Page 168 of Unruly

“Fair enough,” she agreed. “It did, though.”

“Just … won’t you look at me, Catherine?”

She did, but those damn sneaky tears of hers had started to gather in her eyes. She was trying as hard as she could to keep them from falling, and she failed terribly. Her eyes stung as the tears fell, and even more gathered. Her chest tightened fiercely as she sucked in a breath, while her fists balled at her sides.

“You know my heart is somewhere in California right now,” she told him.

Cross frowned. “I don’t—”

“Zeke called when I was still in Cali. I think my heart just … came right out of my fucking body in that hotel room. Gone. Poof, just like that. Maybe I can understand why Cece went into a full blown fit earlier like she did because I damn near did the same. I thought … oh, my God, I couldn’t breathe, and nothing was right. Nothing at all.”

“I’m sorry.”

“This scared the hell out of me, Cross.”

This situation.

Not him.

Catherine had faith in Cross. She always would. He never failed, and certainly not her. That didn’t mean every single fucking second hadn’t been some kind of terror for her from beginning to the bitter end. It had. Entirely.

He nodded. “It won’t happen again, Catherine. Next time—”

Her loud scoff stopped him from saying anything more.

“Next time?”

Cross stared at her, saying nothing.

Catherine shook her head wildly. “There won’t ever be a fucking next time, Cross.”

“Come on, now, babe. You have to consider things.”

“I don’t have to consider shit.”

Cross pushed away from the wall, and moved closer. Catherine held a hand up to make him at least keep some distance between them while they worked this nonsense out. She was not budging with him on this. He would have to deal with it.

“You do know what would have happened had they found you, right?” she asked.

Cross sucked air through his teeth, and looked away. “Of course I know, Catherine.”

“Yeah, prison. For life. Where the fuck would that leave Cece, the baby, and me, Cross? What would we have done with you locked up, huh?”

“That could happen from the business I do on a daily basis, Catherine!”

“Except it doesn’t happen at all because you’re not playing with the kind of fire you do every single time you make a gun run for Andino.”

He inched closer. “Babe—”

“No,” Catherine said, taking a step back until her side hit the kitchen island. “No, you need to stay over there, and I am going to stay here. We’re talking. We’re not hugging or kissing, or any of that other shit we should do because this is a big fucking deal to me, Cross.”

“I can’t just not run Andino’s guns, Catherine. I made a deal years ago. I intend to keep my end of the bargain for the sake of peace in this goddamn city.”

Cross wasn’t getting it. Then again, maybe Catherine wasn’t making much sense, either. Her emotions were high. She guessed his probably were, too.

A shit-show.

That’s what this was.