Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 68102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68102 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“What are you drawing?”
She let out a small cry and grabbed the napkin, covering it with her hand as she glanced up into a familiar face.
“Detective Maran, what are you doing here?”
It wasn’t the most polite greeting she could have given him, so she followed it up with what she hoped looked like a happy smile.
Well, at least a polite smile.
Sacha was going to flip out if the detective kept talking to her. He hated that he was a semi-regular here. But Detective Maran was no fool.
He knew who she was. And he likely knew what happened out the back. But so far, he hadn’t found any proof.
And Sofia wasn’t about to be the one who helped him in his quest for the truth.
“I came in for dinner. That’s not a problem, is it?”
“Of course not. Has Emma seen you to a table?” she asked.
It was quieter now, which is why Sofia had taken a break. It wasn’t like she could really concentrate anyway.
On anything at the moment.
She was just a mess of emotions and reactions. Sacha was in overprotective mode. He hadn’t allowed her to move back out of the big house yet.
Probably because of the nightmares she had every night.
She’d tried to stay awake for as long as possible, hoping she’d be so exhausted that she wouldn’t dream.
Unfortunately, that didn’t really seem to be working out well.
So then she’d tried to go to bed early, but then she’d toss and turn for most of the night.
Part of her thought this torture was probably punishment for taking a life.
The other part of her just wanted to feel like Sofia again.
“She has,” he replied. “But I saw you here and wanted to stop by.”
He did?
She guessed he did that a lot. He probably wanted to catch her off-guard.
And he nearly had. She wasn’t at her best at the moment.
She tried to slide the napkin she’d been doodling on off the table.
Stupid. So stupid.
Not that she knew what the image meant. She just kept drawing it over and over.
“You look tired. Is something wrong?” The detective’s sharp eyes ran over her. But she thought she saw a hint of concern in them.
However, she was probably imagining that. Why would the detective be worried about her?
He wouldn’t be.
“Of course not. Why would anything be wrong?” she replied, trying to sound light-hearted.
Without invitation, Maran sat across from her. Sofia tried not to visibly tense. She saw Arseni across the room. He’d been sticking close by without actually following her.
She shook her head at him just slightly. But still, Maran noticed and turned.
“Someone is watching us, I guess,” he commented. “Your cousin is nothing if not possessive.”
“My cousin is one of the best men I know,” she said tightly as she stood. She slipped the napkin into her pocket.
His eyes tracked her movement.
Fuck. Was she making it more noticeable that she’d been drawing something she wanted to keep hidden?
The stupid thing was . . . she wasn’t even sure why she wanted to keep it hidden. She just knew that she had to.
“Then you obviously don’t know him well.” The detective seemed to realize immediately that he’d said the wrong thing. He rose as she stepped away.
“I’m not sure you should eat here tonight, Detective Maran,” she said coldly.
“We both know you can’t refuse me service, Sofia,” he said in a soft voice. “I’m just worried about you. You don’t deserve to be part of this life.”
Sofia knew her smile was tight and strained, but she couldn’t manage anything better. It seemed like the less she slept, the less she was able to put up a pretense.
“This is my life, and this is the way I choose to live it. Would you like this table?”
“Is Ms. Toresso working tonight?” he asked instead of answering her question.
Shit.
What did he want with Miller? She’d only just come back to work after having a break.
Sofia was actually surprised she’d come back at all. That Rogan had allowed her to come back.
But she didn’t want to ask too many questions about what was going on. That might invite the other woman to ask her questions in return.
“She is,” she replied coolly. “Why do you ask?”
“You know why,” the detective replied. “She’s living with Rogan MacGuire. Her mother was involved with Iker Florez. She’s tied to two gangs and now she’s working here. Curious, isn’t it?”
“I don’t see how. She asked me if there was a job here and I said yes. Miller has become a great asset. Now, excuse me.”
She stepped away, breathing slowly and steadily.
Feeling eyes on her, she glanced over to see Colm watching her with a frown.
This had been the first night he’d come with Miller since she’d returned. Cillian had been here the other nights. She’d felt Colm’s eyes on her a lot tonight.
She could feel herself growing tenser as she walked toward her office. A thumping headache made her wince as she reached for her office door.