Listen, Pitch (There's No Crying in Baseball 3)

Probably too long.

No matter how many times Rhys assured me that his ‘uncle’ didn’t hurt women, that wasn’t what I was reading in his eyes right then.

“I’m Henley Rivera now, yes,” I confirmed.

That was the first time I’d said that aloud.

I’d read it quite a few times on documents, but other than hearing it from the judge’s mouth when he’d pronounced Rhys and me man and wife, I hadn’t said it.

But the happy feeling it gave me, replacing the sickening one Pablo had produced, was enough to make me smile.

Which Pablo saw instantly.

His eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms.

The movement made the gun at his hip briefly flash.

I refrained from saying that guns were illegal to have in hospitals. I was fairly sure that the mafia was illegal as well, so I wasn’t sure he really gave a damn if he was doing anything within the lines of the law or not.

I felt my phone ring in my pocket, and I was glad that it was still silenced due to the flight we’d been on earlier.

The flight from hell that Rhys had tried his utmost best to make me forget.

He’d succeeded. Barely.

I’d still been a bit frazzled by the time we’d landed, which was apparent when I felt my phone buzz instead of heard it.

There were certain things that I never took for granted, and the ringing of my phone was one of them.

I needed to hear it. It wasn’t rational, but it was something that I loved to hear.

That’s why I always made it my favorite song at the time.

But as it continued to buzz against my back pocket, I wondered if I could answer it without the men in the hallway noticing.

But then thought better of it when I decided that if it was my mother, she didn’t need to hear what this man was saying to me.

Just in case.

She was still under the illusion that Rhys and I had the fairytale marriage.

We didn’t. The less she knew, the better.

“You’re very pretty,” Pablo commented. “Not as pretty as my Kitty, but still more than capable of holding your own next to Rhys.”

Well, that I didn’t agree with.

Rhys was gorgeous. I looked like an ogre next to him.

Not that I would be telling this man that.

“You’re right,” Rhys’ purr sounded at my back. “She’s beautiful. More than capable of standing at my side. But you’re wrong. Your ‘Kitty’ isn’t more beautiful than my Henley. Henley makes my heart race every time I see her, whereas your Kitty makes me want to rip it out of my chest and stab it.”

I bit my lip to keep from high-fiving Rhys for that one.

I didn’t care who this ‘Kitty’ was they kept talking about. My guess, it was Pablo’s daughter.

Whoever the fuck she was, Rhys had just earned major bonus points.

Major.

Pablo made a disagreeing sound in the back of his throat. “Dewight, your wife needs you.”

Dewight didn’t so much as hesitate.

He turned and walked away without another word, not stopping until he reached the door to their room. Once he was there, it closed with a resounding thud, making it known that whatever happened out here, we were very much on our own.

As it should be.

“Now that it’s just us,” Pablo drawled, pulling a half-smoked cigar out of his pocket and placing it to his lips. When he would’ve lit it, I interrupted. “You can’t smoke that in the hospital,” I told him bluntly. “Do you have any idea the amount of oxygen that runs through these walls? This place is like a fucking powder keg. It’s not just because smoking is gross. Use some common sense, for God’s sake.”

Pablo flicked his lighter open during my speech but dropped both the cigar and the hand with his lighter moments later as I spoke.

“You insolent little…do you know who I am?” he asked, sounding somewhat amused by my forwardness.

“I know,” I confirmed.

Rhys, apparently, had had enough of our going back and forth, and pulled me back by my hand before taking a threatening step in Pablo’s direction.

“I don’t want you here,” he hissed, his body tense.

I’d never seen him look so freakin’ scary. His voice, and the way he was staring at Pablo? This wasn’t the Rhys that I’d come to know and love. This was an altogether different person. One that, in all honesty, was quite panty-melting.

Had we not been in the current situation that we found ourselves in…yeah, I could totally get off on this scarier him.

But, the moment that Pablo took that step forward, every single man in the hallway that I’d assumed was there for Pablo’s personal protection started heading our way.

Pablo held up his hand, and each man stilled.

I turned my back on Pablo, placing myself back to back with Rhys.

At least I’d be able to warn him a little bit if this went south.