Her Heroes

Chapter Forty-Three

My heart pounded erratically as my iPad continued to ring. All I wanted to do was talk to my mom. It would get my mind off the kisses when we were found, Hercule's lecture when I got home, and his worry about the threat to my safety.

Tapping my fingers against my inner elbow, I waited and waited.

Finally, the ringing stopped. Rushing to the device, I threw myself into the chair and smiled before realizing that I was looking at Carlos, and not my mom.

"Hello, Miss, how may I help you?" Sweat coated his bare shoulders and I gulped. Had I interrupted a workout session of his?

"By any chance, have you seen my mom? I just need some motherly advice right now."

Carlos smiled sympathetically before throwing a shirt on and sitting down. "I'm afraid that she's in a meeting, but I'm here and more than happy to help if I can." He seemed all ears as I settled down in the chair.

"Well, alright then." Taking a breath, I let it out of my mouth before looking at him. "Carlos, be honest with me, have you ever looked at someone and felt like your stomach has erupted in butterflies? Or that you felt lighter... almost more giddy and smiley?"

A chuckle broke through his facade before he cleared his throat and looked at me, "I have."

Nodding my head, I sighed, "why?"

Carlos looked at me and dragged a stray piece of hair off his forehead. "Well, when you find someone you like, a crush, per se, it results in these feelings." His eyes seemed to stray beyond me as he continued, "sometimes it's only a patter of your heart, but other times, other times you can feel it deep in your bones and heart, or maybe your mind too if you're lucky." Chocolate eyes finally met mine through the device, and I got a crooked smile. "Then there's the times where you really aren't sure where the person's thoughts are, but you know that you'd do anything for them, as sure as the sun rises each morning. Why?"

I tilted my head back and sighed, "I think I have that, a crush." That seemed to catch his interest as he leaned closer to the screen, "she's everything a person should be: kind, compassionate, empathetic, understanding. She doesn't judge me for what I look like, but for who I am... nobody's ever done that to me before. Each time I look at her, I feel like my whole body has erupted in flames before getting doused in cold water, but instead of a shiver, I get a giddy jump in my step and a smile that won't go away, or maybe even a smear of rouge across my cheeks."

Sadness seemed to seep from the iPad as Carlos leaned back, the crooked smile replaced by a sad and forlorn one, making him look like a lost teen instead of the fearsome mafia man he was. "What's her name? She must be important if you've thought about it this much."

Grinning at him, I laughed, "her name's Audrey, and she's everything I never thought I would find in a person." I looked at Carlos again, "thanks for listening to me, I never thought I would have another friend who would just listen and give advice... that's normally her role... thanks."

"Right, well, I'm happy that I can be that friend for you. You know where to find me if you ever need anything else." His eyes seemed glossy as he reached forward and ended the call. A second too late, I tried to tell him I hadn't talked to my mom yet, but I really didn't think she would mind... he didn't seem in the best mindset after our talk anyways.

Someone knocked at the door, drawing my attention away from my iPad. "Nadia? Are you in here?" Getting up, I stalked towards it. "There you are! Get changed, our training session starts in ten!" A groan tried to escape my mouth but I muffled it with a tight-lipped smile.

***

The gym seemed abnormally large as I stepped into it. Everyone else had already arrived, meaning that all attention was on me. I cringed as I realized that the door would close with a loud clang, knowing that if I tried to stop it, I would be a second too late.

"You're late." Grunting at Hercule, I made my way to the sparring ring. Alexandre smiled at me from where he stood and I frowned. It was bad enough that I was here, not to mention the fact that he wanted me to do something with a knife. Who knew what I would do with a weapon I hadn't been trained to use...