“Good morning to you too,” Lucky said in my ear. “No. I was just calling to let you know we have the security guys out here today. They’re giving the place the full works. And from here, they’re moving on to all the other venues. Get your checkbook ready. It’s not gonna be pretty.”
“That’s fine. Whatever it takes. I want my employees to be safe.”
“Your employees, huh?” Lucky asked, and I could just hear the smirk on his face in his voice.
“Yes, my employees.”
“Way I hear it, she’s more than an employee.”
“Then you heard it wrong,” I said, but the words landed flat even to my own ears. Because I knew the truth. I did want her to be more than an employee. I mean, I wasn’t exactly picking out rings or anything, but I wanted to spend some more time with her, get to know her, see if there was something there.
“Yeah, okay. My Ma is blowing up my fucking phone this morning, asking me what your girl likes to eat,” he said. “Told her fuck if I know, but you know Ma.”
“I don’t really know either. All I’ve given her so far is a cheese and meat board.”
“Good enough. I’ll send it along. I’d expect her by lunchtime.”
“Smush was just here,” I told him, hearing him snort.
“Did you call her that? Last time I called her that, she spilled her scalding hot coffee on my lap. Almost fucking sterilized me.”
“I won’t make the mistake again,” I said. “Have you talked to Luca?”
“Luca just passed out,” Lucky said. “He was up all night. So was your old man. Sounds like you were too. You gotta get some sleep. So do Milo and Mass. We are going to be changing out the guard every twelve hours. Think Michael and Aurelio are heading over in the next hour or so. When they get there, crash for a bit. You’re no use to anyone dead on your feet.”
“I’ll try,” I said, feeling the sandpaper sensation on my eyes. “Keep me updated, though.”
“Yep. Will do. Oh, and if you want Ma to leave, plan to tell her that Josie has a favorite dish. The kind that takes a trip to the food store and lots of prep.”
“Okay, got it. Thanks.
With that, the call had ended and I heard the sound of Josie running the water in the bathroom.
“We’ll be outside,” Massimo said, nodding toward the door.
“I want to say hello to—“ Milo started to object. Until he got a slap to the back of the neck by Mass.
“We’ll be outside,” Massimo repeated, nudging Milo in front of him and out the door.
“Hey, honey,” I said as she moved painstakingly into the doorway.
She looked worse.
I knew she would.
You always did after the bruises really got a chance to settle in.
But it was still hard to see.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as she lowered herself down onto one of the island stools with a wince.
“I’m alright.”
“Liar. Did you take the pain meds?” I asked.
“Yeah. They just haven’t kicked in yet. I feel like a giant bruise. And one look at the bathroom mirror with my one good eye says I look like one too.”
“Can I get you some coffee?” I asked, not wanting to give her bullshit about how the bruises would be all better in a day or so, or that the pain would go away.
“Please,” she said, nodding.
“Milo’s sister is running to the store to get you some things. Is there anything you want me to tell her to pick up for you?”
“She didn’t have to do that. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone else.”
“First,” I said, leaning on the counter to catch her lowered gaze, “you are not an inconvenience to me. Second, she does it as a business, so she’s not put out in the least. So if you want something, tell me.”
“Fuzzy socks?” she asked, looking embarrassed at the words. “It sounds silly. But it’s my comfort item.”
“Fuzzy socks it is then,” I said, giving her a little smile as I reached for my phone to text Smush as I got Josie’s coffee. “How about some breakfast?”
“Meat and cheese board?” she teased as I brought her coffee to her.
Even battered and bruised and forced to live with her boss who happened to be in the mafia, she managed to find a little humor, a little light.
Yeah.
I definitely wanted to get to know more about her.
And as much as I hated that she had to endure something so awful to bring us together, I was selfishly glad to have her all to myself.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Josie
Sleep was supposed to do the body good.
But, for me on the night after the attack, sleep went ahead and bitch-slapped me across the face, adding insult to injury.
The bruises looked five times worse, and the pain all felt a little deeper, a throbbing pain all over so that it felt like it was no longer many separate injuries, but rather one huge one that took over my whole body.