Breakfast on Tuesday

28. Mute girl

Feelings. Hah.

At this point, I didn't have any. What exactly were feelings anyway? And could Dante have been a bit more specific? Yes. Was he asking me if I was in love with him?

Preposterous.

Infatuated maybe?

Perhaps.

But nothing more. How could I ever fall in love with a man who would constantly put my life in danger? I couldn't. Those feelings he mentioned were the striking results of good sex. Addicting sex. Ignore-all-his-red-flags sex. Get-your-friends-killed type of sex.

Eduardo.

Oh, Eduardo.

I sighed, feeling the gaping hole his passing had already left behind.

I killed him, Edu. The man responsible for taking your life. I should feel better but I don't, and now Annabella's life is in danger. I wanted to make things right, but it seems I've only made them worse.

Madeleine, Eli, and I had to get out of here before another one of us died. Protecting Annabella was Dante's problem. Not mine. His problem. Not mine. My only concern right now was making sure that Madeleine and Eli remained alive.

You don't sound convincing.

I put her in danger.

She was already in danger. You didn't start this war.

Right...

The Caneos family were death bringers and not the kind that took you nicely in your sleep. They were the kind that left random dead bodies on staircases and in guests' bedrooms that used to be a Bed and Breakfast.

I opened the door to the guest bedroom and saw - to my renewed shock - Eduardo's lifeless body on the bed. The bullet had left a gaping hole smack in the center of his forehead.

Oh, God.

Bile rose at the back of my throat and I wanted to throw up the cinnamon buns in my stomach.

Getting closer, I stared at his handsome Spanish face. Even in death, Eduardo's calm spirit was apparent. I touched his soft hair and said a quiet prayer for his soul.

"I'm so sorry, Edu. So, sorry," I muttered as bitter tears of grief choked me and stole my breath. "I shouldn't have invited any of you to come here. He told me he was in the clan. Told me about this war and I never thought of leaving until he choked me. How many more signs did I need?"

"Ma'am, please step away from the body."

My head snapped up and I ran behind the bed when a group of men dressed all in black barged into the room.

"Who are you?" I demanded, even though I was shaking like a damn leaf on the inside.

I stared warily at the buckets and supplies they carried in their hands.

"Clean up crew," the first man who came through the door said. "Now move, we don't have much time. The fucking cops will be sniffing up our arseholes any minute now. Someone must have heard or seen something."

Two more guys came in behind the first set of men, pushing what I assumed was a cleaning cart and I slowly backed away from the bed.

"What are you going to do with him?"

"What we do best," the same guy said without bothering to look at Eduardo. "Please take your belongings and leave." He was a tall gruff man in his forties, maybe early fifties, with graying temples, and to him, Eduardo was just another faceless body the clan had murdered.