The Lions Den

Chapter Ten: When the Lion Gives Himself Away

Matteo

One hour left.

One hour until I got to see her again, and I was left staring off the steep edge of the cliff because it could easily be one of the last times I saw daylight again. She could make the choice to step away from me, my case, and my life altogether tonight after I laid all of my cards on the table. By all of my cards I meant even the ones that my sister made me face. She deserved the chance to make a more than knowledgeable choice. She deserved better than what my mother got, and I would ensure that she had it. I told her time and time again that she could trust in me, and that couldn't happen if she didn't even know me.

The man that she'd been getting to all of this short while was not the whole me. There was so much that I kept buried underneath the surface, and I did my damnedest to keep her as far away from the cliff that I was currently standing on as possible. However, in order for me to do right by her I had to stop keeping her away and let her see the entirety of the intricate picture that was my life. It wasn't the prettiest capture, but it was real.

As I tied my tie I couldn't help but think about how it felt to hear her voice for the first time in days. I didn't realize how bad I missed her, or how crazy I'd gone until I actually heard her over the phone. It hit me like a tidal wave how much I caved to her lulling aura. I was stuck crashing in an aimless abyss when it came to my emotions towards her, and no matter how hard I tried they swayed and flowed to a command that she didn't even know she had.

I was sitting at my desk at the compound going over some files that had turned up about the Mahari's when my personal phone began to ring. I glanced quickly at the device that I normally kept on silent while I worked. I almost overreached it when I saw her name on the screen. To say I was surprised would be an understatement as I pressed answer quickly and waited to see if it was really her or if she'd only called on accident. If it was the latter I'd probably fling the phone across the room harder than I did that chair yesterday.

"Hi, Matteo," Her voice rang out softly across the line. I exhaled deeply, happy to hear her voice and know that this wasn't some cruel prank the universe was trying to play on me, while still trying to keep calm.

"Hi, Tesoro. To what do I owe this call?" I asked evenly. I heard her take a deep breath before she spoke.

"If it's not too late I'd like to take you up on that offer," She stated calmly, but I could hear the nervousness in the smallness of her voice. I sent up a quick prayer to God before responding to her.

"No Kashera, it's not too late at all. I told you to take all the time that you needed. I meant that. Would you mind meeting me for dinner?"

"That would be perfect. Will tomorrow be fine? I know this is late notice and all but I-" She started to nervously ramble. I couldn't help but chuckle. She let out a breath at being cut off by my laughter. I didn't have to be near her to know that her eyes were rolling in annoyance.