Chapter 26

“Show me the boy,” a woman’s voice said. It was loud, it was firm, and it had a whole hell of a lot of knee-quaking authority in it. With a rush of skirt, a bang through the door, and a decided stop-and-stare, Dustin came face to face with what was probably one of the most beautiful women Dustin had ever seen in his life. She was by no means young, her gray hair pulled back and into a tight tail, but her face was simply stunning. Dark, mysterious, with the bluest eyes that Dustin had ever seen, barring a single pair.

His stomach felt like it dropped into his shoes. “You,” she pointed, then crooked her finger. “Come here.”

Dustin shrank back against the counters instead.

“Go,” Christina mumbled through the side of her mouth, her eyes on the eggplant slices she was flash-frying in the pan in front of her. “It’s Nico’s mother. It’s okay.”