Page 66 of Blind Trust
She weaved through the busy dining area and past waitresses carrying trays of chicken and gourmet donuts instead of waffles. Her stomach growled.
“Was Dexter’s ever this busy when we were kids?”
Mason looked up from the paper, his gaze widening. “Good grief, Lyla. Is that from your fall? Are you okay?”
“What?” It took her a second to realize he was referring to her fall from Sir Winston at the hunt. Her fingers went to the bruises and scrapes she thought she’d masterfully covered up with makeup. “Oh, yeah. I’m okay.”
Lyla held her breath when Mason stood to hug her. The bruising and aches in the areas that couldn’t be seen weren’t as easy to hide with foundation. And nothing covered up the distress that came when she found out Nicolás had been struck in the head by a brick. It was her first concern this morning when she called to check on him, and as expected, he assured her he was fine.
“Are you sure?”
Mason’s question pulled her out of her thoughts. She offered the best smile she could with her bruised lip. “Yes.” She let Mason help her out of her coat, then took a seat in the chair across from him. “So, Leto. Is she late?”
“She’s here.”
Lyla sat forward. “Where?”
Mason waved a waitress down and ordered a coffee and waited for Lyla. She wasn’t here for coffee, but she ordered a vanilla latte just to get the waitress to leave. When she did, Lyla pinned a stare on Mason.
“So where is she?”
“Keep talking to Mason like he’s the most interesting person you know,” a female voice said from behind her.
Lyla started to turn, but Mason reached across the table and took her hand with a gentle squeeze, his eyes warning her even as he smiled.
“There are only two reasons why I’m here,” the voice said.
Lyla checked the window, but the woman was positioned so there was no way to catch her reflection. She scanned the ceiling and spotted a camera, but it was angled away from the corner where the table behind her was positioned. Why hadn’t she paidbetter attention to who was sitting around Mason?Because I was checking out the donuts. Ugh. Kekoa would understand—Nicolás would not.
“First, I owe Mason. And second, Ms. Fox, you’re going to owe me.”
The snort that slipped out of Lyla’s mouth caused Mason’s face to light up the way it had when they were kids. Only this time, there was no humor behind Lyla’s reaction. Her second attempt to face off with R.D. was stopped once more when Mason gave her hand a gentle tug and shook his head.
Ugh. Lyla gave him a dirty look that made him shrug as if there was nothing he could do.
“You realize that look is more enchanting than it is hostile?” Nicolás spoke softly, and it nearly drove her to look in the direction of the laundromat. “Just hear her out. And if Mason doesn’t take his hands off you in—”
Lyla quickly pulled her hand free of Mason’s, dropping it in her lap. His eyes shifted subtly around them like he was keeping watch, but with the kind of finesse that would make anyone paying attention think he had eyes for only her. It didn’t make her uncomfortable because there was nothing meaningful lingering in Mason’s blue eyes.Unlike what I thought I saw in Nicolás’s hazel ones.Or was that some distorted image she’d made up because of her mom’s va-va-voom comment compounded with the panic he’d set in motion when he said he was leaving?
Lyla refocused herself. “What do you think I’m going to owe you,Ms. Leto?”
“I know you didn’t come alone. That would make you stupid.” R.D.’s voice was barely loud enough to hear over the din of the nearby customers. “Especially in light of what you’ve been through, which is why I’m going to explain what you’re going to owe me first.”
Lyla’s pulse spiked. The question of how R.D. knew what she’d been through was trumped by Lyla’s annoyance that this womanthought she could demand something from her. Genevieve’s killer was out there somewhere, and she didn’t have time for games.
“Her posture suggests she’s nervous,” Nicolás said. “Kekoa is pulling audio from the cameras inside the restaurant. Let her talk, Lyla.”
This time she casually narrowed her eyes as though she was squinting to look outside, then she rolled her eyes before looking back at Mason.
“I saw that.”
Nicolás’s whisper made Lyla grin, causing Mason to look confused before smiling back.Oops. “What do I owe you?”
“After this conversation, I’m heading out of town, and I need your Hawaiian friend to make me disappear.”
Lyla spun in her chair, this time pulling her hands back before Mason could take hold. She thought she’d catch R.D. by surprise, but the woman had turned to face Lyla like she’d expected it. She was a lot younger than Lyla had anticipated. Maybe mid to late twenties, with long, dirty-blonde hair that hung in waves across her forehead, hiding one of her light-brown eyes. Her brow was double pierced with two gold hoops that matched the one in her nose.
They sized each other up for a second before Lyla narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”
