Page 112 of Blood Taken (Blood Mafia 2)
He shrugs. "Campus. You fell for my brooding looks and high intellect."
"Is that what it was?" I like how he lets loose and jokes around me. It makes our time together feel more real when he's not wearing the mafia boss mask.
"Come on, they're probably here already. We're ten minutes late."
I flip the visor down and check over my appearance. There's no sign of red eyes. So long as no one triggers my Hunter instincts, I should be good. The parents won't know anything has changed. They're better off not knowing.
Or maybe I'm afraid to see the looks on their faces when they realize what I am.
Either way, I'm going to pretend like everything is fine and Mateo's a kind, gentle soul.
"Let's go," I say, snapping the mirror closed and hopping out of the car.
When we enter the rundown Thai restaurant, I glance around. They're not in our normal booth or anywhere else.
"I guess we beat them. Let's take the one right there." I point to the one close to the window, so they can easily spot us, and head over.
A waitress comes over once we're seated. "Water?"
"Yes, two, please."
She turns and leaves. The service here has never been great, but the food is amazing and makes the poor customer service worth it.
When she sets down the water and two menus, she snaps a piece of gum. "Appetizer?"
I shake my head.
"I'll be back."
"Wonderful," I say under my breath as she busies herself with a table on the other side of the room. I'm not entirely unaffected by the lack of manners, but I'm not going to be an asshole to her.
"Ready?"
I glare at her when she asks the questions ten minutes later. "No, we're waiting for company." I realize she's not the reason I'm mad, and add, "Thanks."
She sighs and leaves, tucking her notepad and pen back into her apron.
Mateo pulls out his phone and dials a number.
"Who are you calling?"
"The airport, maybe the flight was delayed."
Oh. "Good idea."
I chew on my straw, sipping water as he asks about the flights. His lips fall slightly. I drop the plastic back into the cup.
He hangs up and slides the device into his leather jacket. "The flights were on time. Traffic is probably causing an issue for them."
I shake my head. "I'll call them."
When they don't answer, I throw my phone on the table. The screen cracks; I can't bring myself to care. I try to use my new Hunter powers to find them, but the globe spins. It doesn’t stop. I fucking hate this.
"What the fuck is going on?"
Mateo holds up his hand, calling the waitress over. "We'll take two of these to go."
She writes the order down and takes the menus. "Wait by the door, people need the table."
