I looked at it for a minute, which made Misha say, “I will airplane it. Don’t tempt me.”
“You’re still not the boss of me,” I said, picking up the spoon.
“The bigger question is which one of the bosses has the mayor in his pocket. Or if it really is Ricardo,” Stephen said.
“It’s interesting that Ricardo seems to have so much influence without being well-known and without being a boss himself,” Andrei said. He and Misha both were basically standing over me to make sure that I ate at least part of the bowl of broth. Nothing like feeling like a child to stimulate your appetite.
“Not everyone is interested in recognition,” Adrik said, a small smirk on his face. “But I find it interesting that the other bosses allowed him to have this much influence.”
“Do you think it was because of his ties to Lorenzo?” I asked, diligently taking sips of the broth so the Wonder Twins wouldn’t yell at me.
“Possibly. I think it’s worth seeing what we can get out of Armando about it. Dario might know something as well, but I don’t want to talk to him without Sephie,” Adrik said. “Did the journalist give any indication of when he’d have more information?”
“He seemed to think he’d be able to find something quickly if there was something to be found, but it could’ve been his ego talking,” Ivan said. “He’s supposed to let us know when he finds something.”
“We’ll see what we can get out of Armando tonight. It’s been a few days since I’ve been down there. He might miss me,” Adrik said.
Sephie
I looked at Misha and Andrei when everyone else left to go “talk” to Armando. “We are not allowed to do anything weird that will cause them to come running back upstairs this time.”
While they both laughed at me, Misha asked, “do you not like it when Boss comes out of nowhere to save you?”
“No, I do. I very much do. But I feel bad for always interrupting his schedule,” I said. We were in the kitchen, as Andrei had talked me into more broth. It was actually working. I managed to eat most of the first bowl he gave me when they first got back from the meeting with the journalist and I only slept for a short period that afternoon.
“You know you’re more important than his schedule, spider monkey. He’s told us all exactly that. Multiple times,” Andrei said, setting down another small bowl of broth in front of me.
“I know, but it still doesn’t mean I should constantly interrupt him. This needs salt,” I said, taking a small sip.
Misha’s handsome smile stretched across his face. “That means your appetite is waking up, gazelle.” He grabbed the salt and handed it to me.
“I thought it meant this was bland,” I said, grinning at him.
“What did Boss say about Andrei’s newly discovered ability?” Misha asked, curiously.
“He mostly wanted to know how long I’ve been able to do it. He seemed more amused that I outed Sephie than anything.” Andrei said, still giving me an apologetic look.
I laughed softly. “Don’t apologize, Andrei. It makes him angry that I try to keep it from him when I don’t feel well. He’s still mad at me for keeping it hidden after Misha and I were attacked. Same for the ball. I clearly need help in that area.”
“Ivan lectured him on being mad at you for that, you know,” Misha said.
“He did?”
“Yeah, it was after you got home from the hospital. When he could feel your pain. He was happy that you wouldn’t be able to hide it from him anymore. We could hear it in his voice when he made a comment about you always trying to hide it. Ivan told him it wasn’t your fault,” Misha said.
“It’s not? Pretty sure I’m the one that’s constantly trying to hide it. I know I’m doing it. I just don’t know how to stop,” I said, pushing the now empty bowl away from me.
Andrei picked up the bowl to wash it. He said, “you really don’t know, spider monkey?” I shook my head no.
“No, it’s just something I feel like I have to do. No idea why. And no idea how to stop it.”
“It’s a trauma response, gazelle. You’ve learned that you’re better off not asking for help when you need it because the few times you did got you hurt worse. You might not be aware you’re doing it, but there’s some part of you that’s still trying to protect you, especially when you’re hurt. It’s why you get extra argumentative with us when we try to do stuff for you and why you try to hide it from Boss when you’re hurt. You’re still scared you’re going to get hurt worse,” Misha said.
I thought for a moment, chewing on my bottom lip. “Ivan really said all that?” I asked. They both nodded their heads. I took in a slow, almost deep breath. “He’s been hanging around Stephen. Obviously,” I said, grinning at them.
“He’s right though,” Andrei said, drying his hands on the kitchen towel. He threw the towel back on the counter and walked around the island to stand next to me. Flis giant arm slid around my shoulders. “It might still take you a while to fully believe it, but you’re safe with us. No matter what. You’ll always be safe with us,” he said. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, taking another almost deep breath. “I know that. I really do. And I love you all for it. I don’t know why I can’t stop trying to pretend I’m okay when I’m clearly not,” I said.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.