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“It’s nothing, I just cut it on the fence when we left the fight.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I’m fine.” She made her way around me and to the bed.
I crawled in next to her, looking at her back. “It looks bad, did you put antibiotics on it? Maybe you should have it looked at.”
“Please just let me sleep, I’m fine.”
“Ok, but I’m keeping an eye on it. So wifey, do you wanna cuddle?”
She sighed, “I told you no cuddling, please shut up and sleep.”
I laughed, and scooted in close, wrapping my arm around her waist, pulling her tight into me.
“You’re such an asshole, but I am too tired to fight you.”
I kissed her shoulder, “goodnight, dear.”
***
The sun woke me. I blinked, a smile spread across my face as I felt her in my arms, still out cold. I kissed her shoulder, then snuck my way out. I brushed my teeth, and put on jeans and a T, making my way out of the room. I walked down to the other end of the hallway, up the spiral staircase at the end, opened the door, and took a deep breath. The room smelled of charcoal. I walked over, taking a seat at my desk. Running my finger across the drawing I had been working on when my world got turned upside down. I hadn’t been up here since the meeting where I found out I was marrying Alora. I grabbed a fresh piece of paper and my pencil and started sketching. Fire and drawing were the two things that calmed my nerves, the two things that drowned out the noise around me. When I was in my studio, lost in a drawing, nothing else mattered. My problems faded away, nothing but me and the blank canvas, waiting to become the things I saw. Some drawings I made to use for one of my fire art, and others I made to stay forever on the paper. Memories, places, or feelings are frozen in time.
I don't know how long I had been drawing, when I heard the door open, I turned to see Arturo walk in, “Figured you’d be up here.”
I nodded, “yeah, it's been a while. Heard anything about Declan?”
“He has a concussion but will be fine.”
“Good, so what’s up?”
“Three men were killed last night,” he handed me a piece of paper. Three pictures of men, with the same mark on their foreheads.
“These our guys?”
“Stefano’s guys. All three are part of his traffic ring.”
“Did he tell you?”
He shook his head, “I don't even know if he knows yet. My contact at the station.”
I sighed and stood up, “what’s the plan?”
“As much as I would like to just let him do his thing, it could prove bad for us. Might make it harder for us to find Charlie if we ever find her.” He sighed.
“I agree, we need to figure out who he is and get to him first, before someone else does, find out what his angle is.”
“We leave in an hour.”
I nodded, “I’ll finish up here, and meet you at the front door.” I sat back down, the door closing behind me. I looked at the picture of her lying in bed from behind, the picture etched in my mind from this morning. She was beautiful, and maybe she was letting me in a little at a time. I smiled and grabbed my charcoal pencil.
