massimo today. He won’t let me go anywhere on my own right now. Do you want to meet me downstairs?
Sarah:Yep, let’s meet at the café by the lobby!
Lea’s texts don’t vanish like Boyd’s do. They seem to be working normally.
Despite everything that is going on, I feel a glimmer of excitement when I see Lea’s message. We were supposed to meet today, but I wasn’t sure if she would be able to make it after the Mafia Prince Killer struck again.
I’m not surprised Massimo won’t let Lea travel alone, even if the Mafia Prince Killer has never killed a pregnant woman before. However, I totally underestimate how much protection she actually has. When I step off the elevators, I see at least two dozen members of the Morandi family in the lobby, hovering around the café. The meanest motherfucker in a kilt—Massimo’s best friend, Rowan—appears to be in charge.
“Good to see ye again, lass,” Rowan says, nodding to me as I approach.
“You too,” I mutter, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people Massimo has looking after my best friend.
Lea is in the café. I spot her as soon as I enter and hurry to her table. She hops and hugs me. I’m still not used to feeling her baby bump when she gives me a hug, so it’s a little more awkward than our hugs usually are.
“Okay, tell me everything!” Lea says, holding my hand as we sit down.
“Well, the Mafia Prince Killer struck again last night and…” I begin, but she immediately cuts me off.
“No, no, I listened to your podcast and heard plenty from Massimo.” She squeezes my hand. “I want to hear about Big Boyd!”
“Oh, that.” I smile sheepishly and feel my cheeks heating up. “Yeah, so, I wasn’t expecting this, but… we’re a thing? It might be serious?” I wince a little.
Lea doesn’t wince at all. Her face lights up with the biggest smile I’ve seen since she saidI do.
“I knew it!” Lea lets go of my hand and slaps the table. “I told Massimo, too! I saw the way you were looking at Big Boyd at the wedding, and… I knew he had a thing for you, too!”
“What? How?” My eyes get wide with surprise.
“Remember the night I had to havethetalkwith you about counting cards?” She bites her bottom lip and grins. “You were a little drunk, so you may not remember it.”
“No, I remember it,” I say. “I wasn’tthatdrunk. Just a little tipsy.”
“I came to the casino to talk to you so Massimo wouldn’t send one of his guys to do it,” she says. “It was much better comingfrom me, trust me on that. Anyway, when I got there, I saw this drunk guy walking toward you. He didn’t get very far before Big Boyd stopped him.”
