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Dylan kept a steady stare in Shithead’s direction, not once giving him the satisfaction of knowing he’d discovered the one huge gaping chink in his armor when it came to women.
The dominant part of his brain did not believe this man. He was a thug used to getting his own way at any cost. Dylan believed in Lilianna. He was in love with Lilianna. She wasn’t trying to con him out of half his wealth. Was she?
Dylan smiled again and shrugged. “Is this woman you’re talking about a fictional character in your wild imagination? Because I still don’t see anyone in here. Should I call your shrink, I mean doctor, for you?”
The frown returned full force. Sammy’s face screwed up into an ugly mask of fury. He turned, grabbed a laptop display tied to the counter with a metal tether by its top screen, and brought it down on the center of the glass case by the register.
Then he screamed at the top of his lungs, “Lilianna!”
Chapter Twelve
Hunter grabbed Lilianna by her shoulder, clamping down hard to keep her from running out into whatever bad situation was going on in the front of the store at the sound of her name being yelled.
“Is there another way out of this place?” he asked Herbert.
The older man shook his head. “Only if you’re willing to go through a very small bathroom window.” He scanned down Hunter’s body and shook his head again. “Personally, I don’t think you’d fit.”
“Actually, I am willing to go out a tiny window. More accurately, she is.”
Lilianna made a face. “No. I’m not. I won’t leave Dylan out there all alone with Sammy.” She turned again as if to leave. “That’s his voice screaming my name by the way.” She turned again to go down the short hallway.
Hunter dropped the briefcase to the floor at his feet and wrapped his other arm firmly around her shoulders. “Please wait.”
Staring deeply into her eyes, Hunter had never before realized the level of jealousy he had in hearing a strange man call out the name of a woman he loved. And he did love her.
Fury filled him body and soul at the thought of Sammy being even a tiny threat to her. He wanted to punch that stranger’s teeth down his throat. He even had more than one good reason. Sammy had fucked with his girl and made her frightened enough to run. That alone demanded an answer. One he wanted to give with his fist to Sammy’s throat.
Hunter spoke in a low tone. “Meanwhile, I can’t let you go into a situation we don’t know anything about. I won’t.” Hunter nodded at Herbert. “You go out there and tell him she isn’t here.”
“Won’t do any good.” Herbert pointed over his shoulder with a thumb. “By now he’s got a guy watching all windows and more guys stationed at the only door. Somebody must have seen her come inside the store or he wouldn’t be here himself. Plus, he wouldn’t even come inside the store if he didn’t have every other possible exit covered.”
Hunter thought for a moment. He then kissed Lilianna hard on the lips. Pulling back, and in as soothing a tone as he could muster, he said, “I will not let anything happen to you while I’m still breathing.”
A glimmer of her beautiful smile flashed a moment. “I know you won’t. But I will not be able to live with myself if anything happens to either you or Dylan because of me.” She glanced at the door again. “I hate leaving him out there.”
“It’s going to be okay. Dylan can take care of himself. I’ll go out there and give him the money that you don’t really owe him. Then you won’t have to do anything at all.”
Lilianna placed a hand on his arm. “Somehow I think that if Sammy doesn’t see me, it wouldn’t matter if I gave him the whole briefcase full of cash, he’d still keep coming after me.”
They stared at each other for several seconds.
His phone buzzed. He lowered one arm, grabbed his cell phone, and answered it without looking at the display. “Yes.”
A man with a deep voice and a distinct accent said abruptly, “You’ve got a deal, Mr. Franklin. I’ll be expecting a call from you very soon. Then we’ll proceed as you have proposed.”
