"Hmm. Probably. I bet she skipped breakfast again," I guess.
"Stop talking about me, and yes, I skipped breakfast but I have a multigrain bar in my pocket. See?" she tells us, pulling out the bar to show us.
"It's not enough," Cage scolds. "You wait right here."
He walks away toward the bus and I raise a brow at Coley.
"Oooh, you did it now. You pissed off Batman."
She grins. "He's not really mad."
"I beg to differ. He's seriously upset because you should be taking care of yourself better than this. We don't need you getting sick because you're not eating, on top of everything else you have going on," I scold.
Coley huffs. "Geez."
"Don't you 'geez' me, little girl. Do I need to have someone following you around making sure you eat?" I give her a glare-the one that works very well in interrogation.
"Fine. I promise to eat better, okay?"
"Lose the 'tude. It doesn't look good on you."
"What's your problem?" she asks.
"I don't have a problem. I care about you, Nicole, and I want to keep you healthy and safe. That's all," I tell her, then pull her in for a hug.
"Ugh," she protests but wraps her arms around me as well.
"Here he comes. Oh, that looks gross," I say when I see the protein drink he's carrying.
"I love those!" she tells me, already licking her lips.
"What is wrong with you? Who actually likes those?" I shudder.
"Me. These are chocolaty goodness." She reaches for the cup Cage hands her then takes a huge gulp. I shudder in disgust. She makes a pleasurable sound.
"Do you know what he puts in those?" I ask. Cage smirks.
Coley nods. "It's all the stuff you need without having to eat all the food to get the nutrients. Imagine being on chemo, so sick your eyeballs hurt, and when you move your nausea overwhelms you."
I'm starting to feel like an asshole.
"Then you get this cold, chocolaty drink that not only tastes better than some of the shit they give you in the hospital, but it's cold against your hot, dry throat. Chemo is some seriously nasty shit. No lie," she says, taking another drink then heading inside the building.
"Well, damn," I mutter, blinking back tears.
"Yeah," is all Cage says as he pulls me into his arms. We stand that way for a few minutes before I notice Ben leaning against the wall, his head hanging down. This is a Ben I've never seen before. This Ben is sad and unhappy. This Ben is denying himself the chance to turn that around for himself. I sigh. But, like me, Ben has to figure things out for himself. He and I are too much alike and I feel his pain. I truly do. And while I sympathize with him, I also want to walk up to him and smack him upside the head. He's wasting time that could be spent making memories. He and I are some stubborn asses.
"He'll figure it out," Cage tells me softly, rubbing my back.
I'm not surprised he knew what I was sighing about. "Yeah, I know, but will it be too late?"
"No one has those answers, Fee."
I sigh again. "He's in love with her."
"And she's in love with him. Give him time to figure out that he's miserable without her and that, lately, the only thing that makes him smile is her."
I look up at Cage. "Is that what you did?"
"No. But you did and, like Coley is doing with Ben, I gave you your space and didn't push."
"And it worked," I tell him, grinning.
"Not so much."
"What?" I ask, confused.
"You ran away and left me no choice but to go after you and take what we both knew was mine from the beginning," Cage tells me with a smirk.
I nod, remembering. "That night on the beach was so hot." I'm getting warm just thinking about it.
"It was."
"We'll have to do that again sometime."
"After this tour, Fee. We'll get away for a while. Just you and me. No phones. No interruptions. Just me and my beautiful wife making love over and over until we fall asleep from exhaustion."
"And then start over again," I whisper against his lips.
"And again, and again, and again," he tells me, then kisses me hungrily, pulling me tight against him, so tight it's as if he can't get close enough. I can feel his erection against my belly and my body fills with want and need.
I look up into his nearly black eyes and tell him, "Soon."
He nods, kisses my forehead, then slaps my ass before walking away with a grin on his face.
Holy smokes I love that man.
Chapter 7
Cage
I dial Giovanni and wait for the call to connect.
"Tell me," he says.
"It's just as we thought," I tell him, extremely unhappy at being right this time. Sometimes I'd really like to get it wrong when I figure out people have a fucked up agenda.
"How do you know?"
"Nicole overheard her. Misty was on the phone talking about trying to get close to the guys, close enough to fuck them."
Gio grunts. "Likely trying to get knocked up and cash in on that."
"My thoughts exactly."
He grunts again. "Continue."
"She mentioned the Manzinis, money, and getting close to Lucy," I growl. "That pisses me off more than anything. Using Lucy, who's been nothing but nice to this bitch."
"Mmm. She'll get hers, as you know."
Oh, I know. She'll get hers and a little extra if Sera has any say.
"Does Serafina know?"
"She does. She's the one who brought Nicole to me."
"And?"
"And she wants blood."
Gio chuckles. "Of course she does. Anyone who messes with Lucy will be on the wrong end of Serafina's gun."
I sigh. "That's the truth. I just wish things would die down."
"They will. Remember, she was inside before we remedied the situation with Carina, though I wouldn't doubt for a second if she learned of the Manzinis from that piranha," Gio tells me.
"It's possible." I think about it for a few seconds. "Shit. It's likely."
"It is. She'll be dealt with when the time is right."
"By my wife."
"Yes, by Serafina. Are you all right with her being part of this?"
I know what he's asking, if I'm okay with Sera being in as deep as I am. "Honestly? No, but there's no avoiding it. She's not one to sit back and not take part in protecting her family. Not anymore."
"No, not anymore. I've thought of opening things up for Bella as well."
Bella is Ernesto's daughter and just as lethal as Sera. She was raised in la Famiglia just as my Fee was.
"Now she'll get to 'play with the boys' as she says," I reply, my agreement written in that statement.
Gio chuckles again. "So she will, and she'll knock more than one on their ass, as well."
I laugh. "I look forward to seeing that."
"As do I."
There's a comfortable silence for a few minutes and I know Gio is thinking of Lucy, Misty, Nicole, and this whole fucked up mess the Manzinis have brought to us.
He takes a breath. "Here's what we're going to do."
I grin. I'm looking forward to this too.
Coley
"Hey, little sister," Kennedy says as he leans against the wall outside the arena.
"Hi!" I reply and give him a hug, one he returns stiffly.
"Whatcha been up to?"
"I was just helping Burners with their boards. Lucian's voice was getting drowned out."
"You fixed that, did you?" he asks with a grin.
I nod. "I did, much to Justin's displeasure. He owes me a payment of my choosing."
Kennedy chuckles. "What did you choose?"
"I haven't yet. I want to make it worth my while," I tell him with a wink.
"That's my girl."
I laugh. After a few seconds of silence, I break it. "I know why you're here."
"Is that so?"
I nod.
"And?"
"I did," I admit.
"Why did you do it? It's not like you."
I turn and meet his gaze. "I didn't have sex with him. We just did … stuff."
He nods. "I thought you were hung up on Ben."
I huff and throw my arms up in the air. "I am. I was. Argh!"
Kennedy just watches and waits.
I lean back against the wall and tip my head up. "I saw him."
"What?"
"I saw him, Kennedy. He was fucking some chick."
"It's not the first time," he tells me. Leave it to Kennedy to tell it like it is, even if it does sting.
"That's the truth. Only this time I didn't run away."
He just waits. The man has the patience of a saint.
"I had had it. Why them and not me? I don't get it. I see his interest and now I know what I'm seeing is real."
"How do you know that?"
"When I was watching, he saw me."
"Oh shit."
I nod. "And he lost control. Just that quick," I say with a snap of my fingers, "I had him pushed to the edge and over."
"And then what?"
I look down at my feet. "And then I walked away. Like I always do. Because no matter how hard I push, he won't give 'us' a chance."