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The question was, was it more because of my untimely arrival or from whatever she’d endured? Somehow, I doubted she’d ever be able to trust me enough to provide details or a name. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t do what I could to find out.
I hesitated before heading inside, closing the door behind me. They weren’t in the combined living room-kitchen, which disturbed me as much as her reaction to not seeing him in the house. I waited for a few seconds before walking down the hallway, peering into his room.
“You can’t do that to Mommy. You just can’t. Okay? You scared me. You really scared me.” Her strong, defiant voice from the night before was gone, replaced with the kind of stark fear that could drive a cold chill into anyone.
What in the hell had she gone through?
More important, who the hell was coming after her?
CHAPTER 9
Sabatino
“Here’s the way we’re going to play this, Jake. You’re going to tell me the truth. If you do, I’ll allow you to live. But the longer you wait to do so, the more fingers you’re going to lose. Do I make myself clear?”
“I didn’t do anything, sir. I promise. I didn’t steal from you. You can’t do that. I need my hands. It’s not fair. I was just with Marty. He was the one stealing from you.”
Now we were getting somewhere.
“Tsk. Tsk. Lying isn’t a good idea to a man who can smell a thief a mile away. Your fingers were sticky and in my world the punishment I choose is appropriate for the action. Don’t worry, Jake. I’ll deal with Marty after you and I have gotten to know each other much better. Since over a minute has passed, I can see I need to improve your memory skills. However, since I’m a fair man, this time I won’t round up. You’ll only lose a single finger.”
“No, please. Please, Mister…”
My body jerked as the memory faded. I’d motioned to someone standing beside me, could still see the reflection of a sharp blade as it was flicked open.
Who the hell was I?
Obviously some brutal asshole. Of that I was certain. I almost hadn’t wanted the imagery to fade given the poor kid who had been about to lose one of his fingers was about to shout my name. Fuck. I fisted my forehead, fighting the pain that remained behind my temple. My head hurt almost as much as my chest. At least the gash was no longer bleeding.
Small favors.
I wanted to laugh at the ridiculous thought, but a sixth sense took over and I glanced over my shoulder.
Georgia had walked into the living room, standing just inside staring at me. Her lovely features seemed distorted, her mouth twisted in fear and frustration. She was no longer wearing the robe she’d been just a few minutes before, donning a pair of black jeans and a sweater that highlighted her ample curves.
She folded her arms as she walked closer, eyeing me carefully as if seeing me for the first time. “Are you okay?”
I wasn’t expecting the question after her earlier performance. “Nothing a couple of aspirin won’t cure.”
“Sure. I can grab you some.” There was no emotion in her voice, as if an emptiness she’d been holding deep inside had returned.
She lifted her head, narrowing her eyes. Jesus. I could see not only questions but the terror in them, anxiety so thick I could almost taste it. As she walked forward, she kept a wide berth. Was she afraid I’d jerk her toward me? Sighing, I returned my gaze toward the outside, noticing how long her grass was.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as the silence grew from a few seconds to a full minute. When she still didn’t say anything, I turned to face her, realizing just how tense she remained. My gut told me she was in some kind of trouble, although I gathered a sense it wasn’t immediate, more like something she’d experienced in her past.
She pulled out a bottle from one of the smaller cabinets, popping it open and pouring pills into her hand. After grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, she walked toward me stiffly, holding out her arm. “Let’s get something very clear, Sabatino or whatever your name really is. We aren’t friends. We aren’t lovers. What happened last night can never happen again. I have no idea what possessed me to do something so reckless other than I obviously lost my mind briefly.”
I remained studying her until she threw out her arm again, requiring me to accept the pills, which I did, grabbing the bottle of water afterwards. We both had the same reaction when our fingers touched, the shimmer of electricity powerful. She backed away quickly, her breathing even more labored than it had been before. Another moment of fear had returned but she quickly tried to mask it by turning away.
After tossing the aspirin into my mouth and swallowing, I reacted without thinking, taking a single long stride toward her. I cupped her jaw, my grip firm. Her eyes opened wide, her body quivering.
“Dillon is a great kid.”
“Yeah, he is. He’s my whole world.”
“He seems smart too.” What the hell did I know?
There was a strange look on her face, as if remembering something else troubling. “He was premature. I’ve almost lost him more than once. I feel so lucky he’s thriving.” The faraway look in her eyes brought another pang of anger rushing into my system.
