Page 52 of All Twisted Up
“It was amazing as always, Bruno,” Joshua said, diplomatically putting a stop to my teammates’ teasing as his boss set the tray on the table. It was loaded with plates of tiramisu.
“I thought you might like some of this for dessert. I just made a fresh batch this morning.” Bruno began passing out plates as all my brothers sat forward with grins on their faces.
“That’s very kind of you,” Candy said, grinning at the jovial, older man as he accepted a plate for himself.
“It’s the least I can do to thank you for keeping Joshua safe.” He picked up the empty platter after winking at the man by my side. “Would anyone like coffee or a refill of your drinks?”
Several of the guys asked for coffee, and Joshua stood up. “I’ll help you, Bruno.”
I pushed my chair back as I stood, glancing at Candy. “I’m gonna go with him.”
“Take someone else with you.” My boss glanced around the table.
“I’ll go, boss,” Napoleon said, scraping the last of his dessert from the plate. I wasn’t surprised that he’d already inhaled the cake. He nudged Patsy. “Coming, Irish?”
Patsy jumped up to follow, giving Napoleon a gentle pat on the back. “Lead on, Goliath.”
The four of us followed Bruno back into the restaurant, flanking Joshua in diamond formation as we moved into the kitchen. A small, Hispanic woman wearing a hairnet looked up from a pot she was stirring. The moment she spotted Joshua, she let go of the spoon and rushed toward him.
“Mijo!”
Joshua swept her into a bearhug, kissing the side of her head. “Marina!”
She rattled something off in Spanish which made Joshua chuckle as he let go of her. She held onto his cheeks for a few seconds as she stared into his eyes and then, as if satisfied that he was really okay, turned to us, smiling widely. “These are your friends?” She marched over to Napoleon and then reached up, patting him on the cheek. “Such a man…oh, what a man.”
I chuckled as Joshua introduced them before walking over to the stove and peering into the pot she’d been stirring. He wrinkled his nose and looked at her. “Menudo?”
“Si, es menudo…you no like, bad boy.” She shooed him away from her stove.
“What’s menudo?” I asked hesitantly.
“Stew, made with tripe, I reckon?” Patsy asked, walking over to the stove and looking into the pot. “Always wanted to try this.”
“Says the man whose people eat haggis,” Napoleon said with a laugh.
Patsy turned and glared at him. “I’m Irish, not Scottish,eejit.”
“Let me feed you,” Marina said, wearing a big smile as she patted Patsy on the arm and began dishing up a bowl for him. He took it from her, lifting it to his nose and taking a huge inhale before digging into it. I watched him skeptically as Joshua stood beside me.
“He’s brave,” he said, leaning into my side.
I glanced down at him, inexplicably liking the warmth radiating from his body. “Patsy will eat anything. When we were on missions overseas, we always made him taste things first. Sometimes, we’d find unlabeled cans in an abandoned marketplace. He’d always try whatever he found inside, even though sometimes we had no idea what it was.”
“How is it, Patsy?” Napoleon asked.
He hefted the bowl as he chewed. “I’m in the middle of me dinner, laddie.”
I smiled as he cleaned the bowl and nodded appreciatively at Marina. “That was lovely. Thank you, ma’am.” Patsy kissed her on the cheek, handing back the empty bowl as she beamed at him.
“We’d better get the guys their coffee and find out if Candy has a place for us to go,” I said. I watched Joshua nod then look up from where he was setting out coffee mugs on a tray.
“I’m so sorry about all of this, Nash. The reason you’re being dragged away from your friends is all my fault.”
His lower lip quivered slightly as he turned away and I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I reached around his shoulders and pulled him against me. “Stop beating yourself up about it.” He glanced up and I was once again face to face with his soulful, gray eyes. I wanted to fall into them and forget all about the bad guys coming hard for him. When he nodded sharply and reachedfor the coffeepot, the spell was broken. I dropped my hand, knowing there wasn’t a damned thing either of us could do about the situation.
Chapter Fourteen
NASH
