Caught In Her Vengeance - Book 2

33

Chapter 33

I snorted, looking around the rundown establishment Salvatore had driven us to after leaving the club. I insisted he take a straight home, but he said he was driving and he was hungry, so here we were.

"A million diners in Miami, and you choose this one?"

"Food's good, and what can I say, it reminds me of who I am. Didn't know you were such a snob." He told me, walking straight over to a corner booth with me following in tow, and I rolled my eyes at his statement.

I wasn't a snob. I just wasn't particularly excited about spending more time with him than I had to.

He'd already seen enough of me tonight, and I certainly couldn't afford to give him any further glimpses into my fucked up head.

"Shall we sit?"

Choosing to ignore his comment, I slid into the opposite end of the booth facing him. "What did you mean this place reminds you of who you are?"

Salvatore opened his mouth to answer, but he abruptly shut it when the waitress walked over to our table. "Hi, I'm Charlene, and I'm your waitress this morning. What can I get for y'all?"

"Egg sunnyside, bacon, sausage, toast...burnt, and a tall glass of OJ...no ice," Salvatore ordered without even looking at the menu or Charlene for that matter as she jotted down his order. No. His eyes were solely trained on me, and I suddenly felt like I was under a microscope.

"And you, Darling," the older woman turned her attention to me, and I shook my head.

"Ahh, just a coffee is fine."

"Coming right up," she said with a warm smile before glaring at Sal. It seemed I wasn't the only one he had that effect on.

"You need to eat Catalina."

"No. I'm not hungry," I told him, and I wasn't. I still wasn't in the headspace to consume anything without feeling nauseous.

"Okay, don't eat. I'm not Nic. I won't father you, but you're being stupid. Coffee isn't food, and I am pretty positive you haven't eaten since this morning."

"I said I'm fine, Sal."

"Fine, suit yourself," he said with flared nostrils, and I could see it bothered him, but he wasn't pushing, and I was grateful.

"Anyway, I like to come here from time to time as a way to remind myself that, umm, my old life or the things I've lived through are never too far away. It humbles me, I guess?

Snorting under my breath humorously, I kinked an eyebrow and narrowed my eyes at him in disbelief. "I'm sorry, did you just say humble?"

He pursed his full lips before licking them and narrowing his own eyes back at me. "Well, obviously not, but after what I saw at the club, it seemed like a good time for a reminder."

"And what is it that you saw Salvatore?"

I clenched my jaw and balled my fists under the table, taking a slow deep breath before exhaling unhurriedly through my nose and counting to ten in my head. I didn't want to go back there.

"See, I was hoping you could fill that part in for me."

"It was nothing."

"Ah, there goes that autopilot response that was all-too-familiar growing up," he rolled his eyes and crossed his muscular arms over his broad chest, and shook his head. "Next, you're gonna tell me that you're fine again, right?"

"Sal."

"I'm sure Matteo never brought up everything about our family to you. It isn't something he likes to talk about or even remembers, for that matter. But I can't forget," he told me, his eyes becoming more and more distant with every word that spilled from his lips. "Our parents were junkies who never got clean long enough to put a decent meal on the table."