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I have no idea if I can be of any help, but I really wish they’d let me try. I hate seeing them like this, even Renz, the moody prick. Not to mention, the thought of any of them being hurt or worse…
No. That can’t happen. I’ll do whatever I can to help them, even if it means sticking my nose into places it doesn’t belong. What’s that saying? It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission?
I may not know the ins and outs of their world, but I do know that I’m tired of being brushed off when I ask for information. I want answers and it’s time that I get them.
And I know just where to start.
Central Park.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
“Yes,Lil’s,I’msure”I sigh, feigning irritation but the smirk on my face gives me away. “I promise I’ll be there for dinner tonight and then I’ll give you all the gory details.”
Lily rolls her eyes in response and tosses me the middle finger as she turns to slide a tray of cookies into the oven, giving me a nice view of her ass. And I mean, her entire ass.
Screeching, I cover the screen of my phone and quickly look around, making sure no random passerbyers caught a glimpse of my sister’s naked ass on my phone. “Jesus, Lily. Put some damn pants on!” I peek through my fingers, checking to see if she’s decent before dropping my hand to glare at her.
Lily only giggles and shrugs her shoulders in response, completely unbothered by the likelihood of a stranger in the middle of Central Park seeing her goodies. “What? It’s a nice ass.”
Groaning, I check the time on my watch for the tenth time in as many minutes and find that it’s finally show time. “I gotta go, Lil’s.”
“What are you doing at the park anyways? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
Pushing off the bench I’d been waiting at, I dust off my legs and flatten the creases out of my dress. “Kai called in sick this morning, so I went in at four to help Kala get everything ready for the day. I was out of there by three and Uri closed.”
“Holy crap, Vi, that’s like, twelve hours! You need rest! Don’t worry about dinner tonight, we’ll get together another time.” I smile at Lily but shake my head as I make my way toward Bethesda Terrace where Renz is meeting his uncle.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ve worked longer shifts than that and it’s my business so I don’t mind,” I say absently as I scan the park for any sign of the man I’m looking for.
Lily groans and I can hear the argument in her voice before she even opens her mouth. “Just because it’s your business, does not mean you have to run yourself ragged. You can’t be a good anything if you’re overworked and exhausted. Sleep, sister dearest. It’s good for the skin.”
I shoot her a look, silently telling her to shut up. “My skin is just fine, thank you very much.” I gloss over everything else she said, because I know she means well and she isn’t wrong. It’s just easier said than done. Sacred Grounds is my baby and my responsibility.
Lily brings the camera as close to her face as she can possibly get without smacking herself with the phone and stares at me. On my end, all I can see is a zoomed-in shot of her eyeball and I find the image disturbing. “I don’t know, sis. Those wrinkles beg to differ.”
“Fuck off!” I cry out, but my hand flies up to rub the space between my brows, just to make sure. Lily falls into a fit of cackles, sounding far too much like the wicked witch of the west for my comfort. Looking away from the phone, I scan the crowd once more and find my target, exactly where he should be and perfectly on time. “I gotta go, Lils. See you soon.”
I hang up without waiting for a reply and quickly dart behind a group of people for cover. This area draws a lot of tourists and is generally more crowded than other spots. I find it to be an odd place for a clandestine meeting, especially for family members who are involved in such top-secret affairs but maybe that’s why Renz chose the location. Maybe he needed a lot of eyes on them for some reason.
Does he not feel safe with his uncle? Does he think a public location is better than the penthouse?
My eyes track Renz as he paces, continually checking the time on his watch. Even from where I’m standing, hidden amongst the throng of people, I can tell that he’s angry and agitated. I’m so distracted by him, and caught up in my thoughts, that when someone plows into me, I damn near jump out of my skin. My purse, that’s feeling extra heavy today, flies from my shoulder and I barely catch the handle before its contents spill out on the ground.
“Oh shit, sorry,” a deep, lightly accented voice croons. “Are you okay?” Settling my bag back on my shoulder and flattening the pleats of my dress,again, I straighten and look up at the man who bumped me. His arms are extended, as though he wants to make sure I’m stable on my feet, but he doesn’t touch me.
Smiling, I shake off his concern and instinctually, take a step back. He’s a large man, at least six feet tall, if not a little more. His gut is heavy, extending over the belt on his slacks. He’s older, maybe in his late fifties or early sixties with greasy looking hair. His skin is a deep tan color that could be from his ethnicity but the number of wrinkles on his face alludes to a lot of time spent in the sun. He’s wearing an ill-fitting suit that looks cheap and over the top.
Though he’s smiling sweetly at me, something about him has my hackles rising. He just feels…wrong.
Shaking off the odd reaction, I smile and say “Don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Have a nice day.” I give a quick wave, turn, and slip into the crowd once more, putting as much distance between the man and myself as possible.
I quickly find a new location to hide that’s still close enough to Renz that I can observe him. I don’t really have a plan here, but the more I watch him, the more his behavior seems off. He’s obviously agitated, but more than that, he almost seems, I’m not sure. Nervous? Anxious? His eyes keep flitting over the crowd and while I’m sure he’s looking for his uncle, it’s more like he’s looking over his shoulder.
He's paranoid.
The realization makes me that much happier that I’m here. I may not be a bodyguard, but I have a knife, mace, and a cell phone. Not to mention, if push comes to shove, I’m scrappy and trained in various forms of self-defense. I can’t do much, but I can be a second set of eyes for Renz. I can be his backup.
The thought makes me smile. He’d probably shit a brick if he knew I was here. Or he’d willingly toss me into the line of fire, using me as a human shield. One can never tell with him. I scoff and roll my eyes. He’s such an asshole.
