Page 22 of The Guardian

Henry

I did feel curious as to how the meeting went between Carlos, Selena and Alberto Mancini. Maybe I could sit close to Rain and find out the details. I knew they wouldn’t hurt Carlos. Not if they were smart. I know Mancini had to realize exactly who Selena was by this point, if he hadn’t already before we even arrived.

Was I disappointed I missed this meeting? Not really. I’d rather be with Maya. Yes, I had to admit it. I know I was in my job capacity to be guarding her and the twins but this woman was one of a kind. The stories the kids told about her. The love they had for her. The Maya Angel? Damn. What a touching story that was. Then her downplaying all the wonderful deeds she did.

I do not think I had ever been this impressed by a person. Male or female.

When we came into the very large dining room, I even paused at just the sheer size of it. The table sat maybe thirty people. All lined with a beautiful Italian lace tablecloth. Perfect silver settings. Gold candelabras, vases of flowers. All the formal dining ware. I hope all of this did not overwhelm the twins.

Looking up, I watched them following Gabriela. I also spotted Maya following behind the kids. She slowed down behind them. Then she turned and headed back to me.

I felt glad she was coming my way. Or in my direction. But at the same time, I got the feeling that she was moving out of the way so to speak. Allowing Gabriela to be with the twins.

I smiled at her as she approached. Then when she got to where I stood, I nodded at her. “Would you like to dine with me?”

Nodding, she smiled back.

I gazed around and wondered if there was some kind of seating arrangement or what?

“I think we can just sit here, si?” Maya motioned to the chairs we stood next to. Leaning in, she looked at the table. “There are no place cards, so these two seats are free.”

I didn’t see any either, then I paused to wonder how she knew what formal dining was like. With place cards for where each guest was supposed to sit. Not with being a nanny in the slums of a small town in Mexico. Curious. I’d already noted things about her that made no sense. I would attempt to sleuth all of this later. For now, I pulled her chair out and she sat down. I pushed it inward a little, then pulled mine out and sat.

We both took a minute to look around. There were several couples here. I assumed they were Alberto’s kids and their spouses. Then I caught Michaels’ gaze from across the table.

He raised his hand and waved.

I did the same. Yes, I had intended to see if he was still here in the Crescent. I had been away for a couple of years and we had one phone call last year at Christmas. I know I should have kept in touch, but with my work and traveling, I just drifted away from him. Our father tried many times to drive a wedge between us, all to no avail. At one time we were very close, Michael and I. Then when I went to work for let’s say… less than stellar clients, I knew I had to distance myself from my cop brother. For both our sakes.

Now however, I did not work for the mob or the Russians and he wasn’t a cop. Maybe while I was here, I could hang out with him. That is if Carlos and Selena no longer needed me. I turned my head to look at Maya.

She was looking back at me. “I was wondering about that,” she said.

“About what?” I asked as I reached for my glass of ice water.

“You never mentioned living here." Not that I can remember?”

“No, I didn’t.” This subject troubled me. New Orleans almost became a death trap for me. I left when Carlos was injured and stayed with him for a month in the mountains of Tennessee. Green wooded and free there. While recovering from that bullet wound to his spleen, Carlos was in hiding, but then so was I. Hiding that is. Rain joined us too. We had the best time and I shall never forget it. When Carlos talked about it fondly in the motel in San Diego, I found out that he had enjoyed it too.

She took a sip from her glass now and stared at me over the rim.

I chuckled. “Ok… How about we trade info?”

She set her glass down to ask, “What do you mean?”

“I ask you a question. You answer it. Then you ask me one.”

She bit her lip as she hesitated.

“Look, I have secrets too,” I told her.

“Oh, really?” she asked as she smiled widely.

I jiggled my brows and nodded. “Very like… shocking ones.” Honestly, they weren’t. They were just not secrets I was proud of.

“Wow.” She laughed. “Ok, so what if we do not wish to answer?”

“The asker gets to ask another question. Like if we forfeit, we get another chance to be nosey.”