Page 105 of Heartfelt Pain
“It’s fine.” My head is clearer than it’s been the past few days. “Hurts like a bitch, but I’m lucky it wasn’t a break.”
“I did some research. Don’t overdo it even if it starts to feel better. You don’t want to hurt the ligaments.”
“I’ll do my best.” I pull out a chocolate muffin from the gift basket. “Hey, did you know Tyler’s a doctor?”
There’s a surprised silence before she forces a few words out. “I mean, I knew he’d gone to med school. Nancy was so proud of him. But he got all funny at one point and said he didn’t want to do his residency. You saw him?”
“Trevino is very picky when it comes to medical care.”
“Oh.” There’s another drawn-out pause. It’s sort of refreshing not being the one thrown for a loop for once. But I want to eat my words when Russet speaks again. “W-what’s he like? Trevino?”
She’s not the only one to wonder, but her voice is hushed.
Of course, it would be. This is the man who killedMarissa. Who got Daisy’s will to us and later on killed the man who hurt her.
I start with the basics. The obvious things I’ve already noted or others do.
“He’s grumpy. He makes these disgusting kale smoothies and I mean literally all kale. They’re bitter as fuck. He’s got a lot of muscles but honestly other than the bodyguard thing, you would never realize his other ghostly activities because he reads boring books. Like the self-help kind.”
“Yeah.” Russet’s voice is clear but she sounds far away. “I guess I never thought to envision the Ghost drinking a kale smoothie.”
“He’s got a driver named Luis. I think he might be his cousin but I’m not sure.” He’d hate it even more if he found out I told someone. “He’s got a couple of other bodyguards working for him. From what I’ve heard he’s a good boss.”
And you better believe I’ve asked them. I went down to the lobby and started chatting. Trevino showed up minutes later, jaw clenched. His eyes flashed when one of his guys laughed at a question I asked.
“He comes across like a hard ass,” I say, “but he’s a total softie deep down.”
A burst of noise comes through the line.
“Hold on love,” Russ says to Sailor. “Right there on the plate.”
I wait, unbothered. It’s not like I have anywhere to be anyway.
“Sorry.” Russ pauses again, though. “D-does he. . . has he ever talked about Marissa?”
“No. And I’ve never thought to ask.”
Call me selfish, but with everything going on, it never occurred to me.
“Would you like me to?” I ask.
I’m not sure what he would say. He handed out more information on Cain Murray than I thought he would, but fielding questions about his mercenary activities is a different matter.
“I could ask about the will,” I say. “He’s not heartless. He’d probably explain.”
Russet audibly gulps. “No. . . no, it’s fine. I just. . . thought. Sorry. It’s rude of me after everything.”
I roll my eyes and smash half the chocolate muffing into my mouth. “You can stop acting weird about the whole bitching about balance thing.”
“The gift basket went a long way didn’t it?” she asks. I get off the phone feeling not quite lighter, but more level-headed than I have in a while.
I’m not sure why, though. Yes, I’m back on better ground with my friends after a rough patch. It hasn’t solved all the awkwardness with Ben and then there’s Roma, who slipped back into my life.
There’s also work. Did calling in sick unlock a truth? That the world won’t fall apart if I take one fucking day off occasionally. However, there have been a few annoying phone calls I’ve had to field.
I grab the giant gift basket and lug it to the door. It’s too heavy to hold while I open it with one hand so I have to place it on the floor. I scoot it into the hallway, close my door, and then move one door down.
Trevino opens his door before I even knock.
