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“Let go of me,” I said, my voice soft.
He leaned toward me, and I felt my heart hammering. His full, sensual lips were so close to mine, and I wanted to tilt my head, open my mouth, taste his tongue.
God, what the hell was wrong with me?
He moved past my lips, his mouth lingering against my ear.
“Just checking,” he whispered, then pulled away with a smirk.
I stood on the steps for a second, shaking with desire, then followed him up into the room. I knew I was blushing like mad, and I hated him for messing with me, but there was a moment just then, a short moment when I thought I’d actually kiss him, when I thought I might really love it.
God, there’s something wrong with me.
Steven sat behind a small metal toward the far wall. There were little TV monitors mounted on the wall to his left, and I recognized the view out in front of the building and a few shots of the patrons and the bar itself, which explained why Colleen was so willing to leave the bar empty. There were filing cabinets, folders lying around, and a large safe shoved into a corner.
Steven himself was tall, dark hair, blue eyes. He was handsome in a rugged kind of way, and wore a tight, tailored suit that clung to his muscular form. He stood as I approached and shook the hand I extended him.
“Nice to meet you,” I said. “I’m Mona.”
“Mona,” he said. “Vince’s just been telling me about you.”
“Good things, I’m sure.”
He released my hand. “He says you’re okay, for a journalist.” Steven sat down. I glanced back at Vince who just grinned and shrugged.
“What can I say? You’re the enemy.”
I rolled my eyes and looked at Steven. “Do you think that too?”
“I think journalists are dangerous to people like us,” he said. “But you’re not necessarily the enemy, no, not really.”
“Good,” I said. “At least one of you has some sense.”
Vince laughed and leaned up against the filing cabinet to my left, his arms crossed over his chest.
“All right,” he said. “Steven agreed to let you sit up here for a second, so go ahead and ask whatever you want to know.”
I stared at them, taken off guard. I hadn’t expected to be allowed to ask questions, especially not of a high-ranked Capo. But Steven raised an eyebrow at me and tilted his head, and I could tell he was waiting for something.
“Did you really shoot Colleen?” I asked, blurting out the first thing that came to mind.
He frowned then shook his head and laughed. My stomach did flips and my heart raced, and Vince stared at me like I was a crazy person.
“I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m pretty sure that was Davide. Or maybe it was Chad? I actually don’t even remember who I was with that night anymore.”
“But she did get shot.”
Steven leaned back and held out his hands. “It was the beginning of a war,” he said. “She was an innocent bystander, and my guys got a little excited. I made sure she was okay, but when I realized she was the niece of my enemy, I couldn’t just let her go.”
“She explained that part,” I said.
“It’s a love story for the modern era,” Vince said with a laugh.
“It worked out for the best, at least,” Steven said
“And now you… own all this territory?” I asked. “What happened to the families of all the other gang members?”
“They’re still here,” he said. “In fact, one of the guys at the bar is the uncle of a man I killed. Nice guy, really funny.”
“They just… live with you?” I stared at him in surprise.
“He’s doing things a little differently,” Vince said, and I detected a hint of pride, or maybe awe in his voice.
“Colleen’s idea,” Steven said. “We’re taking care of this place, helping out the families that lost guys, giving jobs to those that need them. I opened a daycare, funded a library, upgraded the park. Instead of cracking down and breaking skulls like we’ve done in the past, I’m making things better.”
“And it’s working?” I asked.
“It’s working,” he said. “It’s not nearly as profitable, I’ll be honest. But we make enough money, so why not spread it around?”
Vince laughed. “And that’s why everyone thinks he’s nuts.”
“Makes sense to me,” I said. “Win over the locals. Consolidate your control.”
Steven gave me an interested look. “You’re clever,” he said. “Vince better be careful with you.”
“Oh, I know,” Vince said. “Don’t worry. I’m keeping my distance.”
Steven laughed and sat up straight. He looked at the monitors, tilted his head, and out let a breath. I tried to follow his gaze, but he picked up a remote and turned them off with the click of a button.
“Well, that about does it for me,” Steven said. “Duty calls. Mind if you two let yourselves out?”
