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They’d both touched her. Motherfuckers.
Despite the news, Mari looked more carefree than I’d ever seen her. Happy, though still stressed by the evening’s turn of events. It was those peeks of her, of the woman behind the queen, that drew me in. The kindness she offered when no one was looking, the strength she gave until it took her to her knees, the fortitude to keep going when she’d lost a piece of herself.
She was inspiring and so damn addictive to watch.
Yet another reason I had to stay away. If I dug too deep into who Marianna Marcosa really was outside of her responsibilities to the city and her family, I was sure I’d drown in her. And I didn’t have that luxury. Not with so much on the line.
As if my thoughts conjured it, Mari’s attention flashed to me as she dragged her eyes over my body. It wasn’t sexual, though part of me wished it were. Even after I’d hurt her, she was making sure I was all right, and that made my chest ache.
“Are you okay, Nate?” Underneath the breathiness of her voice was a thread of concern and a boatload of steel. She switched from fun-time to boss-mode in two seconds flat, and I was as in awe of her as I was turned on.
Rein it in. There was no future where we ended up together. Either her past or mine would make sure of it.
“I’m fine,” I promised. Greyson and Dominic circled the room, though they each kept an eye on Mari. The latter looked loose and relaxed, but I could see how attuned he was to her every move. Each deep breath and minute adjustment of her body was catalogued, even as he smiled and flirted with the other servers. Greyson was another matter entirely. He just flat-out stared.
When everyone was accounted for and the security guards checked out, Greyson turned to me. “What happened?”
I shoved a hand through my hair, pulling slightly. “We were closed and getting ready to lock up when this guy walked in flashing a gun.”
“Why not just give him the money?” Dominic asked. “This place is insured, and I’m sure Mari would rather have you all alive more than she’d want the cash.”
Mari nodded, and it was another point in her favor that I couldn’t afford.
Arnam cautiously spoke up. “He didn’t threaten Nate. He threatened Ivy.”
“Hero complex,” Dominic muttered, and I fought the urge to flip him off.
“Who’s Ivy?” Mari asked, nose scrunched as she struggled to remember.
“Server,” Greyson offered. “Pretty young. Innocent, too.”
“How the hell did she end up here, then?” Greyson shrugged, and Mari’s lips tipped down.
“Maybe Shara hired her to be eye candy?” Dominic knelt next to the dead man, poking through his pockets like I had. “He have anything on him?”
“Just the gun.” I told him. “Ivy’s quiet. Unassuming. Doesn’t make waves. The customers love her.”
Mari nodded like that made all the sense in the world. Maybe for her, it did. “So, the robber threatened Ivy, and you killed him?”
“I went for the gun first, but that didn’t end well.”
“Never does.” Greyson peered over Dominic’s shoulder, taking pictures as the other man slowly started searching for tattoos.
“Right. He pointed it at me, and…” A wave at the dead man gave what I hoped was a vague enough answer. There was more, but I didn’t want the rest of the crew to know. Greyson watched me, reading me like an open book.
“Let’s go into the office. You’re going to need a plan to get through this alive.” He turned and raised his voice. “Everybody needs to go. Take tomorrow off. You need a mental health day? My phone’s on. We’ll have counselors standing by just in case you want to talk about what happened with professionals. Any questions?”
“What’s going to happen to Nate?” Ivy asked, coming back into the room with a large hoodie wrapped around her shoulders. She still looked as frightened as a little bird.
“Hopefully nothing, Ivy,” Mari said.
It took no time to rouse the guards and send everyone home or to the local clinic to get checked out. Ivy went home with Petra, too scared to be alone. I didn’t blame her.
Only when the bar was cleared and locked up again did we get back on topic.
“Was it just Ivy that he threatened, or did he want something else?” Mari asked.
Popping my knuckles uncomfortably, I laid my elbows on my knees. “He wanted you.”
