AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s possible we’ve been followed.” I kept my voice down, refusing to draw any attention. However, it was obvious I’d been recognized by several people inside the store. It bothered the hell out of me today.
“You started a war, didn’t you?”
I peered down at her after she asked the question, laughing deeply. “You do understand more than you let on.”
She placed the last of the items on the counter before turning to face me. “Just enough to realize I don’t understand how you could live with danger surrounding you every day. Don’t tell me. Brock already did. You get used to it and you’re not always in danger.”
I didn’t want to tell her that the only reason for that was I’d been surrounded a good portion of my life by a cocoon. That wasn’t what she needed to hear.
The purchase concluded, the credit card shoved into my pocket, I guided her to the door, stopping both her and the cart before doing so. “Brock is going to take the items to my trunk. Take Zorro and hold him close. Do not try and get away from me.”
“Now, you’re scaring me.” She gathered the pup into her hands, snuggling his furry body against her neck. I could smell her increasing fear and for about a million reasons, all of them surprising, I felt a weightlessness in my chest, the need to protect her stronger than before.
Good. I was glad she was beginning to understand. I motioned to Brock, who immediately grabbed the cart, walking ahead of us enough that if anyone tried to fire off a weapon from directly in front of us, he’d take the bullet in his chest.
I unlocked the doors from thirty feet away, rushing her toward the passenger seat. One she and the pup were safely tucked away, I studied the area, scanning the street for a full thirty seconds. Then I noticed a dark sedan heading our way far too slowly for the forty-five mile per hour limit. “Is that the vehicle you noticed?”
“That’s the one,” Brock told me as he flanked my side. He still had the now empty cart in front of him. The car had smoky windows, a dead giveaway to those in the business I was in. When he was forced to stop at a traffic light, I reached into my pocket for my weapon.
“Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
“Wait a minute, boss.”
“Do as I say.” No one was going to fuck with me or with my wife. I took long strides toward the vehicle, keeping the weapon out of sight. When I was within a few inches, I tapped on the driver’s window, ready to shoot the glass if necessary.
The driver rolled it down and I heard a hysterical cry the moment I shoved the barrel of my gun into the pudgy man’s face.
“Drive, Ernie. Just drive.”
I was able to dart a glance inside before grimacing. I’d terrified an older couple who were likely nothing more than tourists. Backing away, the man stepped on the gas and was damn lucky he wasn’t struck in the middle of the intersection.
After taking a deep breath, I headed back, giving Brock a hard look.
“Better safe than sorry, boss,” he told me.
While he was right, I wasn’t used to acting out of passion. When I eased inside, I felt Maria’s fiery gaze studying me intently. Where the night before had taken us two steps ahead in our push-pull relationship, witnessing my irrational act had taken us a giant leap backward. I felt it in my bones.
“It’s business, Maria.”
“It’s no way to live, Daniel.”
With that, we rode in silence on the short drive home. She continued her silent treatment after she’d climbed out, allowing Zorro time to romp on the grass and in the woods surrounding the house.
Kane drove up seconds later. As he eased onto the pavement, I noticed he was expressionless behind his dark shades. He stood where he was before bothering to close his car door. There was something different about the way he was looking at my wife, glaring at her instead. That was easy to distinguish by his furrowed forehead. I found myself bristling when he walked closer.
“Be careful, Kane. As my wife, she’s to receive the same amount of respect as you provide to me as a requirement of your employ. Is that clear?”
“I don’t think you’ll say that to me after you hear what I’ve learned.”
As with all time spent in her presence, Maria had a way of keeping me off kilter. Without hesitation, I had my hand wrapped around his throat before I knew what I was doing.
“Hear me, Kane. One more word and I’ll rip out your tongue with a pair of pliers.”
“What are you doing?” Maria demanded as she confronted us, her face turning red from the level of anger boiling in her system.
I squeezed my fingers, digging them into Kane’s thick neck as she inched closer, hissing as only she could do. “Handling disrespect toward my wife, which won’t be tolerated.”
“You almost killed two tourists likely trying to find a diner for lunch. Now, you want to kick your Capo’s ass. You’re crazy, Daniel. Just when I thought I might learn to like you. And so you both know, I can take care of myself.”
