In a single motion, Dom had me on the floor with my head nestled in the nook of his neck and shoulder. He looked up, taking in the room, calculating an exit. When he glanced down at me, he shook his head.
“I had plans for you tonight.” A half-smirk pulled on his lips. “Minus the bullets, of course. Friends of yours?”
He had plans for me? “No. You?”
“Maybe. Fuck my life.” He pulled his legs in and sat on his haunches. I stayed flat on the wooden planks, trying to catch my breath, while he peeked over the counter. More shots rang out. “Is there another way out?”
“The stockroom has a door that leads to the back alley.”
He nodded. “Okay, go. Now.”
“What? No. I’m not leaving you here.”
Brows furrowed, he grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward him. “How ’bout that? You care.” Tightening his hold on me, he made a break for the door next to the bathrooms in the back. More bullets broke through, shattering what little glass was left in the windows.
I let him drag me with him. One, he seemed to know what he was doing. And two, I had no idea how to get us out of this.
Now I understood why my informant didn’t show to our appointment earlier. No doubt he got cold feet and decided to warn his boss instead. Or maybe, he was found out. Oh my God. The element of surprise was the only thing we had going for us. Jess’s drug lord husband didn’t know I was helping her. If the men out there grabbed me tonight, Jess’s chance to get her life back would be over. If her husband found her, she’d be done.
And so would I.
If he found out I was still alive, he’d do whatever was necessary to finish the job he started ten years ago when he killed Dad and left Mom and me for dead.
2
Too Much Of The Same Thing
Dom
Every. Fucking. Time. I start thinking with my cock and it all goes to hell.
Vic had been right. If my new client’s soon-to-be-ex-wife was up to something, Vic would’ve figured it out. I should’ve let him look in to this lead alone, especially after Emilia had shown up at the bar out of nowhere. Of all the women in the world, why did it have to be her?
After two years of trying to get over her—trying and failing—I couldn’t let her mess with my head again. This case was too important, and the key to leaving Jersey and my old life behind for good. A life I had to stay away from because it turned me into the worst version of me. I had to stay focused.
My phone buzzed again with a text notification. That would make five texts from Vic in the last two hours. He was pissed at me. Sometimes the line between right-hand man and babysitter got blurry with him. In this case, he wasn’t wrong. I shouldn’t’ve come back. Relationships were a bad idea for me. Wasn’t that why I let Emilia go the first time I realized I had feelings for her?
I didn’t want her to get caught up in my world and all the bullshit that came with it. Mickey and his Jersey crew had been out of my life for five years now. I needed to keep it that way and not give him any reason to come after me or think I’d gone soft. I’d seen firsthand what he could do to someone who had too much to lose. Like love, family, and all those things normal people took for granted.
I peeked through the gap between the threshold and the door. Only two guys were out in the parking lot. Either today was our lucky day or this show was merely a warning. Emilia pressed her breasts against my back, craning her neck to get a better view. Christ. I squeezed my eyes shut…one, two, three…I had to stop thinking about what almost happened. Emilia wanted me as much as I wanted her.
After she’d spent the entirety of fucking law school looking down her nose at me, I’d been surprised to find her at this bar of all places, pretending to be someone else and looking at me like I was something to eat. Yeah, I’d been surprised and so turned on, but now, it seemed there was more to Emilia than I’d first thought. I didn’t buy her bullshit story. The assholes out there were shooting at her. For once, I wasn’t the target.
If this was the first time someone pulled a gun on her, she certainly wasn’t showing it. I slanted a glance at her. Her cleavage rose and fell in my peripheral vision, those dark eyes wide open and alert. She felt a healthy dose of fear, but she was cool and collected. Who the hell was Emilia Prado?
“This is hardly the time for you be staring down my top. Can you just focus on getting us out of here?”
“It’s going to take a minute to recover from what almost happened, doll. If I hadn’t recognized you tonight, I’d have my hand down that top right now.”
She swallowed, and a trail of goosebumps sprung across her chest. Good. She was still interested.
“If you hadn’t recognized me, we’d be dead right now.” She flung the door open and rushed out, blending into the shadows, every step soundless and calculated. I followed close to her. She stopped at the end of the sidewall and peered around for a second. “Looks like they’re getting ready to make a move. Got any ideas?”
“Let’s split ’em up.” I picked up a rock and threw it ahead of us, pressing my body against the stucco. When the first guy came over to investigate, I got him in a lock position and squeezed until he passed out. This wasn’t my first rodeo. Was I showing off? Maybe.
“The other guy went in.” She sat on her haunches next to the man on the ground and patted him down. “This is our chance.” She pulled a blade out of his back pocket and flipped it open before she stood.
Well, fuck.
“Grab his gun,” she said out of breath.
“I don’t do guns.” I didn’t trust myself around them anymore.
“Okay.” She grabbed the weapon, discharged the magazine, and tossed it in a dried-up bush ahead of us. “Ready?”
I nodded and scurried toward my Harley. Heart pounding, I walked it away from the building while Emilia slashed the fuckers’ SUV tires. I straddled my bike and a second later Emilia’s body slammed against mine. An electric charge blasted between us. She was pumped just like I was. With a firm kick, the engine came to life, and we careened out of the bar’s parking lot. Emilia’s arms were wrapped around my waist and her legs squeezed me tight as her ragged breath brushed the nape of my neck.
Holy fuck, she felt good.
Her laugh rumbled, sending flutters to my navel as we got on I-17 South and headed toward Phoenix. Whatever this was needed to stop but taking her home would be a mistake. If whoever was looking for her found her at the bar, no doubt they also had her address. Not to mention that I had a few questions of my own. What the hell was she up to? By anyone’s definition, this wasn’t my problem, but I couldn’t leave her alone after what happened. I sure as hell didn’t want her to stop rubbing against me either.
I slid my hand up and down her arm resting on my stomach and she coiled herself tighter around me. No, I wasn’t ready for this night to be over. I stayed on the freeway to give the two of us time to get our bearings and come up with a real plan. I had a lot of questions for Emilia. One thing was certain, though—she needed help.
“Take the next exit,” she shouted in my ear. Nodding, I put on the signal and hopped onto the ramp. When I stopped at the light, her lips brushed my cheek. “Take a left here.”
After the turn, I glanced at her over my shoulder. “Where are we going?”
“Just here. Pull over.”
We were in the middle of nowhere, and it was dark as fuck. A cold shiver crawled up my back. This place wasn’t my idea of a safe house after a run-in with a couple of hired guns.
“What the hell is this place?”
“I’m hungry. Come on. This guy has the best hot dogs.” The bike bounced when she swung her leg out and got off.
“People are shooting at you and you’re hungry?” I followed her through an alley. A single streetlight marked the spot at the end of the road where a hot dog cart was parked.
She stopped in her tracks and spun to face me. “What?”
“Cut the bullshit, doll. You know those assholes were after you. Wha
t did you do?”
“Don’t call me that. I’m not a doll. God, you haven’t changed.” She ran a hand through her thick, dark curls. I’d never known what her hair looked like. In school, she always kept it up in some kind of bun like a ballerina.
I chuckled. “Don’t change the subject. What the fuck did you do?”
“I needed answers for a case I’m working.” She crossed her arms and her tits went up a bit.
I stepped toward her. “When I saw you last month, I thought maybe you had changed careers.” She intrigued me. What kind of an attorney goes undercover for a client?
“You wish. You’re still number two in our class. I’m number one.” She flashed me a row of white teeth.
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but school let out a couple of years back. It’s anyone’s game now.”
She shrugged, rubbing it in without words as she strutted toward the hot dog cart. The closer she got to the circle of light cast on the sidewalk, the more I was treated to a perfect view of her ass. The ass that’d tortured me for an entire semester in ethics class when she sat in front of me. Every time she bent over to get something from her messenger bag, my cock would twitch.
“Buenas noches.”
The hot dog guy stood at attention when he spotted her. “Ms. Prado, good to see you. The usual?”
“Two, please. I brought a…a guy.”
“Dom.” I waved at him. He nodded and got to work on our dinner.
Emilia turned to face the deserted street, taking in the scene. She appeared relaxed, but her eyes scanned every inch in front of her. This version of Emilia was certainly not the Emilia I met back in school. Was it possible that her life was as fucked up as mine? Vic had warned me about her. Up until tonight, all his information had sounded so far-fetched. I walked up to her. “So it’s true what they say about you?”
“What’s that?”
“That you’re a cartel princess.”
She chuckled, and for a split second, she looked down at her hand as if trying to remember the right answer. “Do I look like a cartel princess to you?”
“Back at Columbia? No. You were the typical rich girl, annoyed that Daddy couldn’t get her into Harvard. Walking around like she was better than the rest of us. But tonight. You’ve shown me a different side. Which version of you is real?”
She straightened her back, rubbing the inside of her wrist. “People change.”
“Not this fast.” I reached for her hand. “If you’re in trouble, I can help you, but you need to trust me. Tell me the truth.”
She met my gaze, and her lips parted. “Wait ’til you try these dogos. You’ll be hooked.” She strolled back to the cart and grabbed the two paper plates. “There’s guac on here, bacon, jalapeños, salsa, Peruvian beans, sour cream.”
“So basically nachos but on a hot dog?”
“Yeah, I guess.” She furrowed her brows and took a big bite, mouthing so good in between bites.
She made such a big deal out of it, I had no choice but to try it. The blend of flavors was kind of brilliant. “Okay. Yeah. That’s pretty good.”
“I told you.” She wiped her hands and mouth on a paper napkin then froze. Her movements were slow as she stepped toward the trashcan a few feet away. She dumped her dinner in the can and took off running.
Shit.
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, I chased after her. When she crossed the street, a shadow moved along the brick building and made a break for it. Was this the reason for the dogo expedition? I should go home and call it a night. Emilia could deal with her case on her own. Why was I still here? Curiosity? Or the fact that I didn’t want Emilia to die tonight? She needed help, even if she hadn’t gotten around to asking for it yet. She brought me in when she agreed to a hookup. Now she was stuck with me until we figured this out.
Emilia trailed her guy down the street. I bolted toward the back alley to corner whomever the hell she was after. I turned when I reached the next street over, and sure enough, Emilia was still in hot pursuit heading my way. I stopped, placed both hands on my hips, and waited. Emilia did the same, all sweaty and sexy as she tried to catch her breath.
The runner took another minute to catch on, keeping his eyes on me. That’s right, asshole. I’m with her. He rounded on her, paced back and forth a few times, and then threw his arms up in the air. “I don’t know anything.”
“I haven’t asked you anything.” She smiled. “Do you know who I am?”
The guy nodded, rubbing his side. “You’re the lawyer helping Jess.”
“What else?”
“You run so fucking fast.” He braced his hands on his knees.
She rolled her eyes, letting out a breath. This look I knew well. She was losing patience with the asshole.
“You’re the hotshot lawyer from New York, Emilia Prado. If I were you, I’d split now. Fancy lawyers can’t handle the Arizona heat.”
Something told me he wasn’t talking about the fact that it was a hundred degrees out at two in the morning. Emilia relaxed her shoulders, pursing her lips to hide a smile. How was this good news?
“Tell your employer that if he has something to say to me, he can call my office and schedule an appointment.” She raked her fingers through her hair and big curls bounced all over the place. “Go!” she yelled at the guy when he didn’t move.
With a quick glance at me, he sprinted down the street and disappeared into the alley.
“As entertaining as all that was, can I please take you somewhere safe for the night?” Why did I get the feeling that keeping Emilia alive would require more than a safe house?
“You’re right. I can’t risk going home right now. Can I crash at your place?” She looked drained. The kind of tired left behind after an adrenaline rush.
“Of course.”
“Thank you. I know you didn’t have to stay with me. I appreciate it.”
“I couldn’t leave you hanging. It’s not who I am.” I stuffed my hands in the pockets of my jacket. “Come on. We have a long drive. I’m up north.”
“Fancy.” She grinned, and my chest squeezed tight. This woman was all kinds of trouble I didn’t need in my life.
I hopped on the freeway, and we rode in silence the rest of the way. Emilia wasn’t holding onto me as tight as before, but she had her arms around me, our bodies pressed together in a perfect fit. I took my time getting us back to the hotel. The place I’d called home since the beginning of the summer when my friend, Cole, talked me into moving to Arizona to help him out with his divorce. Now there was a guy not afraid to risk it all for the woman he loved. Not all of us were deserving of the family life—a home.
“You’re staying at the Tapatio Cliffs?” She stirred behind me when I pulled into the resort. “Um. You’re sleeping on the couch, right?”
She was thinking about it too.
“I can sleep anywhere you want.”
“I want you on the couch.” She jumped off the bike the second I stopped in front of the valet podium.
With Emilia several feet away from me, I could think again. I took my time with the valet, though our exchange didn’t last long. The guy was in a hurry to jump on my Harley, but I couldn’t worry about him. For fuck’s sake, Emilia almost got killed, and to think I’d sworn I’d never go back to that bar. For days, I managed to keep myself in check, keep away from her. Tonight, my need to see her again won over. If I hadn’t gone looking for her, Emilia would’ve had to face the shooters alone. Yeah, she knew how to handle herself, but she didn’t know what it was like to deal with assholes without a soul. Or did she?
In the lobby, Emilia waited for me by the elevator bay. When she saw me, she pushed the call button and stuffed her hands in the back pockets of her pants, taking in the room. “I’m guessing you’re an attorney these days.”
“I am. I recently moved my practice to Phoenix.”
“Really? Why Phoenix?” She stepped into the elevator and relaxed her shoulders when the door slid closed. All the t
elltale signs of someone on the run.
“I have a friend who talked me into moving here. He needed my help, and Phoenix seemed like a good place to start fresh.” And that was the truth. This far away from New York and everything that was Jersey, I felt like I could breathe again—relax. “How ’bout you? How did you end up here?”
“This is home for me. I wanted to come back.” A crease appeared across her forehead when she trained her gaze on me. “How did you do it? How did you get out?” She placed a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry.”
An alarm blared and flashed a warning in my head. After what I saw her do tonight, it was obvious the best thing to do was to stay away from her. Emilia’s behavior was too familiar. Been there, done that…never fucking going back.
“Here we are.” I stepped out of the elevator and gestured to the grand suite at the end of the hallway.
Her eyebrows shot up for a moment, and suddenly I wanted to be everything she thought was worthy of her praise. “You must be very good.”
“I never lose.” I tapped my wallet to the door and pushed it open. Her smile and the way she looked at me made me glad I’d gone with a two-bedroom suite. No way I could spend a night in the same room as Emilia and actually sleep. “There’s a spare bedroom through there. If you need anything, I’ll be in the other room. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” She bit her lip, rubbing the inside of her wrist. Could she possibly be thinking about not sleeping tonight? Not freaking likely…she made it clear before. I wasn’t supposed to be more than a one-night stand, and I agreed with her. Emilia and I were a bad mix. Too much of the same thing. “Thank you for saving my life. I promise. I’ll be out of your hair first thing tomorrow.”
“Right. Of course. Hey, it was good to see you again. I hope you stay out of trouble from now on.”
What a lame goodbye, but I was tired, and I needed to sleep. Emilia wasn’t my problem. In a few hours, she’d be gone, and it’d be like tonight never happened. I had to let her go.
She waved from the threshold of her bedroom and closed the door.
Ignite You: A Second Chance Mafia Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 0) Page 2
