Page 133 of Contempt

She gave him a look, and Renzo only tried to shrug, but it didn’t come off right. She didn’t acknowledge it, and neither did he.

“Cree gets it,” Renzo muttered.

“He’s the guy that handled you at The League, right?”

“Yeah.”

She didn’t press for more.

He didn’t offer.

Lucia went back to hugging him where she stood between his legs, and used her fingertips to trace over the line of his features. He was happy to sit there, close his eyes, and let her do whatever she wanted. He couldn’t know, but she was imprinting his features to her memory.

She had been terrified she would forget them.

“Wait, wait, wait … we don’t want it to be a surprise for him!”

“Ren! Ren!”

Footsteps followed the shouting.

Diego’s shouts.

“Ren!”

“Young man, you wait just a sec—”

The machines started beeping.

Diego came into the room crying. “Ren?”

Lucia thought to step back from Renzo, and let his little brother come to greet him, but he didn’t let her. Instead, he used her to help him get off the bed. On shaky legs, sure, and an unsteady body, but he did it. She was sure he would need help to get back into the bed. She knew it probably took every bit of energy he had, like sitting up wasn’t already a taxing event for him.

And he waited for his brother to come to him. Because that was Ren. He’d always think about them before he ever thought about himself.

He didn’t know anything different.

• • •

Five months later …

Lucia tossed the keys to her apartment into the glass bowl at the same time she kicked off her heels. There was nothing like coming home after a long day, and just … breathing. Something about that was comforting to her. She needed it to keep her sane.

Although, lately, Lucia had to admit that California didn’t feel like home. She’d been back for almost three months—the second the doctor gave Renzo his walking papers, so to speak, from the hospital, she had to come back here to finish out her internship with Kelly and the gallery.

More than anything, she wanted to be in New York. That’s where Renzo was doing the majority of his recovery, although he did travel quite often to Vegas, and more recently, directly to her, too.

She also missed her family.

All the time.

And Renzo.

She missed him, too, even if he’d just walked out of her place after visiting for a span of days. It never got easier, and that’s how she knew.

Lucia wouldn’t be staying in California for very much longer. She’d let Kelly know before she left the gallery that day, too. The woman seemed to understand, and even admitted that Lucia just didn’t seem like her attention was where it needed to be after coming back from New York.

She’d almost laughed at that.