11. The Consequences of Too Many Rum Runners
ELEVEN
THE CONSEQUENCES OF TOO MANY RUM RUNNERS
“ I told you I don’t want to,” Leo frustratingly told Amo.
They had moved into the indoor living area and bar while they waited for their pizzas, and Amo had been spending his time trying to persuade Leo to play pool with him.
“Why not?” Amo pleaded.
Annoyed, Leo finally gave the reason, “How the fuck do you expect me to shoot a ball in a hole? I can’t do shit now.”
Nadia’s heart sank, along with everyone else’s in the room.
She had seen him struggle to do a few things, witnessed him try to stick pieces of food with his fork and miss.
She imagined losing an eye would need time and physical therapy for your brain to rewire, but she could imagine even more just how hard it must be to go through.
Watching Amo sadly put the pool stick back down, she was absolutely gutted for the soldier, who looked guilty for even asking.
Nadia took a sip of her drink before getting up from the bar. Moving to the pool table, she picked up the stick and walked up to Leo, who was sitting on the velvet couch.
“I imagine trying to shoot a ball into a hole is the best practice you could do.” With a tender smile, Nadia held out the pool stick to him. “What do you think?”
Leo stared at the outstretched stick while they all closely watched the one-eyed teen in silence for what he was going to do. It wasn’t until he finally took it that the tension left the room.
“All right!” Amo boomed, rubbing his hands together and walking back to the pool table.
Neither Nadia nor Leo needed to say a word to each other. There was a silent understanding between the two as Leo went and started to play with Amo.
“Pizzas are here!” Lila announced, coming in with a pie in each hand.
The disappointment was obvious on Amo’s face that he wasn’t going to get to play pool after all.
Suddenly, Nadia was struck with an idea.
Taking one of the pizzas from Lila, she took it over to a table by the pool table that was meant to hold drinks and set it down.
“Why don’t you two eat and play in here, and—”Nadia grabbed the other pizza—“we can enjoy ours on the deck? I like watching the sunset,” she added, not wanting to miss it.
Amo and Leo liked the idea and agreed happily, while Dante agreed by taking their drinks to the table for them.
Nadia was surprised when Dante pulled the chair out for her. “Thank you,” she said, taking her seat, only to be more shocked when he took the seat next to hers, since they usually sat at opposite ends, yet now he was mere inches away.
The beautiful setting sun only added to the proximity and feeling she was getting by sitting so close to the irresistible man.
Nadia should have been upset that she had been the one to say something to the chef, as Dante had sat there stumped. However, she truly believed he had been so shocked to see his dinner staring back at him that he hadn’t known how to respond. Whereas she did …
His response, or lack thereof, of the chaos she had ensued told her that Dante had agreed with her response.
At least somewhat.
Now, if he had disagreed with her request of wanting different food, she imagined they wouldn’t be sitting here, watching the sunset together.
“Well, I have to say that this is far better than what we were going to eat,” Dante said with a smile, picking up a slice of the cheap peperoni pizza.
“I think so, too.” Nadia laughed, grabbing a slice of her own. “You don’t think I was a bit over dramatic , do you?”
“Nah,” Dante said, taking a swig of the brown liquor he had switched to. “Did you see that fucking thing? That chef dressed a fried lionfish with a crown. Now that was dramatic .”
She died of laughter because it looked like the big, bad mafia boss would have nightmares over that lionfish. “Okay, ’cause I was worried you might hate me after that.”
A confused Dante swallowed the bite he had in his mouth before speaking, “Why would you think that?”
The laughter suddenly eased out of her. “I don’t know. Just thought you might’ve thought I was being rude.”
“No,” Dante said, easing her worry. “I know why you did it.”
He does?
“You do?” she asked, surprised, before taking a bite of her pizza.
“To make Leo happy,” he said simply before begrudgingly continuing, “ And Amo .”
Smiling at the last part, she knew he cared for his soldier, but it obviously wasn’t the same care he had for Leo.
“I appreciate you caring for him,” Dante revealed quietly, needing to clear his throat to continue. “He’s had a tough time lately, and none of us— I …” Dante changed his words, seeming to put responsibility on himself alone. “I don’t know what to do to help him.”
Nadia swallowed, carefully thinking about her next words, as she stared into those icy depths she could now see appeared a bit helpless.
When it became too much, she averted her eyes and gazed at the low sun that had turned the ocean orange.
“I think you bringing him here was actually a good start.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” She could practically see the relief starting to ease in his eyes. “Sometimes, kids just need someone who’s not their parents, or even family, to talk to.”
“Is that what you did …? Talk to him?” he asked curiously, taking another sip of his drink.
When Nadia’s eyes went slightly wide, he came out with it, “I could tell you must’ve talked to him by the way he was looking at you.
I can’t get him to hardly look at me anymore, and you two seem to understand each other .
” He phrased the words with a slight hint of jealousy, but he wanted to make it clear.
“I’m not upset, though. I’m glad he had someone to talk to. ”
Relief flooded her at seeing he was genuine. She had encountered how some foster parents didn’t appreciate her talking with their children.
“We did,” Nadia confirmed his suspicion, but she made it clear with her face that she wasn’t going to divulge what they had discussed. That was between her, Leo, and the ocean. “We talked about a lot of things, but he didn’t tell me how it happened …”
It was a long shot to drop the last bit in, and maybe she should only want to hear it from Leo, as it was his story to tell, but a part of her couldn’t help but want to know how it happened. Maybe if she knew, she would better understand him, if and when he came back to talk to her.
Dante sat back, the weight of the world apparent on his shoulders, while any ease that had been brought to his ice-blue gaze came flooding back.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have ask—”
“No, it’s okay,” he assured her before she could finish. “It’s only natural to be curious about what happened.”
Nadia sat there quietly as the sun ominously disappeared into the ocean, like it had been swallowed whole. The only thing they had been left with was the sound of the salted waves.
“One of my men went to pick up my children to take them to school,” Dante began slowly, telling her the story, “and right before he was about to get in the car … it blew up.”
Nadia somehow knew in her bones the last few words he was about to say, but it didn’t make them any less jarring as every single piece of her shattered into a million pieces.
“Thankfully, the blast didn’t kill him, but he was unlucky enough for a fragment to lodge straight in his eye.”
“Oh, my God,” Nadia whispered, covering her mouth. The gruesome image that came to her mind, she was sure the real thing couldn’t even compare to her imagination.
The fact that Leo still stood on this Earth brought tears to her eyes, knowing the initial blow didn’t account for what came after. It was a testament to the teenager’s strength for him to be where he was now.
But then it hit her. “It was …”
“One-Shot,” Dante said the name of the person responsible, a name she couldn’t. “The last thing I want to do is scare you more than I’m sure you already are, but—”
“No. Thank you for telling me.” She was grateful to know what had happened to the boy who had fascinated her all weekend.
The part inside of her that desperately called to fix broken kids needed it.
“I haven’t slept from wondering what happened.
” It might’ve been worse than all the scenarios she had imagined, but at least the mystery was no more.
Now she just might be able to sleep more peacefully tonight.
“Well, you should certainly sleep tonight,” he said, nodding his head toward her almost empty rum runner. They had no idea what number she was on now.
She took a sip of her drink to finish it off, and the light change in mood brought happiness to both their faces. “If only I had a tub in my bathroom to take a hot bath, that would knock my ass right out.”
“I have one in mine,” Dante revealed. “You could use it, if you’d like.”
“Oh no, that’s ok—”
“Seriously.” Deciding against persuading her since she was clearly hard-headed, he quickly stood up, taking her hand to come with him. “It’s a waste up there with me. I’ve yet to use it.”
“Really, that’s okay,” Nadia insisted, not wanting to intrude on his space.
“It’s a clawfoot …” he tempted.
“Well, why didn’t you start with that?” Nadia said, practically breaking out into a run.
Suddenly, she stopped to quietly poke her head into the indoor area to see what Leo and Amo were doing.
“What are you—”
“Shh …” Nadia covered his lips. “You know what they’ll think if they see me going up there.”
Dante wasn’t getting why it mattered.
“And then I’ll never hear the end of it for the rest of the weekend.”
“You’re right,” he suddenly agreed, knowing Amo.
“I mean, it’s not like anything’s going to happen,” Nadia stammered out nervously, feeling as if she was a teenager herself, telling a boy that he wasn’t going to get to third base with her. “But you know how kids are.”
“Yeah,” Dante agreed again. “Of course.”