Angelo’s men usually wore suits, but he might be trying to blend in since it was broad daylight.
I held up one finger as Kellan crept out into the hall beside me, his deliciously sculpted chest on full display since I’d stolen his shirt. His jeans were in place, and a gun was at the ready in his hand as his mouth thinned into a straight line. He was pissed, but at least I waited for him.
Kellan motioned to the left before pointing at himself, then to the right. I dipped my head, and slid to the side, allowing him to take the other one.
The man thankfully hadn’t seen us yet, giving us the upper hand. I made it to the end of the shelves at the same moment Kellan did. I held up three fingers, and when I reached one, we both sprang.
“Holy shit!” The guy wailed as we pounced. Kellan and I closed in on him in a blur of movement with my knife pressed to the intruder’s throat while Kellan held the barrel of his gun to the back of the man’s skull.
“Please, I’m sorry. I didn’t know anyone was here,” he whimpered, raising his hands above his head. “I know I shouldn’t have, but since it’s a ghost town, I thought I’d just pop in and take a few things. I figured no one would know.”
I narrowed my eyes on him, sure it had to be a trick, but his bottom lip trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down his cheeks along with two lines of snot dripping from his nostrils.
I met Kellan’s gaze over his head, and he only raised a brow, leaving it up to me.
“Stop,” I said in annoyance, pulling the knife away from his throat.
The man, who I was now realizing was probably only eighteen, pulled in deep lungfuls of air once Kellan lowered the gun too.
“Th-thank y-you,” he stuttered, clasping a hand to his chest.
“You’re not going to have a heart attack, right?” I grimaced. I really did not need to be carting a teenager to the emergency room right now.
He shook his head, but he bent over, clasping his knees.
“I think he might’ve…” Kellan trailed off as I followed his gaze lower. Yeah, he definitely pissed himself.
“Well, you should probably go.” He staggered like I might change my mind at any moment and stab him just for fun. I wasn’t that bloodthirsty, though. All the adrenaline had already fled my body. “Don’t come back again. You might not find us next time.”
I didn’t know there was any way the guy’s face could get paler, but that just about did it.
“O-okay. Thank you.” He stumbled to the back door and fled out into the afternoon sun, letting the door slam shut behind him.
I slumped back against a bookshelf, and examined the floor. “At least it doesn’t look like he got any on the floor. I might’ve dragged him back here because there was no way I was going to clean up his piss.”
Kellan wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “I don’t know whether I should laugh or shake you and make you promise not to put yourself in danger like that again.”
“You could do both.” I shrugged and leaned into him.
They knew I could more than take care of myself, but they’d never stop worrying about me—that was just part of lovingsomeone. I was just lucky enough to have not one but three overprotective men wanting to look after me.
I slide my free hand up his chest as I lift onto my tiptoes. “You could even spank me.”
Kellan’s eyes fluttered closed, the bulge in his jeans unmistakable. “You’re going to be the death of me, little devil.”
“Ah-ha, we’re back to, little devil now, are we?” I grinned triumphantly, but it didn’t reach my eyes. We drifted too far into each other that we forgot we weren’t safe here.
Kellan crooked a finger under my chin, raising my gaze to meet his. Understanding gleamed in his sable depths because, of course, he knew exactly where my mind had gone. He always did.
“Let’s get out of here.”
I nodded, the tension ebbing from me with his hands on me. “But there’s another stop I want to make first.”
His fingers laced through mine, and he led me back to the office, both of us ready and willing to follow the other no matter where life might take us.
Chapter Twenty-One
Kellan
