Page 35 of The Mafia’s Girlfriend

Acting on this desire that wouldn’t quit was a bad idea.

“Lost?”

She squeaked, whirling around on the garden path so quickly that she nearly toppled into a rose bush. I kept my hands behind my back, enjoying her scowl of annoyance.

“No, I’m not lost,” she bit out. “What are you doing back here?”

I raised one brow. I didn’t often take this path, but I wanted to do another patrol this way anyway. Changing things up helped prevent boredom. Walking home via an alternative route kept things from being monotone and dull. “My job.” I wasn’t technically. I was already off, but she didn’t need to know that.

“But—” She frowned. “I’ve been trying to get you alone for days now.”

I shrugged, stepping to walk past her. My fun was over. In fact, it wasn’t all that fun, surprising her and startling her. Being near her thwarted my goal to resist her, and I felt like an idiot to seek her out at all.

I know better.

“Are you ignoring me?” Her light steps chased after me.

“Why are you ignoring me?” she asked after I didn’t reply.

My patience waned for her nosiness.

“You can’t speak now?”

“Shut up,” I muttered, aggravated and kicking myself. I shouldn’t have taking the bait and sought her out. “I recall telling you to leave me alone and stay away.”

“I’m waiting to hear a good reason why.”

“Because nothing would ever last between us.”

“Who says I’m looking for something lasting?” She tipped her chin up, defiant.

I ground my teeth together, irked that she’d push my buttons like this. As we walked though, her tailing after me, I kept an eye on movement to the west.

Someone was walking along another path, but the thick hedges and flowering bushes served as scenery, blocking anyone from that edge of the resort from looking in on this VIP area. Every now and then, though, I spotted someone peeking through thinner spots.

Is someone following her?

“What’s going on?” I asked her, noticing that while she kept up this haughty, bratty tone with me, she couldn’t hide the nervousness and fear in her eyes.

“What do you mean?”

I narrowed my eyes, becoming more alert when things didn’t add up. For most of today, she hadn’t been tagging along after me. Like Randy said, she wasn’t shadowing me.

Why?

I glanced around this garden space, already darker with shadows. She never came here. I didn’t either, but the only places on the resort property that she and her friend cared about was the pool and the beach. Sometimes the restaurants and bar.

“Are you hiding?” I asked.

She opened and closed her mouth, seemingly put on the spot and at a loss for words. “What? No.”

Liar. This woman was trouble with a capital T. And like all other times in my life, I struggled to walk away from it.

“Emma.”

She made eye contact, cringing as she faced me. “What?”

“Don’t lie to me.”