“It’s fine—” Benito coughed and reached around Isha for Rosetta. “They can stay with me as long as it takes.”
Isha nodded. “Okay. Take them home then. Did anyone’s phone make it out of the building? We’ll need a way for Mickey to contact you in the morning.”
“I have mine,” Benito said. “Mickey has my number.”
Mickey opened his mouth to confirm it, but Benito was already walking away, towing Rosetta, Gianna, and the cat to his car.
He drove away without looking at Mickey.
And took Mickey’s heart with him.
Isha watched them go, then turned his shrewd gaze to Mickey. “Well, that was interesting.”
“Hmm?”
Isha’s jaw ticked with faint amusement. “The vibe between you two. Something you want to tell me?”
“About what?”
“About why this household had you so torn up. And why you’re so desperate to walk away from this block. Is there something between you and the son?”
“No.”
“Sure about that? Because you were eyeballing each other pretty hard.”
“He never looked at me.”
“Not when you were looking at him, maybe, but trust me, he was looking, and Iknowthat look.”
“You don’t know anything,” Mickey snapped. “Just leave it, okay? It doesn’t matter anymore.”
Isha nodded, unfazed by Mickey’s lack of control. “If you say so, but if there’s something you need to talk about, know that I’ll listen. Or call Dom if you don’t want to talk to me. What’s gone down tonight is huge and it’s going to take months to unpick, but you matter, Mickey, to both of us.”
Mickey believed him, but he didn’t have the headspace to unravel the mess between him and Benito. Not yet. Right now, all that mattered was that Benito was still breathing. The gut-wrenching moments he might not have been would stay with Mickey forever, but as long as Benito was okay, he could live with that.
He worked through the night with Isha, transporting residents to hotels and gathering supplies to keep them going while their flats were inaccessible. It was close to dawn when he pointed his car in the direction of home.
With the smoking tower block behind him, he drove north, the radio keeping him company. News reports came in thick and fast. After a while, Mickey switched to a DAB station. Mellow drum and bass filtered into the car. It reminded him of dirty nights with Benito, and yearning consumed him. He tapped the dashboard and brought up Benito’s number, but his phone rang before he could place the call.
Benito.
Warmth filled his chest. He answered so fast he gave his thumb whiplash. “Hey.”
“Mickey?” Gianna’s panicked voice filled the car and stopped his heart. “Mickey, please, you have to come quick. Something’s wrong with Benito.”