Stone In Love

Chapter 16

I packed my suitcase and crashed on the couch, forcing my body to relax before my early flight home. While the remnants of Kelly's jasmine scent invaded my sinuses, the image of Vincent's lethal claws assaulted me until I dozed off. The nightmare that followed had me crying out, and I woke up face down on the living room floor. 

Shaking off the fog of disturbing flashbacks, I cancelled my alarm, grabbed a granola bar, and headed out the door. I knew Mr. Pearlman wouldn't be awake at five-thirty in the morning, so I set a reminder to call him after I arrived in DC. When I stepped onto the sidewalk, I wasn't surprised to find Rizzo in the alley. He was dressed in his military jacket and jeans, but no wings. Still, he easily scaled the gate like an Olympic hurdler.

"Bonjour, Reese."

"Hi, Rizzo. Do you ever sleep?" I opted for polite small talk, since Rizzo wasn't who I was angry at.

"I take naps during the day," he explained, keeping pace beside me as I made for the subway. "Reese, please do not be angry with Vincent."

"Did he ask you to say that?"

"No. And I would like you not to tell him I asked. He is very proud."

"Why do you care whether or not I'm angry with Vincent?" I glanced at him, noting the dark circles under his eyes and the bloody gash on the apple of one cheek.

"We all want to see him happy, and you make him happy."

I laughed hard enough to start coughing. Was this Rizzo's version of a joke? "If that's what he's like when he's happy, I don't think I'm interested."

"Maybe happy is not the right word. He is optimistic, although Wren has used the word inspired. He is talking about the future like it is not a death sentence but something to look forward to."

"Who's Wren?"

"His mother." Rizzo's downcast eyes gave away his discomfort, and he shoved his hands into his coat pockets, letting the conversation wane until we approached the subway stairs. "So, you have an early assignment, I take it?" He stared pointedly at my carry-on bag, clearly fishing for information, which was fine. It didn't really matter if I told him what I was up to. He wasn't going to follow me all the way home, unless he planned to fly there with those wings of his.

"I'm going to DC to visit my parents."

"Oh?" His eyes widened, and he lifted his cellphone from his pocket then dropped it back inside. "Does Vincent know?"

I swiped my card at the turnstile and Rizzo did the same, following me through. "Listen, Rizzo. I appreciate what you did for me last night, but Vincent is not my boyfriend, and you shouldn't be responsible for making sure I don't get kissed by girls with purple hair. I'm sure you have better things to do than stand in my alley making sure nobody sneaks through my third floor window."

Rizzo shrugged off my flippant comment as if he was used to being treated rudely. "Actually, if I was not protecting you, I would be doing it for someone else. It is my job to protect the citizens of New York. And I love my job, in case you are wondering."

He looked perfectly content to wait with me on the subway platform. Was he planning to accompany me all the way to LaGuardia? Had Vincent asked him to follow me wherever I went? While it was nice having someone look out for my well-being, I couldn't help cursing my luck. How had I managed to attract these people? I needed to get away from this insanity. Sure, it was lame to run from my problems, but these were pretty big problems.

When the train arrived, Rizzo followed me on and sat down next to me. I let him do his job, watching him ease his phone out of his pocket and sigh as his finger hovered over the screen.