Page 43 of Soulmate of the Mafia King
“Yeah.” I smiled.
She stuck out her hand. “I’m Allie.”
I shook it, and she introduced the other two women as Gina and Monica. The three of them either hadn’t been able to reconnect with family yet, or didn’t have family to reconnect with. I hadn’t really had a plan when I walked into the room, but the more Allie talked, the more certain I grew.
“Zahur had me almost six months ago now,” I said.
My story poured out. I told them about the women I knew in there, how Tom had saved me, how I’d vowed to go back and had clawed my way up through other bastards to get there. They hung on my every word as I explained how, at the last moment, I’d decided I couldn’t face Zahur and stayed at the hotel, then how he’d found me and dragged me out. I skimmed a few details, then ended on stabbing him and leaving him bleeding out.
“So…he’s really dead?” Allie asked tremulously.
“I checked myself.” I tried to smile, but something about this part of the story made it hard.
The women burst into conversation, thanking me, asking me how I’d done it, why I’d built the shelter, everything. I tried to answer their questions, but abruptly, my confession felt more like bragging. Not just that, bragging about murder. He was an awful man, but?—
Allie hugged me. They all hugged me, and I stood there with them until they were ready to let go. And as soon as they did, I said my goodbyes and headed for Lauren’s office. She invited me in when I knocked.
“Hey.” I dropped onto her couch.
“Hi.” She looked at me. “How was your meeting?”
I scowled. “How do you always know why I’m here?”
She wiggled her fingers. “Therapist ESP. Talk to me.”
“I told them Zahur was dead, and they started celebrating.” I frowned. “I don’t know how to feel about that.”
“How do you feel about killing him?” She circled around her desk and leaned against the front.
I probed the memories, reaching for feelings. I remembered my panic in the moment before, the overwhelm of after. But during?
“Numb, I guess,” I said. “Not bad. Just not anything.”
“That makes sense.” She smiled. “If you walked in less than a month after killing someone, even someone who deserved it, totally well-adjusted, I’d tell you to get your head checked.”
I rolled my eyes. “So there’s more processing to do?”
“The work is never done.” She laughed as she returned to her chair. “Speaking of, I’ve got an appointment in two. Talk more later?”
I nodded and headed back out into the hall. Maybe the work would never be done. But as I checked on the women in the common room, I thought that might not be such a bad thing.
CHAPTER 34
TOMMASO
“You know that I’m an adult, right?” I demanded.
Miranda crossed her arms, standing between me and the freedom of the rest of the house. “Paige was very clear. You stay in the room, if you won’t stay in bed.”
I scraped a hand through my hair. “I pay you, not her.”
She smirked. “She told me you are both on the accounts.”
I barely resisted the urge to stomp my foot like a toddler. I’d lain in bed all morning, very reasonably. I’d watched an episode of a shitty crime drama. I’d read at least three pages of a book. I had a syndicate to run, and I couldn’t very well do that from my goddamn bedroom!
Or could I?
I smiled sweetly. “I understand. Can you just bring me my laptop? I want to watch something I can’t get on the TV.”
