“Kiss me,” she croaked and, smiling, tears dripping down his face, Maceo pressed his lips gently to hers. The soothing warmth of his mouth against hers was better than any morphine. Ori gave a soft moan, not wanting him to stop, and Maceo, chuckling, brushed his lips across her cheek, her forehead, her throat, kissing each of her eyelids.
“Ti amo, ti amo, ti amo,” he murmured, and Ori leaned into him, wincing at the pain but wanting to be in his arms. Maceo wrapped his arms around her, cradling her head in his hands.
“Thank you for coming back to me,” he said, his voice breaking. “Thank you. Thank you.”
Lucia, exhausted and ready to go back to the hotel after such an emotional day, was walking out of the entrance when she saw her and stopped.
“Cassie?”
The blonde woman stopped and Lucia was shocked to see how thin she had gotten. Cassie came over to her. “Thank god, Lucia. I only just found out what happened.”
Lucia regarded her former friend coolly. “It was all over the news, Cassie.”
Cassie looked uncomfortable. “I’ve been away, Lucia. I came as soon as I heard.”
Lucia sighed. “You should have stayed home. Maceo is not in the right headspace to deal with you, Cassie.”
Cassie flinched. “Does that mean … I mean, is Ori …?.”
“Ori is recovering,” Lucia didn’t care if she bit Cassie’s head off; she was reviled by the hope in Cassie’s eyes that Ori had died.
Cassie obviously realized how she had sounded. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean …”
“You meant that maybe, in his grief, Maceo would finally lean on you and see you, finally.” Lucia’s hurt and anger had finally found a place to vent itself. “That he would come to rely on you and maybe in a few months, you could finally get him into your bed, Cassie, is that it? Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but Maceo’s fiancée, the love of his life, and my best friend, is going to be okay. Ori’s a survivor; she always has been, always will be, and she’s worth a million of a sly skank like you.”
Cassie, her face pale, tried to push past her, but Lucia blocked her. “You are not going into that hospital,” she growled at her.
“You can’t stop me,” Cassie griped, then gasped as Lucia grabbed her and propelled her back towards the street.
“Do you really want to cross me right now, you revolting little sneak?” Lucia was wild with anger. “Do you know what Maceo would do if he saw you? Stay away, Cassie. Your worthless ass is not wanted around here.”
Lucia turned on her heel and stalked back into the hospital, leaving Cassie to stare open mouthed at her retreating form.
Shocked, angry, and humiliated, Cassie pulled her phone from her purse and dialed. Hearing his voice on the other end of the phone, she cursed softly.
“And hello to you too.”
“I can’t get into the hospital,” she said. “That fucking bitch Lucia is blocking me.”
He sighed. “That’s unfortunate.”
Cassie grunted. “Look, you’ve gotten to her before … you’ll figure out a way to kill Orianthi Roy, right? Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“Of course. And yes, I will figure out a way to kill her, but you disappoint me, Cassandra. I thought you had more about you than to be bullied into retreat.”
“You don’t know what that bitch Lucia can be like. Look, I want out of this. If anything happens to Ori now, Lucia will look at me for sure.”
He was silent. Then finally, “If that’s what you want. But listen, I’ve been too hard on you. At least let me buy you dinner tonight to say thank you for trying.”
Cassie smiled. “That’s more like it.”
“I’ll send a car at eight.”
Cassie clicked off her phone and squinted up at the lighted windows of the hospital.Enjoy the time you have left with her, Maceo. Ori will be dead before the week is out. I’m sure of it.
Smirking, she turned and skipped down the steps, hailing a cab to drive her back to her hotel.
Kate was scribblingnotes down as she tried to make times and dates fit the movements of The Midnight Clubbut, frustrated, she threw her pad across the room, barely missing Lisander, who came into the room just then.
