At home. The two words took me by surprise, sticking in my brain. I’d decided to claim Sofia as mine, but I hadn’t really thought about her making a home here. But if I didn’t intend to allow her to leave me, it only made sense to move all of her stuff to my house.
“Yeah, I want her to be comfortable here,” I agreed. “Thanks, Valentina.”
Adrián cleared his throat, and Valentina shot him a wry smile.
“I think Adrián wants you to thank him. He’s actually the one who went to pack up all of Sofia’s stuff. He wouldn’t let me go to her apartment in case Caesar had men watching the place. So, we did the whole thing over video call to make sure he knew what was most important.”
I stared at my boss, the vicious kingpin who was notoriously feared by even the most ruthless criminals. The concept of him running an errand like this was preposterous.
“You did that for Sofia?” I asked, incredulous.
His pale green eyes glinted, and the hard planes of his face turned to granite; a silent warning that I shouldn’t make a big deal out of his uncharacteristically helpful behavior.
“I did it for Valentina,” he said coolly.
I offered a small nod, deferring to his desire to save face. I recognized that cold stare all too well, and it meant don’t fuck with me.
“And I’m very grateful,” Valentina told him, tucking herself close to his side and clasping his hand in hers.
He didn’t take his eyes off me, but as soon as she cuddled up close to him, his dangerous aura dissipated slightly.
“I did it for you too, Mateo,” he informed me, shockingly genial. “I figured you don’t want Sofia to hate you. I thought this might help.” His gaze swept over me, assessing. “And judging by the look of you, you need all the help you can get.”
I ran my hand though my hair, attempting to smooth it into a more civilized style. I’d mussed it all to shit while I stewed in my frustration over the last three hours since Sofia had disappeared into the bedroom.
“Thanks,” I said, genuinely grateful for his help, even if I was baffled by it. “For packing Sofia’s clothes, I mean. Not for telling me I look like shit.”
Adrián shrugged. “Someone had to tell you. This tortured caveman appearance isn’t going to help your case if you want to attract Sofia’s interest.”
He turned his attention to Valentina, giving her shoulder a tight squeeze to reprimand her before she had the chance to admonish him. “And don’t tell me that I should be nicer to Mateo,” he warned her. “He’s already freaked out enough over the fact that I ran this little errand. If I’m any nicer, it’ll ruin my reputation.”
“You’re still a cold, cruel bastard, as far as I’m concerned,” I reassured him, trying and failing to hide my smile.
“Asshole,” he shot back, keeping his expression completely neutral. Coming from him, that was the equivalent of a teasing smirk.
Banter with Adrián was weird from an outsider’s perspective, but I knew him well enough to understand that he was being positively playful at the moment.
Valentina glanced from him to me and back again before waving her hand through the air, dismissing whatever was puzzling her. “I’m not going to pretend I understand the dynamics of this friendship between the two of you. I’ll leave you to insult each other, or whatever you usually do for fun when I’m not around. I want to talk to Sofia. Do you think she’ll want to see me?” she directed the question at me.
Her soft features were pinched, the fine lines around her chocolate eyes drawn with anxiety. Valentina was worried for Sofia’s emotional wellbeing. Adrián had convinced her that I wouldn’t harm Sofia, but Valentina was still obviously troubled by the idea that my hostage might be distressed.
“I don’t know,” I replied truthfully. “She was feeling okay this morning, but I… She wasn’t doing great, last time we spoke. She’s in the guest room.” I gestured in the direction of the hall.
Valentina extricated herself from beneath Adrián’s proprietary arm. “I’ll go see if she wants company. I’m sure this is confusing for her. She’s a sweet girl.”
“Yeah,” I agreed, my stomach knotting at the memory of how I’d damaged that sweet trust. “She is.”
If Valentina detected the strain in my tone, she didn’t linger to ask me about it.
Adrián, on the other hand, pounced as soon as she disappeared down the hallway. “So, you fucked up,” he surmised. “How bad is it?”
I winced. “Pretty bad.”
“Stop hovering over there,” he ordered, irritated. “Offer me a drink like a decent host, and then come sit down.”
“You are such a dick,” I informed him. “I’m not on the clock right now. You don’t have to bark orders at me in my own home.”