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I kick myself and continue walking as he follows. He’s silent, but I can feel his presence behind me. A shiver runs down my spine, but it isn’t in a bad way. It is more of an eerie yet comforting feeling of safety.
Before we make it to the kitchen doorway, I stop in my tracks and turn back to Julius. “Can I trust him? I know you’re probably the last person I should ask considering you work for him, but I would like to think you’re honest. You don’t speak. You watch and listen. I’m sure you pick things up no one else does. So, tell me, can I trust him?”
His stare is passionate, and the illumination into his soul is almost hypnotic. The connection and energy between us is surreal. He pauses for a brief moment, before standing straighter and tugging at the bottom of his suit jacket. With an affirming nod, he responds to my question, meanwhile never letting his dark eyes leave mine. For a second, it’s almost like we get lost in each other’s gaze. I see something in him, something good, and I want to ask a million other questions. I want to know his story, but I have to remember, he’s bad. They’re all bad here.
Teddy steps out of the kitchen’s doorway, silencing the auras between us and drawing my attention from Julius. “Are we ready?” He scans our faces one after another.
Julius gives the cue, crossing his wrists, exposing the corner of his Glock tucked neatly at his side. Teddy acknowledges him, then buttons a single button on his suit jacket before stepping in between us and leading the way to the front door.
Carl opens the door and stands behind it, sweeping his arm in front, urging us to exit with a smile.
“Wait!”
I turn with one foot on the threshold and see Lucas sprinting for us. I had wondered where he was hiding. He stops behind me, pulling a gun from behind his back. “Here, Flower. We can’t let you go unprotected.”
He extends his hand to me, holding the barrel of the gun toward him and the butt toward me. I wrap my hand around the familiar metal. “This is mine,” I remark. I notice the small scratches along the barrel that I did myself when my dad was teaching me to clean it. I flip it in my hand and look below the grip, where the magazine slides in. Sure enough, there are my sloppy initials carved into the metal. Seventeen-year-old me thought it would be cool. I chuckle at the memory.
“It is. I snagged it from your apartment,” he says gingerly. I raise my head, anticipating the articulate comeback I have prepared, but before my brain can send it to my mouth, I notice something different about him. His face is almost soft. I pause and nod, then turn back to the doorway and step out. He follows, bringing up the rear.
Teddy is to my right and remains a step behind, allowing me to take the lead. As we approach the all-too-familiar SUV, I take in a deep breath, trying to figure out where I can conceal my gun. Grasping at ideas, I hike my dress up and tuck it in the elastic of my lace panties on my hip. I smooth my dress back down only to realize there is a perfect imprint on my hip visible through my dress.
I roll my eyes before I reach back under and pull it out. If Teddy wants me to dress a certain way, he’s going to have to find a solution for me to hold weapons. I glance behind me and see both Lucas and Teddy staring at me intently. “What?” I blurt out in frustration.
Lucas laughs before shaking his head and walking by me, disappearing toward the car.
Teddy advances in my direction, closing the gap between us. He kneels in front of me, and I can feel my heart start to race. His hand reaches for my foot, and my body flinches in return. He looks up to me, slowing his hands to a hover. His blue eyes are soft and subtly ask for approval. My muscles relax, and I can see that he isn’t going to hurt me. He looks back down and gently grasps the undone strap of my heel.
I was in such a hurry, I guess I never secured it right. He loops one side of the thin strap through the other, then buckles it in place. His fingers brush my ankle, sending the same jolt through me as they did in the bathroom.
He stands, towering over my small frame, then heads toward the car to accompany the others. I lick my lips and follow. He stalls at the door, waiting for me. I can see Julius in the front seat next to Carl. Lucas smiles from the opposing side of the back seat and gently pats the seat beside him in a teasing manner. Realizing that I have no other option, I duck down and slide across the leather. Teddy settles in next to me, closing the door, and we are off.
After about thirty minutes, we’re pulling up to one of the best-known clubs in Northridge Heights. It is a French Quarter–style building with balconies overlooking the sidewalk below. Red Eye shines in neon lights at the top left corner. Black velvet ropes attached to stainless steel posts line the entryway, snaking down the sidewalk, keeping everyone in their place against the wall. A hefty bouncer with a bald head, dressed in a suit, stands between them and the front door.
“We will call when we are done, Carl. Are you good to wait?” Teddy questions.
Carl turns over his shoulder with a smile before holding up a knife. “All good, boss.”
The sight of Carl with nothing more than a knife not only shocks me but worries me as well. He needs more than that to protect himself. All the men start piling out of the car. Julius exits the front seat while Teddy and Lucas slide out of the back.
I scoot from the middle, then lean forward. “Here, Carl. I think this will be better than that knife.” I smile, handing him my gun.
He shakes his head and lets out a small chuckle before flipping his knife in one hand and grabbing me around the base of my neck with the other. It all happens too quickly for me to even react. He lets the cold point of his knife dig into my throat just enough to cause discomfort before releasing me and laughing.
“I may be old, but this isn’t my first rodeo, Charlotte. I know how to defend myself. I’m quicker than I look. Why do you think these boys keep me around?” He tilts his head and smiles at me.
I reach for my neck and run my finger over the spot his blade was only moments ago. “I was mistaken.” I nod, then slide the rest of the way out to join the others.
“The biggest mistake you can and ever will make is thinking Carl is some old geezer. That man has probably killed more people than all of us combined,” Lucas remarks with a grin.
I suck my lip into my mouth and swallow the lump in my throat before tucking my gun under my arm, trying to hide it the best I can. Carl was the only one I thought I could maybe count on and trust, but he’s just as deadly and devious as the others.
Teddy looks to me with concern but wipes it from his face before anyone else can notice. As Lucas and Julius make their way to the door, he stands back with me.
“Don’t do that,” he says, reaching his hand to my face, using his thumb to tug at the bottom of my lip.
I release it and jerk my head away, pushing my shoulders back. “Let’s see what they want.”
Teddy’s eyes widen a bit, stretching the healing stitches in his face tight before he lowers his brows and nods. “Shall we?” He extends his hand in front of him, motioning for me to go first.
