Page 45 of The High Priestess

“Call me Marina,” she offers.

I nod, then give her my name, “Lincoln Knight.”

“It’s nice to officially meet you, Lincoln,” she says. Her eyes, the same brown as Cassia’s, search my face. “Let me show the kind man where to place my luggage, then I’ll make us some tea.”

Even though I don’t drink tea, I nod.

While Marina shows the staff member to her room, I walk to Cassia’s bedroom. I stop near the closets and hear the water running in the shower.

From here on out, I’ll wait until she’s done before I shower so she’s not vulnerable while she’s naked.

The thought of Cassia naked has me thinking of the incident in the hospital. The image of her sexy ass, smooth olive skin,and breasts has me hardening, but then I hear movement and Marina saying, “Thank you so much.”

I instantly lose my hard-on, and take a moment to tuck the knife into the side of my boot and the gun into the waistband of my pants.

Slowly I walk closer to the door and watch as Marina escorts the staff member to the front door.

“Have a great day, Jorge,” she says, her tone friendly. When she heads toward the kitchen, she notices me, and her smile widens. “Don’t just stand there, Lincoln. Come, let’s have some tea before I die of thirst.”

I walk to the kitchen, and while I watch her prepare the tea, I start to feel awkward.

Marina looks like she’s in her mid-fifties, and she’s embracing the gray streaks in her hair. There are laugh lines on her face, telling me she smiles easily.

Cassia must’ve gotten her beauty from her mother’s side of the family because it sure wasn’t from Ilias.

“Tell me about yourself,” Marina suddenly says.

“Ma’am?” the word pops from me, a hint of nervousness in my voice, which is something I’m not used to.

“Marina,” she corrects me. She glances over her shoulder, then asks, “How did you meet my niece?”

“That’s a long story for another day,” Cassia suddenly says as she comes up behind me.

Thank fuck. I’ve been so long in the company of criminals that I’ve forgotten how to interact with normal people. Especially ones like Cassia’s friendly but curious aunt.

“Do you want some tea?” Marina asks Cassia.

“Coffee,” she replies, and noticing Marina is making tea for me, she adds, “Lincoln prefers coffee.”

Hearing them use my first name makes me feel…weird.

The last time I felt something resembling emotion creeping into my chest was when I had the last video call with Ronnie before she was taken. She was complaining about her workload, and I told her to suck it up.

The image of Ronnie rolling her eyes at me pops into my mind, but it’s followed closely by her body lying on the filthy bed.

I take a step backward and shake my head to rid myself of the haunting memory before it can turn into a full-blown flashback.

“Where are you from, Lincoln?” Marina asks, drawing my attention back to her, for which I’m grateful.

“Seattle,” I answer before thinking to add, “America.”

A smile tugs at her mouth as she hands me a steaming cup of coffee. “Do you have family there?”

“No.”

“Enough about Lincoln,” Cassia says before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Oh, hush. I’m just getting to know the man.” Marina walks to the living room and takes a seat on the couch.

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