Page 35 of Desert Thorns
Guess I was about to find out.
Chapter 12
Kingsley
As the son of billionaires, I had grown up in one of the most luxurious mansions on Darkwater Refuge with over thirty staff, including a butler, a cook, and a masseuse. The Marino estate made my childhood home look like a dollhouse. And so far I’d only seen the garage. Floor and walls made of black marble, it boasted all sorts of sports cars, SUVs, and motorcycles illuminated like they were displayed at a motor show. The way Harley took it all in, mouth hanging open, this was new territory for her as well.
Rome, still straddling his Yamaha, took off his helmet and ran a hand through his black hair, slicking the strands that had fallen into his eyes back. For a moment, he just sat there and stared into the void.
“Long day?” Harley asked as we approached him.
His gaze snapped back into focus, taking us in as if he’d forgotten we were here. “Long year.”
He got off his bike and led us to a side door with a fingerprint sensor. A green light flashed when he held his thumb to it, andhe pushed the door open. More black marble awaited us. We followed the broad and well-lit hallway, ending up at the foot of a curved stair. A massive glass chandelier hung from the soaring ceiling, a gallery running the length of the living room beyond the stairs.
“Brother Samuel!”
I turned to find a beaming girl standing at the top of the stairs. Giuliana. What in the world?Shewas Rome’s niece?
“What are you doing here?” She came flying down the steps and pretty much flung herself into my arms.
My gut churned when I hugged her. She was Mafia. No wonder her father was on death row. “We’re here to talk to your uncle.”
She let me go, the beautiful glow extinguished. “Oh.”
“Go to your room, Giuli.” Rome waved a tattooed arm at the stairs.
“But I want to—”
“Subito!”
She spat something in Italian, turned, and stomped up the steps. A beat later, a door slammed so hard the chandelier jingled.
Rome’s glare snapped to me. “I know she looks older, but she’s only fourteen.”
My brain—still trying to process that this sweet girl had to grow up surrounded by darkness and danger—needed a moment to process his words. Was he really getting at what I thought? “I’m a monk. All we do is play soccer together on Thursday evenings. In a group.”
Rome kept glowering. “I know all about you guys at Saint James.”
Yeah, he was probably referring to the abuse scandal that’d happened twenty-something years ago. Saint James had run an orphanage, and some of the monks and priests had done theunthinkable to the boys. People still liked to cast stones at us for it, even though none of the monks and priests who’d been involved were part of our monastic community anymore.
“Calm down, Rome.” Harley grinned at me. “She has an innocent crush on him. Look at him. Can you blame her?”
Rome’s hard gaze pinned me a while longer, then he gestured at the leather sofas in the spacious living room. “Have a seat.” Harley and I followed his invitation and sat down next to each other, while he headed to the fully equipped bar under the gallery. “You guys want a drink?” He held up a bottle of Lincoln Grady Family Reserve without turning to us.
“Yes, please,” Harley answered. “On the rocks.”
“I’m good.” I glanced out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the Olympic-size infinity pool glowing in the dark. Jungle canopy was visible beyond it, but since we were in a lit room and it was dark outside, I couldn’t see how far it stretched. Probably all the way down to the ocean.
“I wasn’t aware you’re into reading romance books.” Snickering, Harley picked up the novel lying on the coffee table. It had an illustrated cover. Lots of pink.
“That’s Giuli’s.” Ice cubes clinked against glass, and a moment later, Rome swaggered back to us with two tumblers and the Family Reserve. He set them down on the coffee table between us—also made of black marble—and claimed the other sofa. After filling both glasses with a finger of Family Reserve, he passed one to Harley.
The smell of single malt catapulted me back to my childhood and youth. Not a time I wanted to remember.
“Um . . .” Harley slowly set the paperback down. “These books aren’t suited for fourteen-year-olds.”
Leather squeaked when Rome leaned back and stretched his arms out along the backrest. “Don’t worry, it’s Young Adult. I checked.”
