by Zoey Parker
In the end, I ended up actually inside the small space passing things to Louis who moved it while Ethan checked it against his personal list. We had a lot of stock, so it was good that there were three of us there.
We continued for a while like this, checking packages against Ethan’s list and moving them out of the storage space. When the crates were starting to become cumbersome given the small area, Louis offered to start moving them. “I’ll take what we’ve got checked out back to my car, start loading. That’ll give you some space to work.”
“Good call,” Ethan agreed.
Louis lifted a huge crate, his wall-like frame coming in handy. “I’ll bring the dolly back with me,” he informed us, then headed out of the shop towards his car with the crate in hand.
I watched him for a second, then shook my head. “He is a big bastard, isn’t he?”
Ethan took Louis’s spot, setting his clipboard aside. “Nah. He’s not a bastard. His parents were married in some Catholic church four years before having him.”
I stared at him a moment. “Seriously?”
Grinning, Ethan nodded. “Yep. He goes every Sunday, like a good Catholic.”
“Not a bastard,” I amended.
“Not a bastard,” Ethan confirmed.
I started passing Ethan what I could and he’d pause now and then to check something off his list or write something down. After a while, we found ourselves surrounded by crates with nowhere left to put them. “I thought Louis was going to bring the dolly back,” I whined.
Ethan frowned, glancing through the store back towards the front door. “He’s been gone for a while.”
I folded my arms across my chest, feeling a spark of anxiety. “You…you think something’s happened?”
Ethan didn’t answer me. Instead, he said, “Wait here.” Then he pulled out his gun again and headed towards the door. I watched him go, my heart hammering in my chest and my palms sweating. I swallowed heavily when he reached for the door.
It opened before he got hold of it.
A man entered. He was very clearly not Louis, who would have been twice the size of this guy. Ethan reacted immediately, shoving his gun in the guy’s face and grabbing him by the shirt collar. He shoved the man into the wall, holding him against it with the barrel of the gun pressed into his cheek.
“Whoa! Easy! It’s me!”
The voice told me first who it was and then my eyes picked out his features in the dim lighting. The snuff tucked between his lip and teeth. The disheveled, thinning hair. The mild build. “Todd?”
He nodded at my question urgently because Ethan still had the gun shoved in his face. “Yeah, it’s me, boss.”
I came out from my little corner in the storage closet and stepped around the boxes to get a better look at Todd. He looked like Ethan had scared the crap out of him, which wasn’t surprising given the gun in his hand. Poor guy.
Ethan narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously, but released his collar, easing up enough that Todd wasn’t pinned to the wall anymore. He straightened out his clothes, glancing at the gun a little nervously.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Ethan asked him. His gun was lowered slightly, but still gripped firmly in his large hands.
“Louis called me. He told me to do a drive-by of the place, make sure everything was good.”
Ethan frowned, still looking a little uneasy at Todd’s presence.
Todd shoved his hands into his pockets, almost like a little kid, and added, “I saw the car outside. Figured I’d come in and give you a hand.”
This last little tidbit must have been enough for Ethan, because he relaxed slightly. “Jesus, Todd. Next time call and give us a heads up, or I’ll shoot your stupid ass even when I know it’s you.”
“You bet, boss.”
Ethan turned away from Todd and headed back towards me. “Since you’re here, give us a hand.”
I saw Todd nod and follow Ethan back. I was about to do the same, but my phone went off then, telling me I had a message. Pulling the phone out of my pocket, I checked it and saw it was Jessie.
Stopping by. Cody needs that teddy bear.
I started to respond that I wasn’t home and I would drop it off in the morning when I caught movement in the mirror out of the corner of my eye.
Ethan had placed his gun on top of one of the covered crates. As Ethan reached for a box, I saw Todd pulling something cold and metal from the back of his pants. A gun.
A startled cry escaped me, causing Ethan to turn. Todd popped off a shot, but it missed its mark as Ethan lunged for him. The men struggled for Todd’s gun. Ethan’s large hands practically engulfed Todd’s as he tried to twist the gun free.
But Ethan was stuck between crates awkwardly, impeding his movements. Todd kept his littler, gangly hand wrapped around the gun. I thought he would back up then, try to get away from Ethan, but instead he used his leverage and footing to shove forward with his weight.
Ethan, who was already leaned forward too far in an effort to the get the gun had little choice but to go with the movement, pedaling backwards. Todd used the moment to jerk the gun free of his hand.
It gave Todd enough leverage to push the gun forward into Ethan’s face, making the larger man back over a crate. He tumbled to the ground and Todd leveled the gun at him.
“No!” I cried and moved instinctively. I went for Ethan’s gun, still sitting atop a crate.
It was possibly the stupidest thing I’d ever done.
My cry and my sudden movement was enough to startle Todd away from Ethan and jerk around to face me. As he did so, the gun went off.
I screamed and ducked, forgetting all about Ethan’s gun. Instead, I turned tail and ran for the door.
I heard glass crunching, the high-pitched wail like a siren as a mirror shattered, the bullet hitting there instead of me. Glass fell across the attached countertop like crackling confetti. I made it to the door just as another shot rang out and this time it was close enough that I swore I could feel it moving my hair.
Falling out the door, I ran across the street, doing my best to get the hell away from Todd. Louis! I have to find Louis! I thought wildly.
He had been headed for his car and I was, too, hoping I’d find the huge man there. But as I made it to the mostly empty parking lot, I found Louis’s car with the trunk popped open and a crate left unattended near the tire.
I felt panic begin to build as I heard another shot ring out. It came from behind me and my heart fell as I suddenly comprehended that Ethan was in the store with Todd.
Todd—who still had a gun.
Had Ethan just been shot? I turned around and started back towards the store, realizing how stupid that was since I was unarmed, but I had to do something.
I didn’t make it across the street. Halfway there, I heard a voice. The same voice from earlier that evening. “Hold it right there, sweetheart.”
Tommy.
I froze. I was staring at The Cut, horrified by how still it seemed, but in my peripheral vision, I could see a dark figure holding a gun aimed for me.
He was a dozen steps away, and part of me hoped I was wrong. That maybe this guy was just a bystander. A crazy kid dressed up like a gangster, holding a toy gun because he thought he was being funny. But I knew I wasn’t that lucky.
The man’s face was cast in shadow, his features exaggerated with an elongated nose and deep black pits for eyes. I didn’t want to look at him too closely, didn’t want to turn my head, but I noticed that. Part of me wanted to think if I just held still, he would leave me alone.
But that was a naïve, stupid thought.
“Please,” I heard myself say, but I knew this man wouldn’t listen. I wasn’t even sure if he could hear me. I was as good as dead.
Who would take care of Cody? What would they tell him had happened to his mother? What would happen to Jessie? Is Ethan dead?
When that gun fired and that shot echoed through the empty streets, I was one hundred percent positive
I was dead. But while I was waiting for the pain to come or for instant death to take me away, I saw Ethan rushing out of The Cut.
He had a gun in hand and a wild look on his face. He settled a little when he caught sight of me, then I saw his gaze jerk away to the ground near my feet.
My whole body trembling, I forced myself to turn slightly. I caught my breath when I saw a body on the asphalt, dark blood pooling beneath him. “Oh my god,” I murmured. My legs felt like they were made of gelatin, about to give way any second.
The next moment, the one right before I dropped to my knees in shock, Ethan reached me and wrapped his arms around me. He kept me up on my feet, letting me lean heavily against me.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, boss. I went to check out a noise I’d heard around the corner. Got clubbed in the damn head. When I came to, I found this fucking asshole out here pointing a damn gun at her.”
At the sound of Louis’s voice, I tore my eyes away from the body. I had never been so happy to see that damn man. I could have kissed him, I was so relieved.
“Tommy,” Ethan confirmed, easily identifying his rival. “Fucking bastard.”
I clung tightly to Ethan, trembling in his arms from dwindling adrenaline and relief. I was alive. Ethan was alive. Hell, even Louis was alive. And the bad guy wasn’t. Everything was going to be okay.
Chapter 17
I’d never seen a dead body before. On TV, sure, but this was different. The blood looked kind of fake—dark and like syrup instead of the bright red people think of when they think of bleeding. And it scared me how still the man was. There wasn’t any movement to be found on him, not even a gust of wind whisking his hair away. Instead, he was as still as the pavement he lay on.
Louis had shot Tommy in the back while he was focused on me and I found I was eternally grateful for that. Anyone else could call it cowardice, but Louis saved my life. And right now, I was relieved because it meant I didn’t have to look at the dead man’s face.
Would his eyes be open? Milky white? Or would they still look like the same color they had been? Maybe they would be altogether closed.
I didn’t know and I didn’t want to know. I wanted to forget this whole damn night, pretend like it had never even happened. I knew that was likely to be impossible, but at least I wouldn’t be haunted by the man’s dead, unseeing face.
Looking up from the body finally, I looked at Louis. “T-thank you.” I silently cursed myself for the stammer in my voice, how shaky it was, but there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
Louis frowned a little, whether at my gratitude or my trembling words, I couldn’t say.
Before he could say anything, Ethan shifted me in his arms and looked hard at his trusted enforcer. “You saved her?” he confirmed, though it was obvious. I sure as hell hadn’t killed Tommy.
Louis nodded. “Yeah. Son of a bitch thought he could get the drop on me, but I wasn’t down for the count.” He fingered a spot on his head that I now realized was red with drying blood. It looked swollen and a little gruesome, but compared to the general size of the man, it wasn’t much. He was still larger than life and that bump on the head could have been a mosquito bite. “Guess I should be lucky he didn’t shoot me.”
“Why didn’t he?” Ethan asked, and I could hear the low, dangerous suspicion in his voice. A small part of me worried for Louis.
Louis didn’t waver as he said, “Probably didn’t want anyone to know he was here. Sound would’ve given him away.”
Ethan said nothing. Instead, his large hand rubbed along my back, soothing away the rawness in my nerves. I leaned on him a little harder, grateful for his presence and for the fact that I didn’t have to stand on my own.
There’s a dead man right there. How can there be a dead man right there?
I was probably in shock. I was a goddamned hairdresser for Christ’s sake. For a long, hard second, I found myself thinking I was in way over my head. This wasn’t my world and I shouldn’t be involved in things like this.
But even as I thought it, I had another thought: this is my damn shop. This is my damn life. And I wasn’t going to let people bully me anymore. Screw that.
I’m glad he’s dead, I thought and it was a little jarring to have a thought like that, but instantly I knew why.
Death meant he couldn’t hurt Cody—or me. And it also meant Ethan’s operation was safe and my business could continue as it had. When I looked at it from that perspective it was easy to see how killing someone was a lot more effective than calling corrupt cops.
“Are you all right?” Ethan mumbled into my hair.
I realized he was holding me tighter and he had been kissing my hair softly.
Pulling myself together, I nodded, my head still resting against his chest. “Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
I heard the worry in his voice, so out of place in a man like Ethan, and pulled away a little so I could look up into his face. His brow was furrowed and his full lips were pursed together, the corners of his mouth pulled down into a heavy frown. I studied that expression, deciding it was just as strange to see on him as it was to hear concern in his voice. He just wasn’t the type of man to show those sorts of things, even when he felt them.
It touched me to know I brought that out in him.
Swallowing back what lingered of my fear, I nodded. Then I pushed up onto the tips of my toes and pressed my lips against his. He responded immediately, melding his mouth to mine and using the strong arms wrapped around me to pull me closer to him. I had meant for the kiss to be reassuring, but not really lingering.
But I should have known better than to assume that any kiss with Ethan would be less than explosive.
One hand wound into my hair, pulling it free of its bun so he could clutch tightly at the strands. The other went lower to move over the pockets of my jeans. He squeezed my ass tightly, pulling me against his crotch at the same time. I felt his tongue slide against the seam of my lips, demanding entrance. And like all his demands, I obliged.
We tasted each other. I let his hands explore my body all over again, dipping beneath my shirt to my bare back. I knew I wasn’t wearing a bra. I was waiting for that moment when his fingertips would reach the underside of my breast.
When they did, I heard the clearing of a throat.
Breaking the kiss instantly, I flushed with embarrassment, glancing over at Louis. He was the standard picture of calm. Our little display hadn’t bothered him, but he must have wanted to get back to work.
“Don’t worry. Louis doesn’t mind,” Ethan told me in a low husky tone, repeating those same words he’d used on me that first time.
I swatted at him. “Yeah, well, I mind. There’s a damn body on the street!”
Ethan shrugged like it didn’t bother him, but he didn’t try to pull me back in for another kiss. Instead, he turned to Louis. “Did you actually call Todd?” he asked and I winced. I worried that if Louis answered yes, it would not be good for his health.
“Ethan,” I began, but both men ignored me.
“Yeah, boss. I did. I really fucked up.”
Ethan went stiff against me, letting me know Louis really was on thin ice. “Why? I explicitly said no one else.”
Louis shook his head. “He worked with me and Diana.” He motioned with his head towards me. “But I didn’t tell him we were moving the stash tonight. I just told him to be on alert, you know? Like I was. To make sure nothing suspicious was going on.” Louis let out a sigh and shook his head. “I should’ve fucking killed that guy.”
Ethan waved him off. “Already taken care of. Prick’s in the damn store.”
Louis nodded, but said nothing else. I realized he was waiting for Ethan to make some kind of decision. When I looked over at Ethan’s face again, I saw it was blank. Devoid of emotion. He was thinking on everything, coming to a conclusion.
Gripping his shirt, I whispered, “Ethan.”
I didn’t know if he hea
rd me or not, but a moment later, he sighed and said, “Don’t screw up like that again. I don’t put up with fuck ups for long.”
Louis’s shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, the only indication that he had been concerned about Ethan’s decision. Then he nodded his head. “Yes, sir.”
“Jesus, two bodies in one night,” Ethan muttered, glancing back at Tommy.
I still didn’t want to think about dead people, so I worked hard to keep my gaze focused on Louis instead. He glanced first at Tommy, then towards the shop.
“I’ll take care of ‘em, boss,” he said gruffly. “Since it was my fault anyway.”
