“Take the dogs back,” Mercedes tells him without taking her eyes off me. “I’ll stay with him.”
Paolo looks unconvinced especially when his eyes dip to the bottle. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
She turns to Paolo. “I’m fine. Go.”
“No, he’s right, Mercedes. You need to go,” I say.
She makes a point of sweeping her gaze over the room. “I don’t think so. Unless you’re coming with me.”
“Paolo,” I say.
Paolo takes her arm but she shrugs it off. She turns to him. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
Paolo looks between us.
“I’ll be fine,” she repeats.
He gives me one last glance then nods, and leaves with the dogs. Mercedes closes the door. She goes to the CD player and turns the music off. The sudden silence is heavy, like a solid thing.
I watch as she strips off my coat and drops it on the leather chair. Grandfather would have had a fit.
She comes right up to me and takes the bottle from my hand. Never taking her eyes from me she drinks a long swallow.
“You should have gone with Paolo.”
“Why? Because you’re drunk?”
I reclaim the bottle and drink, then set it aside. “Go to the house. Now.”
She cocks her head to the side and steps closer. “No.”
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.”
“You don’t know that. Don’t know me.”
“Then show me. Show me just how big and bad you are, Lawson Montgomery.”