Page 90 of Mafioso's Muse

He took a moment to compose himself. ‘What happened at the dinner?’

More hesitation. ‘I left early.’

Vaughn tried to relax his jaw. ‘Why?’

The silence on the other end of the line was so loud. ‘You were right about him.’

Her apartment building came into view. By his calculations, she would arrive a minute after him. ‘What did he do?’

‘It was more the things he said.’ She sniffed. ‘I just wanted to leave, and he wouldn’t move?—’

Vaughn opened and closed his hand. ‘He wouldn’t let you leave?’

‘He took credit for everything,’ she said. ‘Apparently he’s the reason an average dancer like me even has a career.’

Average?Harrison was going to have an average ability to walk by the time Vaughn was finished with him. ‘You’re extraordinary, and he knows it,’ he told her. ‘Anyone who says differently is either blind or lying out their arse.’

‘What happened to art being subjective?’

He exited the car and looked around for her. ‘Well, some opinions and interpretations are more valid than others.’

‘Like yours?’

‘Like mine.’ There was still no sign of her. ‘Where are you now?’

‘Almost home.’

He continued to watch the street. ‘Good.’

Finally, she came into sight, phone pressed to her ear while hugging herself against the cold. She stopped in her tracks when she caught sight of his car, then him. She looked so small beneath the streetlight.

‘You’re here,’ she breathed.

He took a few slow steps in her direction. ‘Of course I am. Where else would I be?’

She ended the call and resumed walking. Vaughn put his phone away also and watched her approach. Her pace quickened the closer she got, until she was practically jogging. He thought she would slow down once she reached him, but she didn’t. She ranathim.

He managed to get his hands from his pockets in time to catch her. Then she was wrapped around him, her face buried in his neck. Her familiar scent hit him hard, her warmth enveloping him. He held on to her without saying a word. She was shaking, so he held her until she wasn’t, until her grip on him loosened and her feet returned to the ground.

‘You’re here,’ she said again.

He nodded.

She brushed a tear from her cheek, seemingly embarrassed by it. ‘You really didn’t have to drive all this way.’

‘Let’s agree to disagree on that one.’ He looked her over, searching for any physical evidence of harm. ‘What do you need?’

She looked past him to her apartment. ‘Well, I left before the food came, so…’

‘Let’s get you fed.’

For some reason that made her tear up again.

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked, trying to gauge the extent of the damage done.

She covered her mouth as she fought off some internal demon. ‘I just want some bread.’ The words came out all choked.

Harrison had really done a number on her. ‘Do you have any?’