Enemy Mine

Chapter 42

I left the convent with the sage words of a nun running through my head. They played on a loop as I walked across the street toward the park where Vincent, Ruben and Deidra talked at a picnic table. I wanted to punch Deidra in her classic face, but that would not end well for me. Or, I could use Petula's advice. Find a way to tackle the obstacle that was Deidra, knowing I would never be rid of her.

Ruben left his seat and hurried to meet me ahead of Vincent. "Don't listen to anything Deidra spouts off," he said in a rush. "This is just a game to her and you don't have to play."

"Why are you ambushing me with advice? Is she going to challenge me to a battle right here?"

"No, but she is beyond reasoning with. She thought she had Vincent in the bag. Now, you come along and – BAM!"

"I can fight my own battles, Ruben, but I appreciate the friendly advice." I silenced my helpful brother just as Vincent reached us and tugged me against his hip.

"How did it go in there," he said, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Enlightening. I'll fill you in later."

"Having a chat with your long-lost grandmother?" Deidra said, taking her time to vacate the table and making sure we all saw her cleavage as she bent over.

"Yes. Thanks for coming to meet us, Deidra." I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice and paired it with a casual chin jut at the park. "We didn't get a chance to talk much during your visit to New York. Why don't you join us for dinner? I could go for some Thai."

Not only did Deidra look astonished, but Vincent and Ruben gaped at me like I'd been baptized inside the convent, and Vincent's arm tightened around my waist, forcing a small gasp from my throat. I knew a dinner date with Deidra The She-Devil was not on our agenda, but I had a theory I wanted to test.

Quick on the take, Deidra adopted the fake smile of royals as she nodded. "Sure. I know the perfect place. Vincent knows it too."

As it turned out, the Thai joint Deidra chose sat in the center of downtown everything, giving anyone with a phone easy access to our private life. But that seemed to be the way Deidra liked it, and I indulged her for the chance to turn the tides a little. I knew she wasn't really made of stone, but I wanted to see how far I could push before she cracked.

"So, here we are, Reese, like you suggested," Deidra said as soon as the waiter left our table. "What would you like to talk about? Do you want to pretend there isn't a naked elephant in the room and just talk shop?"

"I don't know about any naked elephants," I said. "I just want things to be civil between us. Now that I'm a member of the Valentino domus, you and I will see more of each other, and I'm not a fan of confrontation."

She blew into the loose strands of her hair, looking bored. "A bleeding heart. I knew it." She gave Vincent a curt shake of her head. "C'mon, Vincent. We both know you'll never make it on a diet of white fish. You yearn for something more exotic." Deidra wrapped her lips around her straw and drew water up as she held his gaze.

"You don't know me at all, Deidra. You never have," he said blandly.

"What are your aspirations, Deidra?" I asked, swooping in on the heels of Vincent's insult.

"Not ending-up complacent raising kids in a penthouse." The words rolled off her tongue as if she recited the mantra every morning.

"Okay, I'm there with you," I said. "So, what else? Do you have a degree? Are you training for the Boston Marathon? Thinking of running for president?"

Ruben laughed. "Deidra for president? Now there's an idea. Anyone who steps out of line will get a talon in the face."

Deidra shot Ruben a squinty-eyed warning before providing her answer. "I teach Krav Maga. Specifically, I teach Krav Maga to the US Marine Corps."