Page 68 of Billionaire’s Heartbreak

“Can I help you?” I asked, deliberately not looking up. “This table is taken.”

My gaze drifted briefly toward the counter.

The old man was gone.

“Hello.” The man's voice carried a slight foreign edge, his English practiced but not quite natural. “Long time no see.”

A soft chuckle followed.

I finally looked up. “Who is this?”

“Tony.”

He extended his hand. Tattoos disappeared beneath his sleeve, while the ink across his knuckles was harder to miss.

I stood and took his hand. His grip was firm and measured. Neither of us tried to overpower the other.

“And you are?”

“Her protector.” I smiled a little wider. “Whatever she needs me to be.”

June shifted beside me, her expression suggesting she had several things she wanted to say, but she didn't. Her attention had moved elsewhere, tension settling into her shoulders.

“He's…” she said quietly. “Mack's brother.”

Mack.

The name wiped the smile from my face.

Threatened June. Kidnapped Dave. Disappeared before I could make him pay for either.

“Ah. An old friend.”

I reached back and tapped Dave lightly on the shoulder. “And yours.”

Dave didn't smile. Didn't even try.

Good.

I shifted my weight and glanced past Tony. The street had become busier. More men had appeared, spreading farther along the pavement rather than gathering in one obvious group. The edges were widening, slowly closing off the street around us. Some had moved farther into the road, forcing cars to crawl past while drivers leaned on their horns.

I turned back to Tony. “Your friends?”

He didn't look outside. He didn't need to. “They're just making sure the conversation stays…” His gaze moved toward June. “Private.”

He said it as though I wasn't even sitting there. That irritated me more than it should have. Then his attention settled fully on her.

“You should come with me.”

June stared at him. “Why?”

“Because it'll be easier that way.”

“For who?” I cut in.

Tony finally looked at me. It was the first time since he'd entered the shop that he'd given me his full attention.

His eyes flicked toward June again. “I wasn't talking to you.”