Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
S AINT
I haven’t seen Emerald Fiorelli again since the wallet incident. Not that I expected to. After all, I’m only in New York to help Christian.
I go to Luigi’s grocery store for the first time in ages. A lot of the Imperiosi use this place because the owner is connected to the organization.
I need to stock up on dog food, plus I really missed my favorite breakfast cereal while I was in Italy. All the people from the older generation like to talk about the old country like it’s paradise on earth. But I’ve already told Christian that next time, I’m not going to work in any Italian shithole where the local store doesn’t stock Lucky Charms. There are many hardships in life I can endure, but going without my favorite cereal isn’t fucking one of them.
Perusing the cereal aisle, I feel an irrational anger well up in me as I can’t see any Lucky Charms.
They’re fucking out of stock? I’m gonna put a gun to Luigi’s pea-sized brain and end his miserable life right this very second. There is not much in life that riles me up. But a kill going wrong or a lack of Lucky Charms are some of the very few things that can cause a small crack in my cool exterior. And lately, my feathers have also been getting ruffled by a certain green-eyed girl. But I push that thought away. Because I don’t like admitting the effect she has on me…
As I spin on my heel to find Luigi, I catch sight of a single box of my favorite cereal. Thank the fucking Lord.
Looking at the box as I stand there with a stupid smile on my face, I admire the brightly colored packaging, deeply inhaling as I’m convinced I can already smell the delicious scent of the sugary oats and marshmallows.
I reach out to take the box off the shelf.
When two tiny fists grab the box. What the fuck ?
Some kid has just stolen the last box of Lucky Charms right out from under me. Yeah, this is why I can’t stand kids. The sneaky little shit !
I’m not going to let him get away with that.
I saw them first.
I smelled them first.
I wanted them first.
They. Are. Mine.
Before the kid can get away, I grab one side of the box and give it a tug.
The kid’s eyes widen.
But he doesn’t let go.
He takes a sharp intake of breath as I pull the box back toward me.
He yanks it into his small body.
I try to pull it out of his hold.
But the kid is surprisingly strong for his age.
I growl with frustration.
Making him nearly leap out of his skin.
But he doesn’t let go of the cereal.
And what ensues is a tug of war.
Jesus, he might look like a little kid, but he’s like a goddamn squirrel on speed—full of energy and determined not to give in.
Finally, with a twist of my hand, I wrench the box out of his grip. “Get the hell out of here, kid,” I mutter, glad to see the back of him as he scurries off to find his mom. She’s probably too busy yakking on her cell or flicking through the gossip magazines to have even noticed that her child is going around terrorizing and intimidating other customers in the store. Fucking parents these days .
I stroke the box of Lucky Charms before putting it in my basket. Then after getting a few more items, I head for the bakery section.
With my head down as I approach, scrolling through my work emails, I don’t take much notice of who else is around.
But then I hear the words no man ever wants to hear in his lifetime: “ That's the evil man who took my Lucky Charms .”
As the annoying little voice fills the air, my heart stills for a moment.
Before the faint scent of chocolate mints fills my senses.
And suddenly, I have a sinking feeling that’s worse than the Titanic must have ever fucking felt.
A quick glance upward confirms my worse suspicions as I catch sight of a head of dark glossy hair and a pair of glaring green eyes.
It is, without a doubt, Emerald goddamn Fiorelli. Why do I keep running into this woman ?
I start to edge away.
Can I sneak behind the stand stacked with ciabatta and focaccia and get away before she realizes it’s me?
Shit, I should have worn my black hitman clothes. They make it much easier to hide in the shadows. Fuck, what in the hell is the world coming to when you need to wear your hitman clothes just to go shopping at the local store?
“It's him, sis, I'm telling you,” the squirrel squeaks.
Christ, the annoying little shit is her brother?
They both turn around slowly and meet my eyes. “Kid, you've got me mixed up with somebody else,” I say uneasily.
He juts his chin out. “No, I haven't.” He jabs a finger downward. “You've got my Lucky Charms in your basket.”
“Why the hell are you looking at what's in my basket? My groceries are confidential .”
Emerald narrows her eyes at me. “Since when have the contents of a grocery basket been confidential?” The tone of her voice makes it clear that she knows I’m lying.
“Look,” I say, rolling back my shoulders. “ He stole the cereal from me . He’s obviously learned his light-fingered ways from his older sister.”
“I didn’t steal anything, Em, I swear. It was the last box on the shelf, and I took it down, and then this man tried to snatch the box out of my hands.”
A look of shock passes over her face. “He did?”
“Uh-huh. And when I wouldn’t give it to him, he growled at me.”
Emerald’s mouth falls open as she flicks her eyes toward me. “You growled ? At a kid? Over a box of freaking cereal?”
“Yeah, Em, he did. He’s a greedy-guts with no manners,” the stupid squirrel adds.
“You’re the one with no manners,” I bark at the kid.
“Says the man with zero manners himself,” Emerald interrupts.
Why on earth is she taking his goddamn side? And why the hell do I care so much? “I’ve got plenty of manners,” I say, unable to help my defensive tone.
“What, like the first time we met and you lied about who you were? Pretending I was in big trouble and that I had to answer all your invasive questions—when all along, you could have just told me that the Imperiosi had sent you to get me.”
I open my mouth but then close it, not quite sure how to answer that.
“Don't worry, Jaspar, we’ll stop by Jacquetta’s house on the way home,” Emerald soothes. “She always has some Lucky Charms, and I'm sure she won't mind lending us a box.” She tosses her hair over her shoulder and turns back around to grab some focaccia.
And I find that her ignoring me like this is rubbing me up the wrong way. Plus, as soon as she’s not looking, the stupid squirrel thumbs his nose and wiggles his fingers at me.
I can feel my blood pressure rising. Trust Emerald Fiorelli to be involved in this whole incident. What the hell is it about this woman that causes my cool, calm, and collected exterior to feel like a bulldozer has just rammed into it?
I watch as they go pay for and pack their groceries, and at the end, Emerald gives a big smile to the cashier as she thanks her. And as I watch her smile, I can’t help wondering why I’m such a grumpy asshole at times and why my interactions with this girl always seem fraught with tension. And I start to wonder how it would feel to receive another one of those beaming smiles from Emerald Fiorelli. Because she does have a beautiful smile…
She’s like a puzzle I want to solve. She puts on these big, sparkling smiles to the world, but I get the feeling that inside there’s more going on, especially with her stealing habit and the family issues Christian mentioned.
Emerald and her brother then leave the store without another word. And I find myself wishing that I had longer to talk to the girl who loves to steal...