NERVES OF STEEL

CHAPTER 41- THE CHEER IN HER VOICE

                    Russo flexed his arm on the steering wheel as he pulled the car out of her front yard into the street as he drove up ahead to the main road and soon they were in the busy road. He twisted his nose a bit as the whiff of rosey perfume hit his nostrils. Hers? No, it wasn't perfume, it was shampoo. Probably the one she used on her hair.

                He stole a glance at her and could see that she was fiddling around with her fingers as she kept a straight yet cute but disturbed expression on her face. He watched her chew anxiously on the side of her cheek. How was he going to get her to feel comfortable around him after that scene in her house?

"Where are you headed?" Russo asked, casually.
"Silver Oaks."
He stared at her, puzzled. Wasn't that he same place he forbade her from working? Not directly, anyways but all the same.
"It's fine. I'm only going for a visit."
"I was starting to wonder what the apples were for."
"You should try one." She faced him, handing him an apple, odd enough.
Russo eyed her, suspicious, returning his gaze back on the road. "What if it's poisoned"
"Do you see me dressed up in a black hooded cape as some freaking old hag with moles?"
He could tell the animated reference she was making. "It's the twenty first century afterall." He shrugged. "Methods might have...advanced."
"Well, there's only one way to find out."
"I very much know when I would like to die and it certainly isn't now."
"Your loss." She scoffed, returning the fruit to the basket with the others.
"I don't think Leslie would approve of you killing people, Diane."
She whipped him a strangled look. "What? How...?" How did he know who Leslie was?
"You sleeptalk, tiger. A lot."
"That's not my name." She frowned.
"Don't expect me to stop."
"Why a violent animal?"
"Forgive me, I might have forgotten how gentle you can be at every point in time?"
Catching the sarcasm in his tone, she gave up.
"Who's Leslie by the way?" Russo asked.
"Someone."
"Mhmm."
"It's none of business." She wasn't about to make the day more embarrassing for herself.
"A toy?" He asked.
She scoffed.
"And why would he hurt, Mr fluffy?"
Ok wait, just how much did he hear?
"He's not a toy. He's a friend.....an imaginary friend."
"Isn't that adorable?"
"Shut up!"
He let out a low chuckle. "How old were you, six?"
"Twelve." She frowned.
"Now that's a big age to still keep imaginary friends."
Screw you!
"What did Warner do about that?"
"As time went on, my father didn't approve of our friendship so I had to hide him most of the time inside my clos—" Shit!
Russo held a hand over his face as he grinned.
"Don't laugh!"
"I'm not."
"What's the use of making me open up if all you're going to do is mock me?"
"Forgive me."
"Asshole!"
"I've been called worse things, believe me."
"I can only imagine. Who knows? You probably deserved them all."
"That's not very nice."

                 Diane straightened on the seat, balancing the fruit basket properly on her thighs as she tried to pull her dress over the exposed skin. Then she caught him staring into the basket.

"It'd have been easier if you swallowed your ego and asked for one."
"Who said I was staring at the apples?"
"What?"
Catching the crafty smirk on his cheek, her cheeks flushed at the realization.
"You're a pervert!" She gasped.
"Not exactly."
She scoffed, disbelievingly.

              Her phone immediately dinged with a message. Catching both their attention. She looked surprised as she looked into the screen and he couldn't help but feel suspicious.

Meet up?
                     -Shadow.

               Wasn't that odd? Hadn't she cut off all ties with the syndicate? She proceeded to type back a reply.

Out of the blue?
          .........
You've never doubted me.
           .........
But this isn't business-related.
           ........
Are we meeting up or not?