Page 76 of Mafioso's Muse
Willow was on her way to the fridge to assess the food situation when her phone rang again. Assuming it was Lili having forgotten to tell her something, she answered on the first ring without looking at her screen.
‘Yeah?’ she said.
‘Is that how you answer the phone with everyone or just me?’
She froze at the sound of Vaughn’s voice. ‘Just you,’ she managed to get out.
He was silent a moment. ‘I’m not calling to hassle you. I just want to make sure you’re all right after our conversation today.’ His tone was all businesslike.
She leaned against the counter. ‘I’m fine. Definitely calmer than earlier.’
‘As long as you’re all right.’
It felt like he was wrapping the call up, and there were things she still needed to say. ‘Listen, I’m glad it all worked out with you and Antonio. I said a lot of things earlier, but I forgot to say that.’
He exhaled into the phone. ‘We should talk properly—face to face. I’ve got some business to take care of tonight at The Black Swan, so let’s speak tomorrow.’
She chewed her lip. ‘Is The Black Swan one of your bars?’
‘It is.’
She switched the phone to her other ear and looked outside at the city lights starting to turn on. ‘Do you want to come by tonight?’
‘I’ll likely be quite late, and I don’t want you tired for your performance tomorrow.’
The fact that he owned a bar called The Black Swan edged her another step towards forgiving him. ‘Okay.’
‘I’ll call you tomorrow,’ he said before ending the call.
Taking a deep breath, Willow looked around her apartment. Whatever appetite she had earlier was gone, so she went to take a shower instead. The hot water was bliss on her aching muscles. Pyjamas were the next logical step from there.
Once dressed, Willow had another attempt at dinner, knowing she would fall apart the next day if she didn’t eat something. She cooked a simple stir-fry with vegetables, cashews, and a splash of sauce, pairing it with cauliflower rice. She ate on the couch, staring at the TV. Once she’d forced down all of the meal, she turned the TV off and stared out the window instead, reliving various moments from the previous few days.
‘I trust you,’she had told him at his family’s home before his arrest.‘Please don’t break that trust.’
She could still feel the heat and strength of his arms around her, that invincible feeling she had whenever she was with him. Was she prepared to overlook all the secrets in order to hold on to that feeling?
Getting up, Willow tidied the kitchen and made some chamomile tea, then grabbed a comfort read from the small shelf by her bed. She climbed into bed in preparation of an early night—except her exhaustion didn’t carry her off to sleep like it normally did. The dire state of her relationship kept her mind busy, and she lay there in the dark for an hour. Then another hour.
Rolling over, she looked at the clock: 10:13 p.m.
Okay, so it wasn’t an early night, but it wasn’t technically a late one either.
Reaching for her phone, she looked up The Black Swan on her maps app and saw that it was an eighteen-minute walk. A walk could help her sleep. She could go there, wait for him to finish his meeting, and then they could speak—fix things. That seemed like the only way she would get some sleep that night.
Climbing out of bed, she pulled on jeans, a shirt, and her favourite corduroy jacket, then grabbed her keys on the way out of the apartment.
A cool breeze accompanied Willow on her walk to the bar. She tugged the collar of her jacket up to shield her neck against it. As she neared The Black Swan, she grew nervous about the conversation ahead as well as Vaughn’s reaction to her walking alone in the dark. A lecture on safety was inevitable, but hopefully they could have a constructive conversation after that.
The bar was dimly lit and only mildly busy being midweek. Willow immediately recognised it as one of Vaughn’s, with its elegant interior and drink selection. She wandered between the tables, looking for him.
After a few minutes, it occurred to her that he might have finished already and gone home early. She was considering texting him when Finn walked in. He walked straight past her without seeing her, clearly in a hurry, then disappeared into a room at the far end of the bar.
‘What’s through there?’ she asked the bartender.
He glanced in the direction she was pointing. ‘VIP room,’ he replied before walking away to serve someone.
Of course Vaughn would be in there and not taking business meetings among his patrons.