“It’s my road name,” I explained angrily.
“Well if that isn’t the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. What is your God given name?”
I shook my head in disgust and walked away from her, searching for the bathroom.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Maria asked behind me.
That was it. A man can only take so much and I had had my fill of Maria Bianci.
“I’m going to go take a piss, would you like to come with me? Maybe hold my dick for me?”
I grinned in satisfaction when I heard her gasp behind me. One for Riggs, twelve thousand for Maria.
I walked down the narrow hallway, finding the bathroom and heard Mia talking in hushed tones in the room across from it.
“Lauren, you really need to answer your phone goddamn it! Your mother is here with some scary looking guy. Call me back.”
I stopped outside Mia’s bedroom door, peered through the crack and saw she was fully dressed. Double bummer. She was sitting on the foot of her bed, her fingers moving rapidly on her phone. I toed the door open with the tip of my boot and she quickly dropped her phone onto the bed.
“Problem?” I asked, checking over my shoulder to see if “Carmela Soprano” was anywhere near, then stepped further into Mia’s room. She lifted her eyes to mine, sinking her perfectly straight teeth into her lower lip.
“Why would you ask that?”
I narrowed my eyes trying to read her. I didn’t know what the hell was going on here but I was sure that my night wasn’t over. I was starting to hate everyone with the last name Bianci.
“Where’s Lauren?” I asked, crossing my arms against my chest. Her eyes zeroed in on my cut and I watched her throat as she swallowed.
“Who are you?” She questioned.
“I’m a friend of her brother’s.” I lied because Anthony was more of an enemy of mine at this point. She looked uneasy, I didn’t know if it was because I was a strange guy standing in her bedroom or because she was hiding something. I lifted the skull cap from my head and ran my fingers roughly through my hair.
“Look, if Lauren’s in some kind of trouble…” I started but my words trailed off the moment she stood from her bed and peeked her head out the door. She closed it softly and turned around.
“Lauren’s been lying to her mother,” she started.
I fitted the hat back onto my head and sighed. More Bianci bullshit was headed my way.
“Maria thinks Lauren is an intern at a hospital, a requirement for her nursing degree. The thing is, she kind of quit the program,” she continued.
I lifted an eyebrow. “Mama Leone” was going to blow a gasket.
“So if she’s not playing Florence Nightingale, where is she?” I questioned.
Silence.
Fuck my life. I stalked toward Mia, watching as she raised an eyebrow and walked backward until her back slammed against the door.
“Ouch,” she muttered.
I narrowed my eyes, bracing one hand flat against the door over her head and leaned close to her.
“Where is she?” I repeated.
“She’s working at a bar in town, near campus,” she said, stepping around me to walk toward her desk. She ripped a piece of paper off a pad and scribbled something on it. “Here’s the address. She’s not answering the phone so you need to go get her before Maria starts asking questions.”
“You’re kidding right?” Does the leather and tattoos not scare anyone anymore these days? These people are walking all over me like I’m some kind of jerk off.
“I don’t even know what she looks like,” I grunted, staring down at the scribbled address, wondering what kind of bar the Pink Pussycat was and what the fuck I did in life to deserve this shit.
Mia looked at me for a moment before turning around and grabbing a picture frame off her dresser. She held up the framed photo of her and what I assumed was Lauren. I dropped my eyes to the picture of the two girls, my eyes zeroing in on Lauren.
Big crystal blue eyes, framed by thick black-rimmed glasses, stared back at me. She had a killer smile, perfectly straight, white teeth, framed by full pink lips and a cute tongue since she was sticking it out the side of her mouth. Her black hair framed her face in waves, a stark contrast to her bright blue eyes. She was pretty, hot even, if you’re into the girl next door type. Or nurses. I wouldn’t mind being her patient.
I lifted my eyes back to Mia’s and handed her back her photograph before turning around and pulling open the door.
“Are you going to go get her?” Mia called over my shoulder. I ignored her and brushed past Maria who was scowling at me from the bathroom door.
“Got lost on your way to the john?” She asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently.
“No, when you wouldn’t hold my dick for me I thought I’d test my luck with your daughter’s roommate,” I smiled, glancing over my shoulder at Mia. “Thanks, babe,” I winked.
“What? No! I didn’t…” Mia stammered.