Page 104 of Poisoned Pawn
I march forward, snatching his chin and tilting his head to get a better look. He pulls away, catching my hand as it falls from his face, and my eyes land on Frankie.
“Okay, you two have some serious issues.” I shake my head as I take in his split lip and the beginning of a black eye. “We have an hour, so let’s go get cleaned up.”
* * *
“The food here is good. We’ve been a few times with Rick and Jess,” Maddox says as we step from the car.
Turns out that what Aidan really meant when he said I wasn’t going alone was I would be taking a small entourage with me. Roxy and Zak join Maddox and Carter and I outside the small taverna style restaurant simply named Athena’s.
Carter is wearing a frown like a damn forcefield around him, add the cut from his boxing match with Frankie earlier and you have yourself the most unapproachable guy ever. Not a great first impression for Toni, but we are here. Hopefully having Roxy here with the guys will keep her somewhat distracted.
“Roxy?” I question as she scans the street.
Her eyes come back to mine, and she gives me a gentle shake of her head indicating it’s nothing. Carter walks along beside me, his hand resting in the small of my back.
We are greeted by the mouthwatering scent of something sizzling on the grill mixed with aromatic notes of garlic and oregano. The air is tainted with a hint of aniseed as a waiter passes carrying a tray of Ouzo shots. The classic white and blue decor and simple wooden tables and chairs could almost have you believe you’re on a Greek island.
The waitress greets us and leads us to a large table in the conservatory come orangery with a glass ceiling that from the looks of it can be opened in the summer allowing the beautiful grape vine blossoms to scent the air. She hands out menus to each of us, and I explain that we are waiting for another guest before we order.
“Entàxei, entàxei. Okay, we wait,” she says in a combination of Greek and English.
When she returns a few minutes later, we order some drinks, but there’s still no sign of Toni. It’s not like her to be late. She’s the friend that arrives ten minutes early to everything.
Conversation around the table is a low rumble of nothing important, but my anxiety rises with every second that passes.
“Let me try calling her,” I say to Roxy, holding out my hand for her phone.
No answer. I try again. Still no answer. I send her a message asking where she is and telling her to call me.
I place the phone down on the table and stare at it for the next ten minutes, willing it to ring or buzz with a message but it doesn't.
When the waitress returns this time, we go ahead and order.
“I’m sure she’s just running late and will be here soon. We may as well eat now we are here,” Roxy tells me after I reluctantly give my order to the waitress.
Carter’s hand on my thigh startles me. He gives it a squeeze trying to reassure me.
“Something must be wrong, Carter. She’s never late.”
He leans into me. “Eat, then if you still haven’t heard from her, we’ll go and look for her.”
I can’t figure out if he’s serious or just trying to placate me. He reads my thoughts effortlessly.
“I’m serious, princess,” he states with a wicked smirk, knowing I hate it when he calls me that.
“You know I hate that,” I tell him tersely, shifting to the side as the waitress places my food down in front of me.
“The use of princess, or the fact I can read you so well?”
“Both,” I counter, pulling a laugh from him and drawing the attention of the others.
“Careful there, Carter, you’ll break the mould,” Maddox mocks deadpan, but it lightens the mood enough for me to at least eat even if I don’t really taste it.
There is still no sign of Toni or answer from her phone by the time we finish eating, and my anxiety has grown into a tangled mass of worry.
I try one last time as the table is cleared, but this time it doesn’t even ring. I hand Roxy’s phone back to her with a heavy sigh.
“I just need to use the toilet. I’ll meet you out the front,” I tell them all as I push my chair back under the table.