She exhaled loudly, making Orlando smile even bigger. “You have no idea how relieved I was the day you said you wouldn’t be running a background check on me.” As usual, Orlando felt struck by those beautiful eyes as he got caught in them again for a few moments. “Because there’s more.”
Squeezing her eyes shut, Dani groaned before standing up. Confused by the groan, Orlando took her in from top to bottom as she began to pace. “Byron was right. It is me he remembers from Echo Park. That friend Juanita and the rough crowd he talked about, that was me.”
Orlando’s eyes widened and he almost smiled. “You were part of a rough crowd?”
“I wouldn’t mind hanging out with Byron one day, you know.” This came out of left field, making Orlando sit up straight, and it wiped any trace of humor he’d begun to feel about sweet Dani running with a rough crowd. “He and I have a lot in common from what little you’ve told me about him.” As his mind raced to remember what he’d told her about the guy, another question begged an answer. Hang out with him? What the fuck did that mean?
“Long story even longer, I was kind of a rebel in my late teens because I hated my stepdad.” Orlando nodded at the reminder of what he’d shared with her about Byron now. “I wasn’t happy to begin with when my mom remarried after my dad died. But her husband’s impatience with Dominic was not something I’d ever tolerate. He thought we babied him too much, and we probably did—still do—but it wasn’t his place to say anything about it. So, we bumped heads constantly, and it got ugly sometimes. You don’t—”She stopped pacing and pressed her lips together as if she had to think of what she was going to say next then turned to Orlando, her eyes glistening again. “Nobody fucks with my Boo Boo, and I had no idea up until that man did, how incensed it would make me. You spoke of Byron’s temper, and it just reminded me that it wasn’t until the first time he yelled at Dominic that I even had one, but it flared that day. He scared him, and I swear to God I wanted to take a bat to that asshole’s head. I knew I couldn’t, but I was absolutely disrespectful to him that day and each time he snapped at Dominic afterward. My mom sided with my stepdad, and in hindsight, rightfully so. I’m working on it, but my potty mouth can get pretty bad when I’m pissed. I know it sounds cliché, but I started lashing out. Getting into trouble for stupid stuff.” She started pacing again after taking a deep breath and turned her face away from him.
“You don’t have to tell me about all that, Dani. It’s none of my business.”
“No, it is,” she said, turning back to face him. “Because if you ever do decide to run a background check on me, the whole truth will come out, and I hate it hanging over my head. Bottom line is DUI’s are not automatic felonies. But they are when there’s injuries involved, and you’ve been previously arrested for a bunch of other stupid shit prior. Because of that, the district attorney went hard on me, and the judge agreed. I was slapped with a felony, did six months jail time, and let me tell you it was an eye-opener and life-changing for me.”
Orlando smirked, despite the intensity of their conversation because this had him feeling unbelievably even more drawn to her. “Well, now you’re just preaching to the choir. Because, trust me, I know all about being arrested for doing stupid shit and serving time.”
“I don’t know about you.” She breathed in deeply. “The bonds I made while in there were like none I’ve ever made on the outside. Everything was different once I was in there away from my friends and loved ones. I was terrified. All I could think was I was going to be surrounded by nothing but the lowest of low, and it was so not true. They’re people just like you and me who are also suffering and made stupid mistakes like the ones I had. The older women took me in like mother hens and all of them totally got it.
“After the time I spent in jail, I felt like no one would ever understand what I’d been through the way they did. So, we made a pact, the two I’d made the closest bonds with anyway, to stay in touch when we got out and we did. Juanita was one of them.” She stopped as her face scrunched and brought her hand to her mouth. Inappropriate or not, Orlando was instantly on his feet and rushed to her, taking her in his arms. Looking up at him with those big pleading eyes, she shook her head. “She’s dead now, but she was a good person. She really was.” The tears streamed down her face as she got increasingly emotional. “Only she was an addict. No one understands that. Everyone thinks drugs are a choice and you can just quit if you really want to, but she tried so many times, and I tried to help her. In the end, there was nothing I could—”
“Dani,” he said, bringing his hand down and slipping his fingers into hers. “I know all about good people with addictions. I lost my brother to it, okay?” He reached for his beanie and took it off. “This is his. He wore it the night they found him dead in a hotel room.” Feeling the emotion swell his throat, he squeezed his eyes shut. “His girlfriend found him with the needle still in his arm.” Closing his eyes, he took a quick deep breath because this was the last thing he thought they’d be talking about when he brought her up to the apartment. “It was his favorite and he was my hero.” Clearing his throat, he shook his head. “You don’t have to justify shit to me, okay? Not about a sibling you’d fight to the death for, nor good people falling into the hell of addiction. I get it.”
She shook her head, her wide eyes searching his anxiously. “I’m so sorry, Orlando. I had no idea—”
The knock at the door had them both turning to it, and Dani dropping his hand. “Give me a sec.” Orlando started to the door.
To his surprise, it was Felicia. She smiled, holding up a bag. “I was in the area and thought I’d bring you lunch—” She stopped mid-sentence as she glanced behind him. “Oh, I’m sorry. Alonso just said—”
“No, no worries.” Trying to hide the annoyance of the interruption, he opened the door further for her and stepped back to let her in.
“I can wait downstairs if—”
“No,” Dani said quickly. “We’re all done here.” She smiled at Felicia, wiping away at lingering tears, then turned to Orlando. “If there’s anything else you need to know, by all means just ask. I’ll get back to work now.” She nodded at Felicia as she walked by them. “Enjoy your lunch.”
Felicia continued to walk all the way into the kitchen. “You two having a work meeting?”
“Something like that,” Orlando said, closing the door.
“She seemed upset. Everything okay?”
“She’s got some personal things going on at home,” he said but absolutely refused to offer more.
Felicia glanced up from the bag she was pulling food out of, lifting a brow. “Nothing too bad, I hope?”
“Nah, she’ll be okay.” He opened the fridge to pull out a couple of sodas since she didn’t walk in with drinks. “I’d skipped lunch, so thanks for this, but I don’t have too much time to hang out.”
“I don’t either, but I’m getting my oil changed.” Explaining about her car needing to be serviced badly, Felicia said she picked up food for them from the taco truck up the street. “I know you like their tacos, and I figured it was lunchtime and I’d have to wait for my car anyway, so I thought we could eat while I waited.” They ate, and for the most part Orlando could hardly focus on anything they discussed. His mind kept going back to Dani. He hated that she rushed out and was possibly thinking he took Felicia way more seriously than he ever had. More than anything, he hated that she’d actually think he’d be mad at her for her past or the kinds of friends she hung out with. He needed to get her alone again and remind her about his friends. Orlando may’ve known of Beast and Nine before he’d done any time, but it was when he served time with them that they’d all bonded the way they had. So, he absolutely got what she was talking about when she spoke of bonding with good people making mistakes or being hopelessly addicted. He was only glad he’d at least been able to share about his brother. Ironically, Beast and Nine were the only people, aside from his mother, he’d ever shared with about his brother’s death.