Dash by Rae Marks

Author:Rae Marks [Marks, Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBT Romance Fiction
Publisher: Totally Entwined Group
Published: 2021-11-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nick

“Nick?”

Nick turned at the sound of his name. Ax’s mother stood by the front door of the coffee shop on the street level of the mall. His heart hurt for her when her face fell with the realization that Ax hadn’t come.

“Mrs. Guttierez,” Nick said.

“Please, I asked you to call me Cella.”

“Cella, I didn’t tell Ax I was meeting you. I told him you texted me, but he was too busy with work to even wonder what the text said.”

Nick looked around and realized that even though he’d zigged and zagged, even though Max had said he wasn’t being followed, and even though he’d circled the large shopping mall twice to be sure before going inside, he didn’t want to risk being overheard. He couldn’t risk Ax’s family being tied to what they were doing.

“Can I get you something?” Nick asked as he guided her to an open table in the back corner.

“I’ll have a vanilla latte, if you don’t mind.”

Nick got her a single shot and himself a double. He watched everyone walking by the window as he waited for the coffee. He tried to relax when no one even glanced in.

“Thank you,” Cella said, when he handed her the coffee.

“It’s not a problem.”

They each took a sip. She gave him an awkward smile.

“I know you were hoping I could be some sort of bridge between you and Ax, and I wish I could, but he barely opens up to me.”

“He’s always been self-contained.” She covered his hand with hers. “He’s always covered hurt with jokes.”

“He still does.” Nick smiled.

Cella gave Nick a knowing look, one he couldn’t return. She was looking at him as some sort of prospective mate for her son. There was no way Ax was thinking long-term.

“Ax has a laser focus,” Nick said. “He works all day and spends all night searching and researching.”

“He told you?” Cella gripped his hand hard as her voice went high with surprise.

“About Cherie? Yes and no. He didn’t come out and tell me was happened. When he gets anxious and worried, sometimes he gets drunk. He’ll say her name and talk about her a little. I had to divine who she was, since he’s bi, but I figured it out.”

“I feel like I’ve lost two children. Diego is all I have left, and he’s sick of my hovering.”

Nick nodded, because he’d seen the argument.

“Ax is angry with me. He blames me, and there’s nothing I can do to apologize.”

From what Nick had seen, Ax was too busy blaming himself to blame his family. Nick turned his hand over, so his palm was against Cella’s, and he gave her hand a squeeze.

“Why would Ax blame you?”

Tears pooled so quickly in her eyes that it surprised Nick. She shook her head and used her free hand to wipe them away.

“It might be my fault. I was married before I met Nando. My ex-husband is powerful in Honduras. What if he found me? What if he took Cherie?”

“Is she his daughter?”

“No, but Ruby… I left him as soon as I found out I was pregnant.

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