by Kay Maree
Jennifer keeps her head down. Anxiety radiates from her when we pass. I feel stupid thinking that, however that’s what I get from her. Raw, unadulterated panic. I feel it. Somehow, her emotional distress is reaching out for me. It’s wrapping itself around me. Strangling me.
Scaring me.
Her bodyguard comes up behind her and lays his hand on her shoulder. Every nerve in my body twangs. Jennifer finally raises her eyes from the counter. She seeks me out, and I brace for my usual reaction. It doesn’t have time to come because she stares at me just long enough to shake her head and mouth a single word.
“Later.”
I’m trying to work out what she means when Freddie grabs my collar and frog marches me the rest of the way to the door. I swing around to question her, but she’s gone. My trainer jabs me in the liver and my knees buckle. He hauls me back upright and pushes me outside.
Once we’re out of sight, he lets me go. “Get a move on. We haven’t got long until they’ll be wanting something heavy lifted, and you know who they’ll call.”
“Yeah, us,” Hayden jokes. “Strong enough to move their shit and dumb enough to say yes whenever they ask.”
His annoyingly happy tone irritates my already agitated nerves to the point of no return. Turning to him, I seize the front of his t-shirt and get in his face. His smile quickly fades, and he sighs.
“For fuck’s sake, Angelo. It was a compliment.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” he replies. “But you’re still going to smash my face in, aren’t ya?”
“Look at you,” I smirk, then I slap his cheeks, first the left then the right. “You’re already getting smarter.”
Freddie’s laughter echoes off the wall of his empty gym.
My anticipation grows to an uncontrollable level. As I strip off my shirt, and start wrapping my hands, I push the riddle of Jennifer to the back of my mind and concentrate on the puzzle in front of me.
I’m going to enjoy teaching Hayden Harvie to keep his eyes to himself.
Chapter Ten
Jennifer
Phyllis’s nephew is all but dragged out of the library by an old man. Another boy follows them, although he stops to look at Hayden’s little sister. While I lied to Brett to throw him off the scent, I knew they’re not together. No man I know is that protective of his girlfriend. His mother, his sister, his daughter—women who share his bloodline—are deemed worthy of their wrath.
All other women, though.
We’re nothing but wet holes and items that secure business mergers.
Disposable and interchangeable.
“Please give me some space,” I ask Brett. My anguished plea must register because he removes his hand from my shoulder and steps back. “I won’t run. I promise. But if you keep making me look like a pathetic damsel with your constant hovering, I will make your job harder.”
He inclines his head, then saunters off to help a couple of the local women move some shelves. I feel his quiet inspection. It’s unrelenting. Yet the small amount of added distance allows me to breath properly, and once I’m breathing, I can continue plotting my escape.
“How do you know my brother?” The tiny brunette from the basement stands next to me. I pretend to concentrate on the card system in front of me to buy myself enough time to work out how to answer her. Patience is not one of her virtues it seems since she launches straight into a rambling soliloquy. “Look. It’s obvious you’re in trouble. And my brother is just the man a girl needs if she’s looking for a way out. I can take you to him without boofhead over there noticing until it’s too late, but you need to promise me something first.”
I follow her gaze toward Brett. The old lady who seems to be in charge of everything is monopolizing his attention. She’s fussing over something, pointing to the far corner of the library and shooting half looks at me and the girl as she lures him further away from me.
What’s happening hits me in a rush.
These women—outsiders who’s names I don’t even know—are helping me. They’ve picked up on my panic and they’re doing something about it rather than acting like I’m overreacting.
“Anything,” I vow in a rush. My body is filling with adrenaline and I know this is my only chance to get out of here. “Name it and it’s yours.”
“Promise me you’ll help my brother once he’s helped you.”
Her odd request makes me pause. Brett stops long enough to spare me a look before the old lady takes hold of his arm and tugs him next to her. They disappear from view and I decide in that moment that I’ll do whatever I can to honour the deal this weird girl wants.
I hold out my hand for her to shake.
“Deal.”
We giggle when we say the word at the same time. It’s a bonding moment that’s over in the next breath. Still holding my hand, she drags me to the main doors. I try to ignore the way my heart pounds and my brain screams at me that it can’t be this easy.
I can’t just leave by the front door and not expect to be found.
“Quick,” she directs me in a bossy voice. “My friends are keeping the men in the car that’s been circling since you arrived busy, but we don’t know how long that will work.”
Of course. I should’ve known that Desmond would have a contingency plan in place. Sparing a glance at either side of the road, we deem it safe enough to cross and make a run for it. Once we’re across the street, we dash up the rickety stairs of the dingy, smelly building directly opposite the library. It’s dark and damp inside.
My eyes take a moment to adjust. My nose refuses to acknowledge the rancid smell of rotting timber, sweat, and blood, but my stomach tries to revolt at the stench until my attention is grabbed by the two men fighting in the main ring that dominates one side of the building and I can’t think about anything but the sight before me.
Hayden and the other boy are fighting. The old man who dragged them out seems to be refereeing them. It’s brutal, yet primal. A display of masculinity that should unnerve me, instead it makes me feel safe…
And a little aroused.
Phyllis’s nephew is spectacular. He’s stripped off his t-shirt and is wearing only shorts. His dark hair is wet, and his skin glistens under the light bulbs that hang from the ceiling. While the other boy is attractive in his own way, it’s Hayden who captures my attention and makes it impossible for me to look away.
“Angie,” my little guardian angel yells as she approaches the ring. “I was right. She does need help.”
Both men—I can’t call them boys even though we are about the same age—immediately stop fighting and turn to look at me.
“What the Hell, Maria?” the one I’ve decided is Hayden remonstrates his sister. “You brought her here?”
The second fighter frowns. He cocks his head to the side and openly appraises me. Confusion clouds his eyes, then he pulls his fighting gloves open with his teeth and starts unwrapping his hands.
The siblings stare at each other, seeming to continue their conversation with only their eyes. The old man and the second fighter climb out of the ring and approach me with concern on their faces.
“You’re Jennifer DeLuca?” the younger fighter asks.
“I am.” It’s my turn to frown. “How do you know?”
Instantly, my hair stands on end and I begin to worry that I’ve walked into a trap. Phyllis only mentioned one nephew. There’s two men here.
She never mentioned a niece either.
Have I walked into a trap?
“I’m Hayden Harvie,” the younger fighter remarks. He nudges the old man. “This is the girl I told you about. My aunt thinks she’s in trouble. She wanted me to keep an eye on her, but I got a bit side-tracked.”
“Yeah, by someone who’ll get you killed if you don’t get ya staring under control, quick smart.” The old man grumbles almost under his breath. “Now what are we gonna do? You and Angelo are already at loggerheads and we got this young la
ss to think of. How we meant to keep her when you two are ready to kill each other?”
None of this makes sense. I look past them to the brother and sister. They’ve finally ceased whatever silent argument they were having and are watching me. Why haven’t they said anything? Did Hayden—the real Hayden—send her to find me?
No. I answer that question with one look at him. He’s as confused as I am over how I ended up here.
Swallowing down the nausea that tries to make me vomit when I realise how big of a mess I’ve made of my escape, I hold my hands up and step backward toward the door we ran into the gym through.
“It’s okay,” I try my hardest to keep my voice level. “I’ve obviously made a mistake here. Why don’t you just go back to whatever you were doing, and I’ll head back to the library. No harm, no foul. You can forget I was even here.”
The man I thought was Hayden ambles forward. He matches my steps with his own and I quickly find myself trapped between him and the door that leads back to the street. This is too reminiscent of my altercation with Desmond for me to handle and a visible shiver of fear runs the length of my body.
He notices straightaway. “You’re safe, Jennifer. We can help you.”
The deep, gravelly timbre in his voice sends a shiver of a different kind down my spine. Thankfully, he seems to think it’s still fear so he moves away from me.
“Tell me what you need?”
Again, my body reacts to his voice. I swallow down my visceral response to him and try to make heads or tails of this predicament. I can’t go back to the library. Brett will probably know that I’ve disappeared by now. I don’t want to go back home until I can speak to my mother and make her agree to get my dad to handle Desmond and his father. It’s too big of a risk just turning up at home without an ally. I could find myself back with Desmond and I don’t trust him after the way he acted this morning.
A leap of faith is my only choice.
“I need to stay hidden until I can work out a plan.”
Angelo nods. “Consider it done.”
Chapter Eleven
Angelo
Huddling with Freddie and Hayden after I’ve locked the door to Freddie’s, I do my best to ignore my awareness of Jennifer. It’s next to impossible. Something about her calls to me. She’s sitting with Maria and they’re both watching the three of us pull this last-minute rescue attempt out of our arse. I should be concentrating on the shit we’ve just jumped into with both feet over some girl none of us know, yet the entire time we’re talking, I’m fighting the need to pull her to her feet and press my lips against hers to find out if she tastes as sweet as I think she will.
I feel her presence in ever part of my body. It’s like a sickness has taken hold of me. She’s a virus invading me and I’m the dumbass who refuses to get his inoculating shots.
“What else did your aunt say?” I do my best to drag my gaze from Jennifer. “Surely, she gave you some idea why you might need to keep an eye on her?”
Hayden shrugs. I try not to give into the urge to punch the blasé expression right off his dumb face. “All she told me was to keep an eye on her and if she came to me for help to take her to my place and lay low. We always meet for Sunday lunch at my grandparents, so I guess the plan was to talk then.”
“Seriously?”
He shrugs again. “I wasn’t really paying attention. To be honest, I thought she was being a bit dramatic. I mean, these people are filthy fucking rich, why would she come here if it was going to cause trouble?”
“No matter,” Freddie interjects. He offers me a loaded smile. “We can argue to hows and whys all day; it won’t change anything. She says she needs to hide, but she can’t go to this hooligan’s place. They’ll look there first once they find out the connection. Take her home with you.”
“No.” My denial is sharp. “Papa would sell her out for a case of beer.”
“I didn’t mean there.” My trainer hits me with a long look. “I said take her home with you.”
His meaning dawns on me. I jam my hands on my hips. “No fucking way. You really think I should take her into that den of vipers?”
Freddie inclines his head. Hayden offers another of his useless shrugs. After a frustrated exhale, I gesture to Jennifer. “Does she look like the kind of girl who’d be comfortable in the home of Don Carlucci? Shit, we don’t even know her. Why are we sticking our noses in?”
“Desperate times call for nosy people, or something like that…” Hayden trails off when someone bangs on the gym door.
He scrubs a hand over his face. They bang again and we all jump into action. Maria and Jennifer scramble behind me while Freddie goes and grabs the cricket bat he keeps next to the his filing cabinet. Hayden rummages through his pile of clothes and tosses me his keys.
“Take my car,” he instructs. “If you go out the back, we can keep them from following.”
I’m frozen to the spot. Part of me wants to run. The other part—the much bigger part—is confused as fuck and not sure if getting involved is the right move. I’ve already got my grandfather breathing down my neck. My mission is to keep Maria away from him and my nose clean of his mess.
Taking a strange girl to him could be the final nail in my coffin.
If I ask him for help, he’ll own me. There’s no take back’s in his world. Once I owe him a favour, I’m in the Carlucci Clan for good.
Is this girl worth the risk?
When the door starts shaking on its hinges, she grabs hold of my hand. Our gazes meet and I see genuine fear and panic bubbling within her emerald eyes. I tighten my grip on her and she blinks back tears. Every inch of space between us fills with her silent plea for protection, and I move closer to offer her reassurance.
Dragging her into my side, I tuck her under my arm and look down at her. “Do you want me to take you somewhere? Maybe I can call the police for you? What happens next is up to you. You can trust us, I promise.”
Gratitude mixes with worry on her beautiful face. Refusing to acknowledge the way she fits perfectly against me, I instead mentally kick myself for not thinking of the authorities sooner. The idea of asking the police for help isn’t something that springs to mind where I live. There’s a strongly drawn line between us and the cops. We stay out of their way and they don’t make our lives any harder than they already are.
A girl like Jennifer wouldn’t have that kind of apprehension guiding her decisions.
“I trust you.” She puts heavy emphasis on the last word. “My dad owns the police, so they’ll only take me back home. What I need is to hide in the last place they’ll expect. If I can stay hidden long enough to work out my next move—”
Whatever she was going to say next is drowned out by the door being kicked in.
Maria pushes me in the arm. “Go. Now.”
I trip my way over to the back exit with Jennifer hot on my heels. Pausing long enough to see my little sister pull Hayden in for a kiss. She locks lips with him, and he holds her in a way that seems to speak of previous experience. I forget that I’m supposed to be fleeing until Freddie glances my way and waves us off. Jennifer tugs my arm, but I ignore her when Hayden slides his hands up Maria’s back.
Two men burst into Freddie’s. One of them is the douchebag from the basement. They stop and stare at Maria and Hayden then they notice Freddie and his bat approaching them. He swings heavy piece of wood back and forth, bouncing the end in his hand, and they drag their lecherous gazes away from the show my sister is putting on for them.
“Can I help you fellas?” Freddie enquires.
“Uh,” the big guy who was shadowing Jennifer stutters. “We’re looking for someone.”
Freddie swings the bat a couple more times, then he uses it to point between himself and Hayden and Maria. “There’s only us three here and since I don’t know either of you, I’m going to assume you’re not looking for us.”
“No. A girl.” The other clown tries to step arou
nd Freddie. “Tall, big tits, almost black hair. May we check the back? She might be hiding.”
“No,” Freddie snarls, blocking their way. “You may not.”
Jennifer tugs my arm again. “Please, Angelo. I need to go.”
This time her urgent whisper overrules my need to rip Hayden away from Maria and I allow her to pull me away. As I shut the back door quietly behind us, I hear Freddie drawl, “I assume you’re going to pay for that door before you leave?”
A ghost of a smirk graces my face at his tone. That’s his warning voice. He’s going to do more than keep those two from following us, he’s going to have some fun detaching their heads from their shoulders before he makes them rebuild his broken door with their bare hands.
The crashing and banging starts quickly. It follows us all the way to Hayden’s brand-new, and very out of place, souped up Subaru. I make no bones about hustling arse out of there as quickly as I can.
I’m keyed up, adrenaline pumping so fast that I can’t breathe in a full breath until we’re almost at my grandfather’s. Pulling over, I slam the car in park and twist in my seat. Jennifer offers me a tentative smile which drops from her face when she sees how serious I am.
“Listen to me,” I broach the subject with as much delicacy as I can muster. “My grandfather isn’t your normal grandparent. He’s, um, ah…”
Words fail me when Jennifer lays her hand on my closest thigh. “I don’t care if he’s Hannibal Lector. He’s gotta be better than what’s waiting for me back there. I swear, it’s only for a day or so until I’ve worked out my next move.”
“Okay,” I reply, gulping back the disappointment that invades me at the thought of never seeing her again. “I just wanted to warn you.”
Jennifer squeezes my thigh. “And I appreciate that.” Another squeeze. I swear my blood begins to boil inside my veins. If I had a collar on, I’d have to loosen the damn thing. “I appreciate everything you’re doing for me right now. I know this seems crazy, but I wouldn’t be running away over nothing. I hope you’ll let me explain once we’re safe.”
