Page 11 of Cusp: A Renzo + Lucia Companion

They were supposed to meet up—

Diego’s thoughts stopped all at once as his gaze landed on a blonde who was looking right at him from where she had perched herself on a partition wall separating the baggage claim from a small eatery. With her legs folded up on the ledge under herself as though she’d been just sitting there meditating, the blonde with blue eyes so wide that she looked like a doll, gave him a smile when their gazes connected.

As though she knew who he was.

She pushed off the ledge all at once, her black Vans sneakers hitting the tiled floor gracefully before she headed his way with a wave of her hand. Her dark-wash skinny jeans were blown out and frayed at the knees, and the leather bomber jacket matched the black of her shoes. Other than the faded red stain on her smiling, full lips, she didn’t wear any makeup.

She couldn’t be much older than him.

“Diego Zulla, right?” the chick asked.

Diego blinked. “Uh … yeah.”

She stuck out a hand for him to shake once she was close enough. He hesitated for only a second before he took her hand with his and then dropped it just as fast.

“And you are?” he asked.

She beamed. “Luv. Luv Moore. I … kind of work with your brother.”

Kind of?

What did that mean?

Diego wasn’t sure he should ask—considering his usual policy where his brother’s work was concerned—but Luv didn’t look like the assassin type. More … Well, he gave her another one over, but she didn’t seem to mind. Pretty and delicate came to mind when he thought about words to describe Luv. Certainly not killer.

“Luv.”

She winked. “That’s me.”

He tried the name out again, but this time, silently. He wasn’t sure if that was her real name, or just something she went by. He hadn’t met the chick before in his life, but she didn’t seem like she really minded that at all. In fact, she kind of bounced a little on the spot. Like she was excited or some shit that he was finally there.

Diego gave her a second look, asking, “Where’s my brother?”

She smiled, showing off perfect wide teeth. With skin the color of smooth cream, and long lashes that framed those round eyes of hers, she really did look strikingly like a doll almost.

“Ren got called out last minute—I offered to keep an eye on you this week. Dare let me know your arrival time and who to look for. He’s hoping it’ll only be a week.”

Diego’s shoulders dropped.

Really?

That meant his brother would be MIA for his entire stay. Why didn’t Renzo call to let him know? His change in disposition wasn’t missed by Luv if her fading smile was any indication.

“Sorry,” Luv said quickly, “stuff changes fast around here, you know?”

“Not really,” Diego muttered.

But he was fine with that.

“Do you have any plans while you’re here?” Her stare dropped to the skateboard in his grip.

Diego shrugged. “I was supposed to. Not that I wanted to.”

Like that college tour. That he wasn’t at all fucking interested in if he were being honest.

Luv laughed, and for a second, Diego didn’t think about his brother being gone, or anything else that had been weighing down his mind and heart lately. It was hard to worry about shit like that when a pretty girl laughed in front of him. He stood tall at exactly six feet, but next to him, the girl was basically a fairy. The top of her head only reached his chin, she stared up at him, and even her features were small and dainty.

Yeah, he didn’t mind a pretty girl laughing at all. Especially not when she looked like Luv.

“Have you ever really seen Vegas at night?”

“In passing. I just come here to visit Ren sometimes, but I don’t do much while I’m here.”

He didn’t come to enjoy the place.

Luv grinned as though she could read his mind and already had a plan forming. Even the blues of her eyes gleamed with something he couldn’t quite place but still felt playful. “Could I show you sometime?”

Well … what would it hurt?

If his brother wasn’t here to help him deal with the mess he left back in New York, he might as well make the best of his trip. At least, for some of it.

“Why not?” Diego asked, dragging a hand through his dark, shaggy hair that had fallen over his brown eyes. “I don’t have anything better to do.”

Story of his life lately.