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No doubt he was downstairs now in the kitchen, whipping up breakfast for all of us. Not only was he in charge of security for Leo’s estate, he could also make frittatas so light and airy, yet so cheesy and bacony good, that you’d swear you’d died and gone to heaven. Both Honey and I were spoiled by his frittatas and my stomach rumbled at the thought. Maybe if I was lucky, he’d also make applesauce sausage, which sounded nasty but was just plain delicious.
Burying my face in Honey’s neck, I let out a shuddering sigh as reality crept in, despite my best attempts to keep it out. It was the scent of Leo’s cologne on the sheets that invaded my senses, sent a little pulse of desire through me. I almost reached across the bed, hoping he was still next to me, when I remembered what had happened in a violent rush. The sound of sorrow I made worried Honey and she nudged me, whimpering softly until I stroked her head and reassured her.
As she looked up at me with her big blue eyes, I whispered to her, “I’m not mad at you, it’s your insane master that I’m pissed off at. When I leave, I’ll take you with me and we’ll start over in like…well, I’m not sure where, but it’ll just be me and you, babe.”
Mark’s voice came from the doorway of the bedroom. “That’s so very Thelma and Louise of you, but I’m afraid I must point out the obvious flaw in your plans.”
Feeling calmer here than I had at the Cordova house, I tugged the blankets over my lap, hiding myself despite the fact I wore shorts and a loose t-shirt. “And what would that be?”
“Leo will never let you go. You can run to the ends of the earth and he’ll find you.”
“Because he’s crazy and obsessed with me?”
“Because he loves you.”
Glaring at him, I tried to choke back my anger as Honey picked up my mood and growled. “No, he doesn’t. You don’t lie to the people you love. All his bullshit about being able to be himself around me was just another way to manipulate me.”
“Oh grow up, Hannah. So you found out he’s a criminal, big fucking deal. He treats you like gold, bends over backwards to make you happy, and all you do is take.”
“What? I don’t take!”
“Oh yes, you do. I like you, but you’re the neediest woman I’ve ever met. It would take a man like Leo to put up with you. I sure as fuck wouldn’t.”
My mouth went dry and Honey growled again, but Mark ordered her out and she did as he told her, leaving me clenching my sheets. “I’m not needy.”
Denial isn’t only a river in Egypt, said the chorus girl to the bishop.
“Please. Most women would feel smothered by Leo’s level of attention, but you flourished beneath it. I bet before you met Leo, you were a different person, timid and scared of life, dating losers because you felt that was all you deserved. And that fucking bitch roommate of yours, she’s lucky I didn’t kill her instead of sending her home to Mommy and Daddy with a note to get control of their offspring.”
The night came back to me with a rush, Mark’s face filling my memory as the relief I’d felt when he’d saved me had me drawing in a shuddering breath. “I never thanked you for saving me.”
The stiff line of his shoulders softened. “We should have been there sooner, but Leo hadn’t realized you’d left the Cordova house, and the cameras covering your place weren’t being watched because nobody knew you were home. He was busy dealing with Fernando, having an intervention and trying to get him into some serious therapy. I don’t know if Judith told you, but they’re as close as brothers.”
I should be used to my overactive sense of guilt by now, should be able to harden my heart against it, but once again my empathy overwhelmed me and I asked in a low voice, “Is he going to be okay? Fernando?”
Mark sighed then ran both hands through his hair. “I don’t know. Getting over the death of your family…never really happens, you know? He’ll always be broken in some way.”
Goddamn it, now I was feeling sorry for Mark and the loss of his family, but I didn’t want to say anything. He’d made it abundantly clear he didn’t want to talk about his wife, ever, and even though my natural inclination was to try and comfort him, I managed to keep myself in check. Sometimes the best thing you could do for someone was leave them the hell alone and let them deal with their grief in private.
Speaking of privacy, I was suddenly reminded of how mine had been violated on pretty much every level by Leo, and the man standing before me.
