Page 14 of Tony

And yup. There it is. The threat.

“Let’s go, Vann. Now.” I pull him and he comes along. But of course, that can’t be the end of it. Not with two men involved.

Tony calls out, “I can’t wait to see what you have to offer.”

“Bye!” I call, trying to make sure that’s the last word.

But Vann is walking backwards now, his hands out, his grin just as big as ever. “Trust me. My offer is a good one, Tony.”

When we get outside he grabs the sleeve of my hoodie again, pushing me towards the passenger door of his truck. He opens it. “Get in.”

“I’m just walking across the freaking street, Vann. I don’t need a ride.”

“Get. In.”

I look up and find him glaring at me.

I get in. I’m certainly not going to have an argument with Vann in front of the theatre coffee shop for all to see.

He closes my door, walks around the front of his truck, and gets in too.

“What the hell was that?”

“I don’t like him.” He starts the truck and backs out onto College Avenue.

“I don’t like him either.”

“Then why is he here?”

“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask him when he comes in later for a tattoo. And hey”—I stare at the tattoo shop as we blow past it—“where are you going? I have work.”

“You work for me, Belinda. Who cares about work? We don’t even have appointments until four this afternoon.”

I point at him. “I don’t work for you. I work for your brother, Vic. And technically you have appointments at two. You Vaughn brothers just don’t show up until four.”

“Same thing.” He takes a hard right and I lean into the door with the force of the turn.

“Where are we going?”

He looks straight ahead. “Where are we going? We’re going on a date, that’s where we’re going.”

“A date?”

“Do I stutter?”

I laugh. “You’re being stupid.”

“I don’t like him. I don’t want you with him. He’s… bad for you. I can just tell.”

“I’m not with him. He just showed up last night.”

“Last night? You saw him last night?” Vann pulls his truck over to the curb and puts it in park.

“He just…” Shit. I should not have said that.

“He just what?”

“He followed me home from work last night.”