Chapter 38 Someone’s Going To Die
Someone’s Going To Die
Fiona
Maybe Max won’t show up today.
Maybe he won’t stare at me with those intense eyes.
Maybe my mind won’t go in circles every time I look at him. And maybe that conversation with Emilia will make some sense.
A gurgle comes from behind me. “What do you think, Dash?”
He kicks his little feet as I turn towards where he’s lying on a blanket. Tummy time is one of his favorite things. That drool-covered smile says it all.
“Oh, is that so?” My heart melts. I sink down onto the floor next to him and start tickling.
Giggles put everything into perspective. “How can I have a bad day with you in my arms?” I lift him up.
Dash loves cuddles the most, and I do too. He’s only been with me for a short time, and I’m already attached.
Today, you will focus on the little man in your arms, not the broody man who will be sitting at one of your tables soon.
Why is that broody man so hard to ignore?
***
“Fiona!” Cammie meets me at the door to the bakery even before I can step inside. “There are new kids. Lots of new kids.”
And Maddox didn’t reach out? He always reaches out when there’s a big group, like when they saved some kids recently from a child prostitution ring. That was an all-hands-on-deck operation to get the kids and women back to their families or settled with us. “How many?”
“At least a half a dozen. And they’re all boys.”
Huh? All boys. I mean, I know there are dealers…but still, why didn’t Maddox reach out? That’s odd.
Very odd. Dash doesn’t seem to think it’s odd, though, as he snuffles himself off to sleep against my chest.
Six teenage boys…Max is going to love that.
Why do I even care what Max thinks? There’s work to do. “Cammie, call Paisley and tell her what’s going on.” Let’s go meet some teenage boys.
One benefit to having Dash attached to me is that they probably won’t try hitting on me like some of the flirtier ones do on occasion.
Walking through controlled chaos that’s the kitchen in the morning to the front is no small task since everyone is in love with Dash. I probably should put him back in daycare, but giving up my short time with cuddles like this feels so wrong.
It’s hard to miss the newcomers as I step into the front of house.
Those boys stand out like that one zit you get on the middle of your forehead, not because of their dirty clothes or their skinny frames—we’re used to that around here—but because they’re all addicts.
Six addicts never walk in at the same time.
Prying one off of the streets is challenging as it is… Six? That’s impossible.
The guys must be thinking the same thing because Canyon and Jacko are already sitting down strategically when Ace and Maddox enter.
There’s way too much testosterone bouncing around the room for things to stay calm. Time to diffuse the situation before Jacko ends up carrying two of them out by the scruffs of their necks. Would the kids even feel it as high as they probably are?
“What can I get you?” A reassuring smile settles on my face.
The tallest one turns towards me. “Look at the hot momma offering us food.”
Don’t roll your eyes. Teenage boys get insulted when you roll your eyes at their lack of game.
The rest of the boys turn away from the windows to face me.
“We heard you give away free food.” The self-appointed leader swaggers forward.
Or at least that’s what I bet is happening in his mind.
He, more like half-drunk, sways and stumbles towards me.
My body gets loose as I move my hands in front of Dash, ready to move out of the fool’s way or drop him before he gets near the baby.
“No one goes hungry on Willow Street. What can I get you?”
“So, they weren’t lying. You guys really do lure kids in.”
His foul breath hits me, but doesn’t faze me, nor do his words.
“What do we have to do for it?” He winks.
Empathy for what this boy has had to endure to survive fills me.
No wonder he’s turned to drugs. It wasn’t like I hadn’t considered doing the same when I was living on the streets.
Life would have been easier if I had been high than it was being fully aware, but I couldn’t, not with Daria to take care of.
These boys have a chance at a happy future. “Nothing. There are no strings with Willow Street. You’re safe here.”
“Nothing in life is free,” the small one in the back mutters.
“There are no strings. Eat whatever you like, then walk away or come back for lunch and dinner. It won’t change. What can I get you?”
“I’ll take three croissant, egg, and sausage sandwiches and one of those fancy coffees,” the leader says it more as a challenge than believing I will get it for him.
“Coming right up. What about for the rest of you?”
Maddox sits down with a smile. He doesn’t trust them—but then no one trusts an addict, let alone six at once—but he knows I’ve got this. Handling skittish kids is most of my job.
The bell on the front door rings, and all eyes turn to Hope as she steps in. The boys’ eyes go wide. They’re like little wolves who have survived on roadkill their entire lives, and someone put a filet mignon in front of them.
Not good.
There’s her father, not two feet behind.
Unless he goes blind in the next second, there’s no way he isn’t going to lose his mind at Hope being so close to all these boys.
And the leader of the group has to show just how dumb he is. “Well, hello there. Are you free too?”
And the room goes electric.
“My daughter doesn’t exist to you.” Max steps in front of her. Two-hundred-and-fifty plus pounds of seething indignation fills the space.
“And who are you that I should care?”
“Rage Vincenti.”
Max’s nefarious grin would scare me if I didn’t know what a gentle soul he is.
“Vincenti.” The leader’s voice trembles. “Not from the Vincenti Family, right?”
Max takes a step forward. “I’m Rage Vincenti. Don Vincenti’s son. And that’s his granddaughter you just spoke to.”
“I didn’t mean it.” The boy backs away. “I didn’t mean it. I have no beef with the Vincenti Family. Don’t kill me.” The kid just might pee his pants.
I shouldn’t laugh, but the look on the kid’s face cracks me up inside. Death and dismemberment can’t happen in my bakery, no matter how funny it might be. Time to diffuse. “Hope, go help out in the kitchen.”
Hope nods with a smile and rushes to the back room.
“So, what else can I get you guys? We make amazing biscotti.”
Slowly, the boys switch their gazes back to me. I funnel them into a booth as I write down a list that would feed a small football team. They’re probably going to end up vomiting most of this up, but who am I to tell hungry kids no?
I step back and run into something…someone…warm, strong arms wrap around me, holding me steady. There’s no question about whose they are, nor the fact that I want to melt into them. But instead, I whisper, “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Making sure they know you’re off limits as well.” He doesn’t let go. Max tickles Dash’s little foot, eliciting a small giggle.
Which shouldn’t be the sweetest thing, but it is. Irritating man. “I don’t need you to protect me. Canyon is right over there.”
“That should be the real question. Why is your ‘boyfriend’ over there when he should be right where I am?”
Because he’s my fake boyfriend, and I scare him a little bit. “Because Canyon knows that I can take care of myself.”
Max leans in even closer. His lips almost touch my ear. “A man would have to be a fool not to know that. But your ability to care for yourself shouldn’t stop your man from protecting you. My woman—”
A shiver runs down my spine.
“—will never be put in a situation where she’d test those skills. She’d always know that she’s safe.”
How do I even respond to that? Leaning back into Max’s chest wouldn’t be the right way to go. Why does he do this to me?
No one else has ever gotten me tied up in knots like this man. “So, what you’re saying is you treat your women like children.” I pull away from him and walk over to the chair next to Canyon.
There’s no need for me to turn around and look and see if Max is watching.
I could feel his eyes following me through the restaurant.
“Put your arm around my shoulder,” I lean in and whisper to Canyon.
He does what I ask, and I instantly regret it.
Years of horrible practice are the only thing that keeps the look on my face tranquil.
“You know Max wants to kill me right now. He likes you. This is a very dangerous game you’re playing.”
“It’s not a game. I’m not that person, even though it feels like I’m that person.”
Canyon squeezes me closer. “I know you aren’t, Fea. Why don’t you just let me warn him off? It would be easier than this farce.”
I steal a furtive glance at Max, who isn’t even pretending to look at the computer now in front of him as he watches us. “Because he’s—”
“It doesn’t matter who he is. We all love Emilia—she’s an amazing lady—but that doesn’t mean her grandson can harass you.
Let me tell him you’re not interested, if you can’t…
” Canyon stares deep into my eyes for a long moment.
“That’s the problem. You can’t tell him to go away because you’re interested in him. Fea…”
“Don’t.” I hold up a hand. “Just don’t.”
“But why?”
Like it isn’t clear as day why Max and I will never work.
“Fea, you know that no one, not even a guy like him—”
“Fiona!!!” Izzy shouts as she runs inside, crying.
I jump up, startling Dash awake as the whole restaurant turns to stare at Izzy. Teenagers are so dramatic today. “What’s wrong, honey?”
“Job…Date…Fired…” She starts bawling.
Coffee. I need a cup of coffee before I deal with any more drama today. But those tears won’t wait. “Come with me.” I take the sobbing girl’s hand and lead her to the picnic table behind the bakery.
Dash rubs his chubby little cheeks into my face as we walk, working himself back to sleep. This little man likes his naps. He’s going to need to eat second breakfast soon. Maybe I’ll get a coffee then. “What happened, Izzy?”
“Fired…I think I got fired.” She jumps up onto the table and sits down. “How did that happen? I did what you said. I told him that I wasn’t interested in dating him. That we should keep things professional. But he told me this was how things worked. It isn’t, is it?” Izzy taps her leg.
What does all of this have to do with her getting fired? “He’s completely wrong. Keeping things professional at your place of business is the essence of how things work.” Here we’re a little bit more flexible, but not like that.
“That’s what I said. Then, he said if I didn’t sleep with him, he’d make sure I lost my internship and never got another job.”
“WHAT?” I screech.
Dash wakes up crying.
No.
No.
No, this isn’t happening to one of our kids.
“It’s okay, Dash. Everything is okay.” Or it will be when I’m done with this guy.
The protocol would be to tell Maddox and let him take care of the pig that’s threatening this child, but I was the one who told her to do this.
I wrap my arms around Dash and pull him in even closer.
“Everything is just fine.” The lie slips off my tongue like so many others.
“Izzy, I thought you were talking about another one of the interns that you work with liking you.”
She shakes her head. “Joseph Angel is my boss. Well, he’s my boss’ boss.
He’s the VP there in charge of all the interns.
When I told him no, he fired me.” Izzy puts her head in her hands and starts crying.
“I should have just slept with him. What if I can’t ever get another job?
I should have just done what he wanted.”
I’m going to kill Joseph. Kill him. “You’ll have another internship within the week.” Probably one at the same company once Mr. Angel is gone.
“Are you sure? He’s really important.”
“Positive. And you did the right thing, standing up to him.” Keep your cool. “I’m really proud of you. That had to be scary.”
Izzy brushes away a tear. “I did? You are?”
I rub Dash’s back, trying to soothe him, but he probably feels the anger flowing through my body. “You did, and I am. That was very brave. Right now, I want you to go tell Paisley what happened, while I go take care of something. We’ll talk more later.”
“Okay.” She stands up. “You’re sure it was the right thing?”
“You did the right thing.” The regret you’d have felt if you'd made a different choice would have hung over your head for the rest of your life. Now, I need to do the right thing.
Dash kicks his foot into my side and then scrunches his face up.
“Don’t cry. I’m going to find someone to feed you while I go beat up a bad man.” Joseph Angel really deserves more than I’m going to do to him. I sigh. Maddox needs to be apprised of this situation…after I’m done.
Who can I leave Dash with?
Hope is good with him. Maybe she wouldn’t mind.
She’s in the kitchen. The little drug addicts must still be in the front of house, creating havoc. Perfect. Hope won’t mind getting out of the kitchen. “Hope, could you do me a favor?” I walk over to the spot where I left Dash’s diaper bag.
“Sure.” She sets down the pan she took out of the oven. “What’s up?”
“Could you watch Dash for me?” I start to untie the wrap he’s in.
“Watch Dash?”
“It would just be for a little while. I need to take care of something very important.”
“Sure, no problem. Is everything alright?”
No. Nothing is okay. There are too many evil men in the world. “Just fine.”