Page 7 of Claiming Veronica
“Not much. Same old shit,” I answered carelessly as I went by, not bothering to detail anything because he wasn’t listening. I didn’t take offense. Enzo was assigned to guard Natasha, and his focus was there. However, I wasn’t sure how much longer my cousin would keep the two of them here. It wasn’t really necessary. Enzo did the majority of the business for the Bratva on his phone. I knew because I enjoyed having a peek now and then. On the whole, most of it was boring, so I didn’t bother checking very often.
“Finally decided to come out of your cave squirt?” Luca teased. He was propped near the refrigerator with a glass of chocolate milk. Luca had been with me on and off for years, and I’d confess that I had a massive crush on him when I was younger. Luca was deliciously handsome, but I thought of him as an older brother now, and I couldn’t even fathom putting my lips on him. It grossed me out just imagining it.
“Just for pizza. It’s temporary.”
“I don’t blame you. The pizza here is pretty amazing for such a shithole.” Luca wasn’t shy about vocalizing his dislike of the less-than-metropolitan area we lived in.
“Hey, dickface. Go back to Max then,” Natasha retorted, throwing a broccoli floret at him. She wasn’t tolerating their smack talk about her new beloved town. I still couldn’t believe she was planning to live here permanently, but I knew she wouldn’t leave Pike behind anytime soon.
“Well,” Luca hedged. “We need to talk about that, actually,” he said, throwing the floret into the sink, his face setting into serious lines.
Did he mean that they were going back to San Diego? I was equal parts excited and terrified. The short time that Luca wasn’t here when we first arrived was the only time that I’d been without a guard in years, and that didn’t count because we were with our cousin Dimitri. If Luca and Enzo left, Natasha and I would be here alone. Natasha’s face was slack with shock as she put down the knife she’d been using to cut vegetables. She was as surprised as I was by the idea that we’d be left here without a protective detail.
“Elaborate.” I pasted a bored look on my face as I twirled my hand in Luca’s direction. Sliding my ass onto a stool at the counter, I edged forward, hooking my toes onto the footpeg.
“Everything is stable here, and we’re needed back home. This was always temporary,” Luca said carefully. “Unless there is something that we don’t know?” He waited a moment for me to speak, giving me a stern look. The previous days flipped through my brain repeatedly: the chat messages, the trip outside, the gifts on the patio. Luca’s lips tipped in a smirk. “The Brotherhood and the Cobras can work together to provide a detail if necessary.”
“Whatever.” I shrugged as if I didn’t care, but I noted that Luca and Natasha observed me for any signs that I was invested. I was fairly giddy with the idea of freedom from a protective detail. That would mean that I’d finally be on my own. Well, Natasha would be here, but that didn’t count.
“We appreciate that you’ve made the time to come down and help,” Natasha said smoothly, picking up the cutting board and scooping the veggies into the salad bowl. I wasn’t even sure why she was making salad. Nobody was going to eat it if there was pizza. “I’ll touch base with Pikeand Dimitri if we need anyone out here with us, but we have our security system up and running.” She winked over at me. “Right, Ronnie?”
“Right,” I answered, not missing the concerned glint in her eyes as she looked at me.
“Maxim would like to speak with you both this evening if possible,” Luca added.
“Delivery approaching,” Enzo said as my phone alerted me that a car was crossing the gate. I’d set a sensor to alert us at intervals. “I’ll get it.” He rose from his spot on the couch, unfolding to his impressive height.
“By the way. We’ll be installing a delivery box at the gate before we leave. That way, you can get deliveries there without opening the gate. It’ll be more secure,” Luca said. It sounded like overkill, but I wouldn’t complain at this point. If it made them feel better, then I was all for it.
Enzo brought the pizza boxes in, engulfing the house in the scents of tomato sauce and yeasty crust, making my mouth instantly water. Suddenly, I couldn’t remember the last hot meal I had.
Natasha had ordered five large pizzas, which was good because I loved cold pizza. I’d have to fight for my pieces since Luca and Enzo were absolutepigs. That wasn’t fair, I reminded myself. Men had big appetites.
“I’m so hungry,” I mumbled, opening the lids of the boxes and holding back a moan when I saw that steam rose from the pies. The pizza joint in town was one of the best surprises we’d found. It had some of the best pizza that I’d ever had. I didn’t care what the boys said. Sliding a piece of pepperoni onto my plate and slapping Luca’s grabby hands away from my sausage and olive pie, I slid another two pieces onto my plate before retreating to my stool. “Thanks, Nat, for ordering.”
She gave me an indulgent grin. “You’re welcome. Salad? I have ranch.”
I didn’t answer because my mouth was full of hot, gooey cheese. Who wanted lettuce when there was pizza? Ugh, that was the taste of sadness. No thanks. Shaking my head at her, I ignored her attempts to foist vegetables on me and tucked in, letting my eyes fall in bliss.
Chapter 5
Eli
Iwasn’t sure how I felt about Pike.
Whenever I thought about meeting him, I felt too many emotions crowding and tightening in my chest. He was my brother — the one I thought about when things were at their worst back in the system when I was with Kent. But in reality? He was just some guy. He was just another person who thought he’d lost something important, only to find it broken and not what he remembered years later.
That was me — broken and mangled.
And yeah, Pike blamed himself. I could see how his shoulders sagged when he looked at me and how his eyes hardened like he was looking at his own personal failure. I wasn’t here to give himabsolution. No one had offered me any, so why should he get that luxury?
The truth was, I didn’t know if I wanted anything from Pike. Maybe if things had been different, if he’d found me sooner, if I hadn’t been kept in that hellhole of a foster home, we could’ve been something more. Brothers, in the real sense. But life wasn’t kind like that. I’d learned that young.
Too young.
And yet, here I was, heading to meet him. Again.
I couldn’t help it.