Page 67 of Humility

I just nodded, never taking my eyes off her blue jacket, growing smaller with each passing second. Dario did as he said, and it worked well, so we continued all the way to town. By the time we were there, I was ready to kill every driver on the road.

She hopped off the bike and parked it in a stand in front of Charlotte’s Hand Woven Baskets. I had no idea how a basket shop made enough money to stay in business unless they were a cover for something else.

“Where is a damn overcast sky when you need one? Take me to the alley between those two buildings and drop me off.”

“You’re going to get caught, and I don’t care if you do. Jasmine should know we are here, but I’m just warning you.”

“Talk about not having any faith. I stalked and killed dozens of people in Chicago,” I said as he pulled into the alley. “I’m all stealth.”

“You’re something alright.” He rolled his eyes at me and I really wanted to punch him. “None of them were Jasmine Falcone and you’re….” He waved his hand in my direction. “You’re not exactly yourself at the moment.”

I had no idea what that meant, but I was sure it was an insult, so I just glared at him before hopping out of the truck.

“What do you want me to do?”

“Stay in the truck until I need you. I have a feeling there will be a few bodies to clean up.”

“Fuck me,” Dario swore as I slammed the door.

Waiting until he backed out, I moved to the shadowed east wall and peeked around the corner. Pulling out my phone, I snapped photos as Jasmine came out of the store with an armful of small baskets. She loaded them in the large front caddy of the old bicycle before pulling it away from the rack.

I slipped back into the darkness and held perfectly still as her shadow drew nearer. What would she do if I stepped out of the alley in front of her bike? Seeing the expression on her face made it worthwhile, but scaring her in public and her trying to kill me was not ideal for staying off the news feeds these days.

As she walked past my hiding spot, I caught a whiff of her shampoo, and a shiver raced through my body as goosebumps rose on my arms. It took more self-control not to drag her into the alley and kiss her stupid than it did for anything else in my life. Just her breathing pushed my buttons. Dario might be right, and I wasn’t myself, but I sure as fuck was never telling him that. I watched as she stopped and wandered into the flower shop.

Beastville may seem quaint, but you had to keep an eye over your shoulder and a weapon close at hand. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Jasmine to take care of herself, like Dario thought. She was new here, and this place had pitfalls and dangerous spots everywhere. It was like sending a lamb into a lion’s den and not telling it of the danger that lurked.

I kept an eye on the door and stood up straighter when the same fancy red sports car that almost ran Jasmine off the road parked in front of the shop. The engine's roar was loud, and whoever was driving gave it some gas, rattling the windows before he turned it off. Fucking show-off. I rolled my eyes. The only men who did that were those with cocks smaller than their bank account.

She gave him her patented, courteous smile—that I’d seen her flash a million times—before grabbing her bike and continuing along the sidewalk. The man looked to be around my age and held the door open as he blatantly stared at her ass when she walked away.

“Hey, excuse me,” he called after Jasmine.

Letting go of the door, he marched after her. Without a thought, I pushed away from the wall and stalked after him.

“Excuse me,” he called out again. Jasmine was mid-turn when I grabbed the man and yanked him into the next alley. “What the….”

I pressed the barrel of my gun under the soft part of his chin. “I wouldn’t yell if I were you.”

“Do you want my car?” Hands shaking, he held up the fob for the fancy car.

“You almost hit that woman on the bicycle when you drove into town.” He swallowed, and the bottom of his throat pressed into the barrel.

“I didn’t….”

“Shut up,” I ordered. “Don’t bother denying it. I watched you and her as she almost fell into the ditch.”

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, and at one point in my life, I might’ve cared, but that part of me was long dead.

“I don’t care.” Moving the gun so it was pressed into his stomach, I glared into his terrified eyes. “You almost killed her. No one hurts my Tiger and lives.”

The muffled sound of the gun firing and the shocked look on the man’s face made me smile. Pushing him off to the side, he landed on his knees and stared at his hands as the red dripped through his fingers.

Pulling out my handkerchief, I wiped off the muzzle and waited until he flopped over before grabbing his key fob and covering him in cardboard. The Castanella boys were going to love this car.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said, checking for Jasmine before walking to the car. Fuck I felt so much better. I didn’t even feel like murdering Enzo in his sleep anymore. Who said killing wasn’t good for the soul?

Chapter Thirty-Two