Page 6 of Moonlight Hearts

My eyebrows crept up my forehead.“Spawn?”

The Lorenzo behind the counter nodded, his expression pleased.“Oh, yes.It was one of the older ones, but I’m fine, Mr.Saintclair.It was minor pruning, and I was able to reabsorb most of it.”

“Reabsorb?”

Soyer cleared his throat.“Yeah, thanks, Lorenzo.No need to add any more details to that.”

“If you say so.Heading down?”

Soyer shook his head.“We’re getting ice cream.”

I couldn’t quite tear my eyes away from this younger version of Lorenzo, even as I followed Soyer to the freezers.I had so many questions, but I couldn’t ask them where Lorenzo might overhear.

Soyer tapped the glass of the freezer door.“There.Mint chocolate chip and raspberry.They have both.Wanna get both?”

I turned my attention to the ice cream, and they did indeed have both kinds, plus several more on top of that.There was pistachio chocolate, black sesame, even matcha and melon.It was a wider selection than I’d ever seen before.

“Well, what’re you getting?”

Soyer looked at me, his gaze intense.“They don’t have my favorite flavor here.”

My cheeks heated.“Shh!Soyer.”

“What?Lorenzo doesn’t care.”

“Still.”

He rolled his eyes.“Fine.Let’s see.Hmm.Roasted hazelnut.I’ll go with roasted hazelnut.”

I nodded, my gaze wandering over all the flavors.I cocked my head.“They have cherry, you know.”

“Oh yeah?”

I pointed.“There.”

He shrugged.“I already said I was going to have roasted hazelnut.”

I looked at him.“But you want the cherry?”

Soyer put his hand on my back, stroking my spine.“I didn’t say that, my heart.”

I nodded.“Okay.I’ll get the cherry.”

Soyer chuckled and opened the freezer to pick out the little containers.“Any last-minute changes?”

“Nope.”

“Okay then.”

He grabbed the ice cream, letting the freezer door fall shut behind him.

“We’re just going to eat these at home?”

“Did you have another idea?”A smile lingered around the corners of his mouth.

Soyer was playing with me.Not in any malicious way, of course, but he was baiting me.He’d brought me here to bait me, and I was ready to swallow his lure.

“Are we going to the underground again?To the old subway system?”