Enemy Mine

Chapter 73

"Why would the delivery man lie?"

Pacing behind the high-backed chairs, I voiced my anxious question. Three times I attempted to reach Vincent, and three times I was forced to leave a voicemail. "Is the guy afraid to travel in the snow and just needs an excuse? Or was he working for someone who wanted to cause trouble for me and Vincent?"

"I couldn't say," Caleb offered distractedly as he continued his phone research.

"You look a bit pale, Reese," Stan said, stepping in front of me to block my pacing path. "You barely touched your water."

I glanced across the room, eyeing the choices at the buffet table. What had I eaten tonight? Half a plate of canapés?  "Maybe I should..."

"Let me get it for you," he said. "We can't have you passing out on us."

His charming smile managed to soothe me, or maybe it was his British dialect. Either way, I appreciated the distraction. "Thanks, Stan. The pasta salad looked good. The one with all the veggies. And if there's fruit..."

"Ah, so that's how you keep your lovely figure. I won't be long." Stan swept gentle fingers across my arm, leaving me with goosebumps, and I was still staring at the back of his wool slacks when Caleb growled at his phone.

"I don't like this. Flights out of Verona have been temporarily grounded. That means Marco and Deidra have a few hours to kill before they can leave."

It only took me a second to figure out where he was going with his comment, and I resumed my pacing. "Do you think they have something to do with the delivery driver?"

"I don't know, but the driver must have had some reason to lie to you, and now with Vincent out of touch... It's worrisome."

"Hell yes, it's worrisome," I said. "I know Vincent can hold his own in battle, but... Could Marco take him on and have any chance of winning?"

Caleb grimaced. "If Marco had the right tools, he could give Vincent a serious licking. I'm going after him."

"Like hell you are." Minnie protested in the form of a shout that had Boris narrowing his gaze as he stood beside my abandoned chair. "You are about to become magister of your domus, Caleb, and Vincent is one of the most capable gollums we know, like his father before him."

"No gollum is invincible. Roberto proved that." Caleb's words came down like a guillotine, and Minnie turned to me with a pained expression.

"I'm sure he's alright, Reese. Cell reception is always bad during storms."

"But, he would have called from the inn if he'd made it," I argued. "He said he would check in."

Caleb stood from his seat as he pocketed his phone. "I'm going to talk to Adamo about locating Marco and Deidra. Minnie, you're in charge."

We both knew what Caleb meant by that, and Minnie nodded as she gestured him off. Stan returned with my food, and I nibbled from the plate, wishing I had a better appetite. If Vincent met with foul play during his journey, I might need my strength to save him. Or I might need to save myself from Stan's wandering hands. By the time I had picked through my dinner, Caleb returned with George and Joseph in tow. George looked wide-eyed, like he'd been pinched, and Joseph appeared to need a bathroom judging by the greenish tint to his face.

"George has volunteered to join the search party," Caleb announced.

"What search party?" Minnie asked, pinning Caleb in a haughty gaze.

"The three gollum search party I formed with George. We only need one more."

"I'll volunteer," Boris said, stepping forward and closing the gap between us. The one I'd been trying to widen. "You will need someone who is familiar with this landscape, and that would be me."