Page 12 of War Within
We lingered in the doorway, silent for a few moments before she pushed past me. “Cool, so I'll start then.” She set the bottle of wine on the kitchen counter then opened it. “What the deuce happened? I got your text, but then my phone died.” She handed me a full glass of chilled, Pinot Grigio.
Taking a sip, I threw myself down on the couch, flopping dramatically to the side. “I don't even know. One minute we were laughing and talking. The next he was yelling at me to leave with one of his friends.” I dared not saysecurity.
“Wait!” She jumped back. “He didn't even bring you home himself?”
I shook my head, chugging the wine.
“Those Italian men are some mysterious people.”
We chatted for a long time. I still had not mentioned the gunshots or vivid details about the evening. I did not even know if anyone had gotten hurt. I had to remain careful, though I told her just enough to satisfy her need for juicy gossip. I was still unsure how I would get all the projects done and still manage to show up at work Monday, not awkward. Right now, I did not care.
As the evening progressed, we lost track of time. Lily sashayed into the kitchen chatting about the guy she was dating and a vacation they had planned. I sat quietly, listening to her spill the details of the bikinis she picked out to buy online.
“Why don't you keep enough wine in this apartment?” She groaned, looking at the black, iron wine rack.
I shrugged. “Because you always drink it all, bitch.”
“Well, one of us needs to run get more.”
“I'm not even sure what's open.” I pulled out my phone, searching.
“There's a new liquor store around the corner.” She beamed, remembering I lived close to a wine buffet. “It's open, I think.”
“Oh, that's right!” I grabbed my bag cheerfully, my spirits lightened by the nice buzz. “You stay here drunkie. I’ll be back.”
“No way.” She grabbed my arm. “It’s super late and I don’t want you to die.”
Tossing my head back, I laughed forcefully. “I’ll be fine. This area is so safe.”
Coming to a stop on the path in Central Park, I took a deep breath of the cool, late-night air. I took my shirt off, tucking the top of it inside the elastic band of my grey sweatpants. “One more lap around the block over there and then we can go.”
Trigger, one of my other personal bodyguards, placed his hands on his hips. “Aren't you cold, boss?”
“No, I'm still pissed. I need to run some of the anger off.”
Often, when I was in the city late into the evening, I stayed at my penthouse apartment. On these nights, I loved to go for midnight runs in the park or through the city. It relaxed me.
We crossed the road and jogged down the fairly empty sidewalk, keeping a nice cool-down pace. My watch made a sound, and I glanced down at my hand to silence it.
“Watch ou—”
BOOM!
I ran into a female, knocking her to the ground. Bending over, I helped her up. She brushed her hair out of her face, and that is when I saw it was her.
“What the actual fu—” She stopped mid-sentence when she realized it was me.
“I’m sorry, I was out running and…wait! What are you doing out here so late?”
“Getting wine for my guest and me.” She beamed. “What areyoudoing out here? Shirt…less.” Her gaze trailed down my bare chest to my pants, lingering for a moment then back up again.
I ignored her question.
She massaged her forehead. “I have to go.”
“About earlier. I—”
“Forget it.” She giggled. “I need to get going. My guest is waiting for me to get back.”
