Page 12 of Diavolo

"Yes."

Elyse was feeling so overwhelmed that she barely noticed the man when he rose from the couch and strode toward her. Her anxiety continued to spiral. There was so much that needed to be done. Shit was going to hit the fan if she didn't get her ass in gear. Elyse needed to update her resume tonight and start sending out apps first thing tomorrow morning.

"Angelo..."

His voice pulled Elyse from her chaotic thoughts. She glanced up. Elyse was shocked to find him standing mere inches away from her, towering over her smaller frame with his superior height and mass.

Instinctively, Elyse backed away from him. "What do you want?"

He grimaced at her reaction, but, as though to ease her fears, he took a step back as well. "Is everything alright?"

Fuck, no.

"Yes."

He looked skeptical. "Are you sure? You seem on edge."

Elyse gazed up at him with a tight smile. "I'm fine."

A chime sounded from her back pocket. Elyse pulled out her phone and scanned the message. It was from thePendejo.

Elyse glanced back at the man. She held out her phone to show him the text. "Looks like you'll be leaving soon."

He grunted in acknowledgment, but his expression remained inscrutable. The man didn't comment on the messages, choosing instead to focus on her nickname for Stefano, "Pen… dejo?What does that mean?"

"Asshole. In Spanish."

"I take it that," he observed, "you are not a fan of Stefano?"

"I hate Mikey more."

Mikey was saved asPendejitoin her phone.

His gaze darted toward the bruises on her face. "I do not blame you. I hate him, too."

She glanced away, feeling lost and overwhelmed. Despite Elyse's distress over losing her job, their exchange was bringing out an even more intense emotion. One that felt oddly like… sadness?

As much as Elyse hated to admit it, she would miss the man's company. He'd provided a much-needed distraction from her depressing life. She wondered if he might miss her a little, too? Elyse knew it was foolish to form an attachment. She'd known from the get-go that he was only passing through for a few days. His departure was inevitable. Still, Elyse couldn't help wishing that they'd met under different circumstances. A kinder world where he wasn't a member of the mafia. Another reality where Stefano and Mikey didn't own her soul.

"If ever you are in trouble," he said suddenly, "come to me. I will help you."

She raised her eyebrows. "How would I find you? I don't even know your name."

"You never asked."

"I know."

"Will you ask me? Now?"

"No."

The less she knew, after all, the better. His eyes searched for hers. A ghost of a smile rested on his lips as he remarked, "You are unlike any woman I have met, Dr. Romero."

The intensity of his gaze made her feel like a schoolgirl in the presence of an adolescent crush. Elyse grumbled, "You're only saying that because your balls are blue."

He laughed. "Perhaps."

"For the record," Elyse insisted, "you don't owe me anything."

---