For fuck’s sake, is he ever not going to push all of my buttons?
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
leonard
Lizzie dragged me to yet another show at the immersive gallery where Chiara works. I don’t know why she’s so fascinated with this exhibition since, like Starling has said many times too, it isn’t very good. As a matter of fact, it’s utter rubbish. The music selection doesn’t fit the style at all, and it’s so loud, my ears ring every single time the show is done. My niece, on the other hand, always looks around at the walls where the projectors are showing the pictures. Jack and Stu are not fans of art, so they make me take Lizzie whenever I’m home.
It’s been a week since Graham left, and it’s been just as long since I’ve seen the little demon. She’s been as quiet as she always is, but it bothers me now more than it ever has in the past. With Graham gone, a big part of me wants to make sure she’s okay all by herself in that flat. Fucking hell. I hate the thought of Chiara living alone.
“Can we get ice cream after the show?” Lizzie asks, and I give her hand a slight squeeze as we stand in line, waiting to be allowed inside the exhibit room.
“Sure,” I reply, and she wiggles from side to side from happiness.
For the thousandth time since Stu and Jack adopted Lizzie, I realise I would do anything for her. I will protect her with my life from any harm that could come her way. I would fight monsters and beasts of all kinds. Her parents were friends with my brother and his partner for many years before they died when Lizzie was three years old. Jack and Stu didn’t hesitate in their decision to take in the little infant their friends had left behind. It’s one of the reasons why I would do anything and everything for my niece. She deserves nothing but happiness, and if I could bottle up the sun for her, I would.
“Is Chiara working today?” Lizzie asks, and I ignore the way my heart skips a beat. Maybe I should go see the doctor. It’s been happening a lot recently, and I need to make sure everything’s alright.
“I think so,” I reply and squeeze her hand again, this time involuntarily.Muscle spasms?Great.
“Can I tell you something?” She gives me a mischievous little grin, so I furrow my brows.Uh oh, that’s never a good sign.
“You can tell me anything,” I say and put my hand on her head, moving it from side to side. She lets out a giggle, but I’m still worried about whatever it is she wants to tell me. Kids are way too fucking honest, and they notice more than people give them credit for.
“I think you have a crush on Chiara,” Lizzie says, and I suck in a sharp breath. Yeah, I was afraid that’s where this conversation was going.
“I don’t have a crush on anyone,” I explain, my heart feeling like it’s getting squeezed inside my chest.That’s it! I’m going to see a doctor.
“You have a crush on her, I know it, Uncle Lenny. I see the way you look at her,” she says, proud of herself for whatever reason. I’m about to fight her on this when I realise who I’m speaking to. Lizzie is seven years old. She doesn’t know shit about this messy situation between Chiara and me, and I sure as hell won’t tell her.
“What ice cream flavours will you get later?” I ask to change the topic. Lizzie’s face lights up before she goes into a rant about not knowing what she wants yet but assuring me she will figure it out later.
When we step into the room, my eyes instantly drift to where Chiara usually stands at the side. She’s speaking to an elderly man, who seems to be asking her a lot of questions. Starling is patient, but Lizzie isn’t. The little girl pulls me to her friend, and the thought of my niece being so happy to see Chiara makes me feel a strange kind of content. Benz, Mum and Dad, Jack and Stu, Graham, and Lizzie, they all love this woman to bits, and I get why. Starling, while annoying the shit out of me most of the time, has the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. When someone calls for her help, she wastes no time getting to them. She doesn’t bullshit. She follows her passion. She makes everyone around her happy. I’m pretty sure if I didn’t irritate her more than anyone else, she’d be nice to me too.
“Okay, hold on now, Liz,” I say and hold her back before she can interrupt Chiara and the gentleman she’s speaking to. “We have to wait until she’s finished talking,” I explain, but my niece is bouncing on her feet from excitement.
“Chiara, we’re here,” Lizzie says when the man in front of Starling leaves. Her green eyes warm at the sight of my niece. Then she brings her gaze to me, heat flooding it instantly.
“Hey, you two. I’m sorry, but my shift just ended. I was planning on going home,” she says, but her attention is on Lizzie now.
“Can’t she come with us to get ice cream later, Lenny? I don’t even have to watch the show today,” Lizzie says because she’d rather spend time with Starling.
“Whatever you and Chiara would like.” Because I can’t deny Lizzie anything.
“I wouldn’t want to impose on your day,” the woman in front of me says, this time addressing me.
“You’re not.”Actually, I would like you to join us to figure out how you’re doing without showing that I have any interest in your life.
“Okay, let’s watch the show first then,” Chiara says, making my niece light up and drag her all the way to the bench where we always sit.
I take a seat next to Chiara, closer than I have to be, my knee brushing hers. Her body tenses for a brief moment before she relaxes against the wall behind her and listens to Lizzie tell her about what Benz did this morning. Meanwhile, I bring my leg flush against Starling’s to see what she’s going to do. At first, she does nothing. She listens patiently, asking my niece more questions. I really can’t help myself when I lean my arm against hers next.
“I know you have no sense of personal space, but it’s getting a bit ridiculous, Leonard,” she hisses low enough to make sure Lizzie can’t hear. “Stop touching me,” she whispers, but I lean back and fight the smile wanting to settle on my lips.
“No.” She groans in response. I smirk because it’s impossible to keep on hiding it when fucking with her is so damn satisfying.
What happens next is so sudden, it knocks the air from my chest. Chiara’s hand slips to my thigh, her whole body going rigid. I can feel the panic in her chest without looking at her, but one glance at her face tells me everything I need to know. She’s scared. Something has frightened her, and it has me on high alert. I sit up straight, scanning the room to see who or what has her reacting like this. Her nails dig into my leg a moment later, but I let her because the source of her panic is walking this way and if she wasn’t touching me, I’d lose it.
Tim Young, her mother’s roommate and successful strip club owner, is walking toward where we are. I had him looked into by a PI—private investigator—friend of mine, who told me some things I’d much rather forget. Tim is shady as hell, and I don’t want him anywhere near Chiara or her Mamma. A veil of red covers my vision as soon as that man with graying hair and blue eyes stops in front of us.
