‘Is he still locked up in there?’
Trip used his thumb to gesticulate towards the separate compartment that held Nico.
‘Yes,’ I whispered back. ‘He’s working.’
‘He’s crazy and this won’t be the first or last time I’m about to let him know just that.’ He smiled his reassurance at me. ‘Why the hell is he locked up in there and you’re out here?’
I shrugged in answer, unable to say anything as emotion tightened its grip around my voice box.
‘Well, no more. Leave it with me, the asshat is about to get my boot up his ass.’
Chapter Twelve
Nico
The door opened without even being knocked in the first place and I looked up ready to lay into whichever of my staff it was who had broken my peace and contemplation.
‘Nico.’ I heard Trip’s voice as the door closed behind him and I slowly raised my eyes to his.
‘Don’t you have a plane to fly?’ I asked rudely, not wanting to get into a conversation with even him.
‘It’s my rest period.’
‘Shouldn’t you be sleeping then?’ I looked up at him with total disdain, hoping my friend would forgive my downright rudeness that was driven by fear.
I watched as he sat on the end of the bed in the compartment I’d been locked away in and I knew without a doubt he could see right through me.
‘Shouldn’t you be out there with your fiancée? Instead of locked away in here.’
‘I’m working.’ I stared at him again, hoping he’d leave it.
‘Woah. Now this isn’t a face I recognise… something is going on here that I haven’t been made party to… so spill it.’
I looked at him square in the eyes with every thought and fear about my impending nuptials gathered there for him to read. Then I sighed out loud as his face showed absolutely no evidence of understanding.
After staring at me for a few seconds, he opened up his arms and showed me his upturned palms ‘What?’
‘My up and coming marriage to Barbara, well… It’s an arrangement,’ I spat out. I hoped that by voicing the truth to him I would be in a better place to deal with it.
His eyes stared just that bit harder at me as he tried to take in what I was saying.
‘An arrangement?’
‘Yes, you know… a deal, an agreement, a business…’
‘STOP!... Stop right there. You’ve managed to get that gorgeous, intelligent woman out there to agree to marry you for a deal?’
‘Yes,’ I answered him and at the same time I pushed my back further into the seat behind me, while I watched as he jumped up and began to pace around the small room.
‘You know, I gotta say I could have seen this coming after that last dinner with your grandmother, and if Barbara had been some wannabe celebrity I’d have known straight away, but…’
‘But, what?’ I asked, just slightly amused as I watched him still pacing around the small area in disbelief.
‘Morello, you’re unbelievable… She’s… well, she’s so normal.’
‘Of course, she’s normal.’ I took hold of the signet ring that bore my families crest and began to turn it around my finger as I waited for him to speak again. I may not be, but she is. ‘Do you think anything other than normal would have placated Nonna?’
‘No, you’re right it wouldn’t have. But… If she’s so normal, why the hell did she agree to marry you for a business deal?’
‘Because she needs help with something.’ I wasn’t prepared to share what demons Barbara was fighting, because, well because it felt wrong. The fact I wasn’t prepared to share her problems in itself was completely baffling.
Why do I care? This is a business deal and nothing more.
Needing to break eye contact with Trip, I stood up. Then I rolled my head around my shoulders as I tried to release the tension in my neck that this conversation was causing and walked around the side of the built-in desk. Picking up the bottle I had my eyes on, I unscrewed the top of the Bourbon and poured myself a large measure, then knocked it back, relishing the burn as it hit the back of my throat.
I’d been like this since I’d allowed myself to kiss the damn woman at the IHOP. I had never in my life needed anything from a woman before. I could see two or three different women a week, happily take them to bed and then walk away in the morning. But that simple brush of my mouth on hers had meant that I’d spent the last few days holed up at the casino with my head buried in work, shouting just a bit more than usual at any of my staff who even dared to look at me sideways. But it had done little to erase what was going on inside of me. The two meetings with her new therapist had proven the most difficult and had nearly been my downfall. When she’d started to open up about her life, her heartache at being left behind by everyone she had once thought loved her, it had taken every single ounce of my self-control not to wrap her up tightly into my arms.
So, I was keeping my distance, until I could get my head straightened out.
‘Drinking?’ he accused.
‘Yes, and so?’
‘So, let me get this straight, whatever is going on, it’s bad enough for you to drink in the day?’
‘It’s just one drink… It’s not…’
‘Wait a minute, let me get my head around what you’re saying,’ he interrupted.
‘You’ve come to an arrangement with that beautiful, normal looking woman to get you the wife you need to fool Nonna?’
‘Yes.’
‘And in return you’ll help her with whatever she’s facing?’ I truly loved the pain in my ass like a brother, for not questioning me any further on just what Barbara’s problem was. I had no idea how an utter bastard like myself had been lucky enough to find him, because he truly was a decent guy.
‘Yes,’ I replied again.
‘Where did you find her?’
‘I didn’t really find her, so to speak. Our paths crossed again. She’s Barbara Daniels, sister of Brody who’s in the same band as Cade. I’ve known of her for years.’
‘Default Distraction.’ He wasn’t asking a question, just stating the facts as he attempted to wrap his head around what I was saying.
‘Yeah,’ I replied, trying to change it up.
‘So, you’re marrying that woman out there, who is the sister of one of Cade’s band mates to fool your grandmother?’
‘Again, yes!’ I put the tumbler down that I’d been clutching and pushed my hands deep down into my pockets, turned around and placed my backside on the edge of the unit behind me. Then I cast my eyes downwards as I tried to get my head around just why the hell he was asking me so many questions, when normally no one questioned what I did, ever.
‘Who else knows?’
‘No one, just me, Barbara and now, you.’
‘Well, Jesus… you’re fucked.’
My head snapped back up to face him as I got ready to shout down his words.
‘Why?’ I asked the question knowing the answer already.
‘How long do you think you’re going to be able to keep up the pretence when we’re in Crete and your grandmother is watching you?’