Page 16 of The Silencer

I eye it. I don’t see Anthony liking bright things, but then again, this is from his late wife’s garden, so what do I know?

“I think he will,” I lie. “Did your mom used to pick flowers for your dad?”

“Oh yeah, all the time. Our place was filled with them. Just vases and vases of them.”

I grin at the visual and lean back slightly. “Does he miss her?”

“I think so, but he’s used to being alone. My dad has lost a lot of people in his life. His parents, his grandparents. It’s why he’s so careful with me.”

“How did he lose them?”

“Just part of the business. Back then, things were more wild and unhinged. It was far more dangerous. My dad’s a lot smarter about how he runs his businesses and any illegal activities are thought through more carefully. He doesn’t want to end up like them.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“Kind of. The mafia is a weird thing. It’s something you need to get used to,” Angel says and then peers off into the distance. “I see a few more flowers I want to grab. You sit here and keep watch over this.”

And then he’s off, moving toward some orange and red flowers. Casey follows Angel while the big man hovers over me.

“But really, Goliath, do you have a name?” I ask again, but the man doesn’t answer. Of course he doesn’t. He just looms like an ominous shadow.

I pull the rest of my croissant from my pocket and take a nibble. Chocolate and cream explode on my tongue, and I let out a low moan. God, Aggie outdid herself this time.

“You want some?” I offer, lifting my arm up, but the man stays quiet.

I sigh and continue to nibble on the pastry until it’s completely gone. Crumbs litter my shirt, and I wish I’d brought water with me. Or some milk.

Any liquid really.

I’ll just have to wait until I get back.

As soon as I think that, Angel makes his way toward me, a few more flowers in his hands.

Casey is hovering around him, a frown on his face.

“Casey, I’m fine. It’s just a bee sting,” Angel sighs.

“You could be allergic. You could die.”

“I’m not going to die. I’m fine.”

With a pained grunt, I move to stand, being helped in the process by the big man behind me. For the first time since he appeared, I’m glad for his presence. That made the whole thing of using my legs so much easier.

“I need to tell your father about this,” Casey says and Angel rolls his eyes.

“Fine, if you must. But I really am fine. That bee was just confused. It didn’t mean to hurt me.”

Casey rubs at his chin but doesn’t answer, just fiddles with the gun at his side. He’s probably debating shooting all the bees in the garden.

“I’m ready to head back if you are,” Angel says softly, the basket hanging off his arm. “I want to get these into water.”

“Yeah, I could go sit on a cushion for a bit. My ass cheek is throbbing.”

He nods and then leads me, arm in arm back toward the house. Even if I didn’t get to explore the grounds as much as I wanted to, I’m glad I got out of the house. No more lounging around in bed all day for me.

The more I’m up and about, the more I’ll feel like myself.

4

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