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Not her real name, then.
“Bingo. Address, brother?”
With a groan, I scroll down to see the address listed under Elaine.
“Jesus. 100 Kiss My Ass Lane,” I mutter into the phone. Santo’s chuckle turns into a full-blown belly laugh, a rarity for the asshole.
“You laughing at me?”
“Nah, man, why would I ever do a thing like that?” he asks in a tone that tells me he is most definitely laughing at me. “I just think she’s clever as fuck and it would be a crying shame to let that girl slip through your fingers. I like her already.”
Oh, she is not slipping through my fingers. I’m gonna grab her by the hair and fuckin’ chain her to me if I have to. I wanted to teach the girl a lesson, but at every turn she’s fuckin’ with me.
I call the club again. “She still there?”
“I think so—no wait. Hey, Ger, you see Goldilocks?”
Goldilocks. The very idea of them thinking they can give her a nickname—
“She left about ten minutes ago, man.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
I have my driver turn around and wish to fuck I’d taken my own damn ride. Romeo said it would be more efficient this way, give me a chance to look shit up if I wasn’t driving, or to drag her ass in the back of the car and bring her to The Castle if I needed to.
I am not fuckin’ going home tonight empty-handed. Nope. I left her hanging because I wanted to show her who was fucking boss. I wanted to leave her wanting and desperate, so I had some goddamn control of this situation, and that backfired. But that don’t mean I can’t get a handle on shit now.
I circle the club and call in a favor with Devon in the crystal shop. “You see anyone leave the club ten minutes ago?”
“That pretty blonde did, man.”
“Did you see which way she went?”
I should’ve stayed at the fucking club.
“Took a left out of the shop, man. No idea after that.”
“Thanks.”
I hang up the phone and head in the direction where he said she’d left. Chances are she’s gone, but it makes sense to cover my bases just in case.
I drum my fingers on the back of my phone case. Thinking.
Why would she have a fake name on her cell?
Why would she lie about who she was?
Why did she come here tonight, if she wasn’t looking for me?
Lots of reasons, and I’m not sure any of them are good ones.
I’m told she was asking around for me, trying to dig up dirt. She wanted to meet me tonight, of that I can be sure. But if she—
My mind comes to a screeching halt when I see a struggle down an alley. In downtown Boston, especially this part of Boston, it ain’t out of the ordinary to see something like that, but this time, something catches my attention.
“Slow down,” I order my driver. We come to a crawling stop when I see a flash of blonde hair out the window. I still don’t move, still not sure she’s the one I’m after.
“Let me out.”
I need to get closer.
I put a reassuring hand on my weapon, adrenaline coursing through my veins. Something’s off. I need to investigate.
If it isn’t her, and I get myself tangled up in the middle of a fight between some random people—
I get out of the car and shut the door quietly. Draw my weapon. Walk slowly toward the alley where I saw them, when I hear the unmistakable sound of her scream. I know it well. I’d made her scream until she was hoarse.
Pure rage consumes me. I set my jaw and narrow my eyes, pick up my pace. If some asshole thinks he can touch my girl, I’ll have to teach him a lesson.
My girl? Where the fuck did that come from?
“Get off of me.” It’s her voice, distinct and clear. “I told you no!”
There’s the unmistakable sound of flesh hitting flesh. She’s fighting off whoever he is. I come around the corner just in time to see his palm flash out as he slaps her across the face. I cease thinking, cease feeling. Like a bull with a red flag waving in the wind, I charge on pure instinct and adrenaline.
I lunge at him, forgetting I have a weapon, forgetting who I fucking am, and hit him with everything I’ve got. The son of a bitch is packing a weapon, because the next minute I feel the cold lead of a gun pressed to my neck.
“This is not your fight. It isn’t even mine. I don’t know who you are but you get the fuck out of here. I was asking the pretty lady if she wanted a ride home, no more, no less.”
“You fucking liar!” she screams. She hauls off and whacks him. Before the full force of her blow’s hit him, he deflects her and hits back.
