Honored_ An Alpha Mob Romance(35)
“Where were you?” I asked abruptly.
“It’s not important,” he said as he started to bustle around the kitchen, taking out ingredients and setting up pans.
“It is important, Liam. You need to tell me things.”
“Look, you’re safe here, and I’m going to fix this. You don’t need to worry about all the shit I’m doing out there.”
I wanted to scream at him, smack him and shake him. He had no clue what it was like for me, practically a prisoner. Every time he refused to give me more information it was like he made the cage just a bit smaller. I felt like the walls were beginning to press in around me, and he was the only one with any power to spread them apart.
“If you don’t tell me, I’m getting the fuck out of here.”
He stopped what he was doing and looked at me. I tried my best to show him that I was serious.
“You really want to know?”
“Yes. Please.”
He sighed. “Fine. I was out at another boss’s place.”
“What boss?”
“His name is O’Brian, old friend of my father. But he can’t help us.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“Now, I’m going to make some risotto, and you’re going to eat it.”
“I said I’m not hungry.”
“I know you did, but you won’t be able to resist.”
He went back to cutting and preparing, and I lapsed into silence. I watched him work for a few minutes, chopping and mixing ingredients, and I marveled all over again at how he moved. I had a theory that you could tell a lot about a person by how they navigated a kitchen, whether it was quick and easy, or messy and loud, or clumsy and thoughtless. He was both graceful and precise, with everything laid out exactly in the order he needed it, all within arm’s reach. There was no excess mess or unused pots or pans.
“What am I going to do here?” I asked softly, breaking his concentration.
He looked over at me while moving the risotto, adding water a bit at a time.
“What do you mean?”
I gestured around me. “This place, what am I supposed to do here? I have no phone, no Internet, no books. Just that crappy TV.”
He frowned. “I hadn’t thought about it.”
“I know you didn’t. But if you want me to stay here, you can’t just leave me alone to stare at the TV all day long.”
“You’re right. Tomorrow, we’ll figure that all out.”
I nodded, and I felt a little better. At least he was willing to listen to me. He went back to cooking and I went back to watching him intently, the way he moved with practiced and precise steps. The smells from the cooking food began to overwhelm my stubbornness, and by the time he had everything plated and out in front of me, I knew that I wasn’t going to hold out much longer. My stomach growled and it looked incredible.
“Go ahead, dig in. Want some wine?”
I nodded. “Just one glass though.”
He popped the cork out of a bottle while I forked some risotto into my mouth. It was incredible: smooth and rich and creamy, and the mushrooms gave it a rich finish.
“Holy shit this is good,” I said through a mouthful.
He sat down across from me, placing two glasses down on the table.
“Yeah, I know.”
I rolled my eyes at his modesty as I tucked into it, realizing how incredibly hungry I had been.
“So why only one glass?” he asked.
I looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“When I asked about the wine, you specified ‘one glass.’”
That surprised me. I didn’t think he’d notice, let alone put any importance on it. I sat back and shrugged.
“I’m an addict. Alcohol isn’t my drug, but I’m pretty strict with myself anyway.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I figured it was something like that. Sober how long?”
“Two years.”
He laughed softly and shook his head. “Ellie the addict kindergarten teacher.”
I gave him a look. “Yeah, and you’re Liam the violent asshole mobster who takes care of his little brother.”
He raised his glass and sipped. “Pretty much.”
“Since we’re sharing, what’s the deal with Richie’s mom?”
“Addict, except she doesn’t have her shit under control. I help out because otherwise the kid would probably be on the streets.”
“He’s so much younger than you are.”
“My dad got around, I guess. Who knows how many other bastards he has.”
I laughed at that, and it felt good. I sipped the wine, amazed at the way the rich taste mingled with the risotto’s flavor. It was almost annoying how delicious his food was.