And I knew my worst fears had come true.
Whether because of my bloodline, the icy brutality my father had inspired in me, or the physical scars I now wore, I really had turned into a monster.
5
Kelly
Intense Suit Guy—Marco—sat on the bench inside the bus stop, his entire body hunched up in pain. Every move he’d made in the last couple of minutes had made him wince, and on instinct, I’d reached out to him, hoping to help. But I hadn’t helped, not even a little.
I’d accidentally made things worse.
Something was wrong with this guy, like horribly wrong, so I made my way around the bench to kneel in front of him. His features were twisted and beaded with perspiration, and if I hadn’t just spent several hours around him, I’d probably believe him to be coming down from something. But I’d seen no indications of him being high earlier, so there had to be another explanation.
I sincerely considered calling an ambulance.
The bus chose that instant to pull up, and I huffed out in exasperation. I couldn’t leave a man this obviously unwell. I waved it away, keeping my attention on my boss.
At the noise of the bus’s engine revving up, he opened his eyes, goggling at me. “Why didn’t you get on? Wasn’t that your ride?”
“It was,” I told him, pursing my lips. Did he really think I’d be so callous as to abandon him while he was in this condition? He looked like death warmed over. “Listen, Marco, I know we don’t know each other, but I need you to tell me what’s wrong. Do you want me to call nine-one-one? Or I can call my brother. He’s a cop.”
Keeping his gaze averted, Marco didn’t respond. Was he in that bad a shape? Then, I comprehended for the first time that what I was doing might be remarkably foolish. I mean, this guy was a complete stranger.
The only things I legitimately knew about him were that he wore a suit, had lots of money, and now owned my bistro. Granted, he apparently wanted to make sure I made it home, too, which was a point in his favor, but still. How could I be expected to trust him?
The name Varasso banged around my brain again, and while it seemed vaguely familiar, I still couldn’t pinpoint where I knew it from.
“No. I’ll be all right,” he said. At least he was honest enough to admit to not being all right at the moment. He reached out to the load-bearing pole holding up the roof of the bus stop so he could get to his feet. When he started to shuffle down the sidewalk at the snail-pace of a little old man, I followed him.
“You sure about that?”
He scrubbed a hand down his face, seeming surprised to find it damp with sweat. “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. I need to get home, but I need to know you’ve gotten safely home first. So I’m either going to drop you off, call you a cab, or you’re coming with me. Your choice.”
Wow. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered by his conscientiousness or insulted by his lack of trust in me to take care of myself. Because of him I’d missed the last bus of the night, and I didn’t like paying more for a taxi unless I had no other choice. Cab fare from here to my parent’s place would cost me nearly thirty bucks one way, a huge waste of money in my eyes.
Then, there was him. He wouldn’t specify what might be wrong with him, so I was left with a bunch of guesses. It seemed more physical in nature. At first, I thought he might be sick, but now I didn’t know. One thing I felt fairly sure of was that he shouldn’t be driving. I decided I’d try one more time.
“If you’ll just tell me what’s wrong...”
“Christ!” he interrupted me. “It’s just pain. What are you? The nosiest person on the whole planet?”
I ignored everything but the pain part. I’d spent years dealing with difficult people and this didn’t feel all that different. “So you’re in pain. It hurts to move, I take it.”
“Yes.” He sounded miffed, but I could handle it.
“I can get you some over the counter pain pills. There’s a twenty-four-hour grocery store down the block.”
Then, he laughed. It was a gasp-ridden, ironic laugh, but definitely a laugh. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re obstinate as all hell?”
David called me that nearly every time we saw each other. I shrugged. “Occasionally.”
As his laughter died away, I scrutinized him, seeing how weary he looked. He was a big, tall, strong-looking guy, but right now, even five foot two me could take him. I should probably feel more frightened of him than I did, but his protectiveness of me had basically erased any trepidation I’d felt earlier.
“Kelly, I can tell that you’re attempting to be nice, but Tylenol and aspirin won’t do much for me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have third degree burns.”