Messages from Levi and Ashton begged to be answered, but my mind wasn’t ready to face the rest of the world yet.
Dante disengaged from the group and disappeared down the hall. His voice carried from around the corner as he spoke to someone. I wasn’t sure if he was on a phone call or flirting with a nurse, but he returned two minutes later with a hospital blanket and tossed it to me.
“You’re going to turn into a popsicle.” He stood off to the side and watched me cocooning myself for a minute, then flicked his gaze to Frank’s parents. “Anyone want coffee?”
Billy accepted the offer and thanked him. Janet was quiet, dread lining her thin face.
“What about you, short stuff?”
I shook my head. It was an instant reaction. I was hungry and needed caffeine, but my brain hadn’t processed the words correctly. I was still rattled by the YouTube video and our conversation about Frank’s ex-wife. Part of me wanted Dante to take it all back. Shove the confession into his mouth and keep it there.
“Gonna be a long night, darlin’.” He spread his arms wide and took a step backward. A juicy, devilish grin lit up his face, which was sprinkled with light stubble. “Last chance.”
I reevaluated. Coffee sounded good. Best way to stay up. Besides, Dante Martinez was acting nice and human for once. Fetching drinks for others unless they were shots at a party was so out of his character. It almost felt as if he was trying to redeem himself.
“Okay. Sure.” I nodded.
He marched off and never returned. At least, not for a while. I had to go and look for him in the cafeteria half an hour later because poor Billy and Janet really needed that coffee after the doctor came out to tell us that Frank was out of surgery.
“Can we see him?” Janet asked. She was wringing her hands and trembling like crazy I wasn’t positive the woman was mentally equipped to be here right now, but what did I know? I’d been in Frank’s life only a few months. She’d been with him through three decades of highs and lows. Those numbers scared me. They were just another reminder of how fickle, short-lived, and possibly not very serious this affair actually was.
“Not yet,” the doctor said as he continued to ignore my presence. “He’s still unconscious and I want to run a few more tests, so sit tight.”
Fear trickled down my spine as I maneuvered through the rows of plastic tables in the cafeteria. Dante was leaning against the register chatting with the cashier. He had his smug face on.
Unbelievable.
I walked over and tugged the side of his shirt.
“Oh, hey, short stuff.” He spun around and his gaze darted between me and the girl in the bleak hospital visor. “This is Leticia. She’s making us fresh coffee.”
“Really? Since when does it take thirty minutes to brew a new pot?” I said in a low voice and pulled him away from the register. “Frank is out of surgery.”
The cafeteria was empty, not counting the cashier and the security guard at the door who’d been following me all night. Probably because Brooklyn had told him to. He did keep his distance, which I appreciated.
“Any news?” Dante sniffed and palmed his head. His eyes, blood red and wide, stared me down for a long moment.
It hit me then. I almost didn’t want to believe my discovery, but the signs were all there. Come to think of it, he’d been like a cat on a hot tin roof all night. Especially in the car with his diarrhea of secrets. “Are you high?”
Ignoring my question, Dante turned to the cashier and yelled, “Make it six, darlin’! And throw in a couple of breakfast sandwiches too.”
Talk about acting weird. I’d never seen the man lift a finger to do anything except for playing his guitar.
“Hey!” I called. “Did you hear me?”
He returned his scattered attention to me. We shared a glance for only a second.
“Answer me,” I gritted out. “Are you high?”
“Are you my therapist now?”
“Oh my fucking God.” My voice was a hiss. Wrath pulled at my chest. “You are high, aren’t you?”
The cashier was packing our breakfast. The rustle of Styrofoam filled the cafeteria.
Dante’s lack of response angered me. I slapped his arm to get him to say something. “Was he high too? Did you give him something?”
“Keep your fucking hands off me.” He jerked his shoulder in a particularly childish manner.
Rage blinded me. Horrified, I hit him in the chest with my purse. “Is that how you look out for him, you asshole?”
The corner of the blanket fell to the floor and my heel tangled in it as I tried to stumble my way out of the cafeteria. Tears pricked my eyes for the second time tonight. I held them in, but I hated all these emotions fighting for room within me. There was a reason why I’d never gotten so involved with a man. Men were trouble. Men ruined the balance. Frank was the worst. He’d destroyed my perfectly normal life.
I didn’t know where to go to be alone except the restroom. While I understood why the floor was packed with security, the fact that someone was shadowing me at all times felt a lot like an invasion of privacy. I didn’t want some stranger to watch me having a meltdown.
Hours went by. The doctor let Janet and Billy see Frank at around four in the morning. I waited patiently and watched more people trickle in. Some wore suits, some wore casual attire. Dressed sharply but looking tired, Linda showed up at dawn.
“Have you seen him yet?” she asked as we settled in the corner, away from the eyes and ears of others.
“They’re not letting me. Only immediate family for now.”
“Then you should go home and get some sleep, hon.”
“I will. After I make sure he’s okay.” He wasn’t
