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“The girlfriend offed him?”
That time, she didn’t try to stop a tear from rolling down her cheek. “Turns out he’d severely injured her brother, who was in that same local gang he fought with that night. She was sent to finish him.”
“There weren’t any repercussions?” There rarely were. The police wouldn’t look too closely into who killed whom when one gang went against another. That was how it was where I grew up in California, and I guessed Georgia was the same.
“No. And after, it wasn’t long before I left. About six months later, Lauralee got involved with the Amato thug. They were a thing for close to nine months, or at least when he was in Georgia for business. I lived with her for six of those. Then she thought she hit the jackpot when she overheard the conversation she shouldn’t have heard. You know the rest. She didn’t come home. Didn’t answer her phone. I ran. And then she turned up dead.”
“How long were you in California?”
“About a month and a half. I did a few odd jobs until I landed the temp one through a friend’s placement agency. One of the recruiters knew the girl who had the position that needed to be filled. I got lucky. I was the most qualified at the time, and they were desperate.”
I did the math in my head. Something didn’t add up. “Summer”—my body tensed—“if Mick died your senior year… how old are you?”
She paled then recovered by standing and coming around to my other side, where she’d been working when I first came in. “You already know from my paperwork. I’m twenty-four.”
“You told me that Alison, the only adult that cared if you lived or died, passed away days before you graduated high school. Mick died your senior year, and it wasn’t long after that you lived with some boyfriend then Lauralee for six months. So how old are you?”
Her mouth pressed into a flat line, and I took in how youthful her face was, something I’d never thought much about before. While her appearance was young, her demeanor was more experienced, but the street aged people.
She didn’t move, and I waited for her answer.
“I’m twenty.”
Thank God she isn’t underage.I was five years older than her, and while that bothered me to a degree, I’d gotten to know the way her mind worked. I wasn’t drawn to many people, and she captivated me. “Why did you lie about your age?”
“Opportunities. I needed some.”
That was something I understood all too well.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
SUMMER
Two weeks had passed since I’d arrived against my will. I’d made a choice to remain, but I needed more information in case I had to reevaluate my decision.
Taking a deep breath, I left my room and knocked on Luc’s door. When he opened it wearing a pair of pants and no shirt, I lost my train of thought. Wide shoulders took up the doorway. His biceps bulged, and his abs were an incredible eight-pack of drool worthiness. There were scars here and there, as well as an array of tatts—my favorite was the tribal one on his chest. I’d traced part of that with my tongue and a smattering of kisses the night we’d spent together, and I wanted to do it again.
“What’s up, Summer?” Luc leaned against the doorjamb while I awkwardly checked him out.
I mentally shook myself out of a hormone-induced stupor—I didn’t know what else to call it. “I was hoping you had a minute to talk.”
“Sure.” He straightened then stepped aside. “Come on in.”
“Great. And um, can you put a shirt on?” My cheeks heated. Good thing I wasn’t facing him—I had to be thankful for the little things.
I heard some rustling as I went to the little sitting area in front of the fireplace, where we’d talked that one night. He sat next to me, thankfully wearing a long-sleeved black shirt that stretched across his chest. It helped—a little.
I decided to cut to the chase. “Have you heard anything about Ben Amato?”
“No.” Luc sighed then leaned back. “To be honest, it bothers me that we haven’t.”
Me too. “What’ll happen when you’re done with training? Will I be sent back to California if my job is still available?” The other woman’s maternity leave wouldn’t last forever, and it would help to know when I needed to get another job. “And if any of that’s soon”—I fidgeted with the hem of my T-shirt—“do you think someone could hook me up with a new name and identification so I can stay under the radar wherever I end up?” It was a risk to ask, but I didn’t have the luxury of finding someone else who could help with a new identity. I would have money, but a quick exit rather than hanging around on my own to search for a good identity forger when he was done with my help here wasn’t smart.
Unexpected fear washed over me in a tidal wave of tremors. I tucked my hands under my thighs but not before Luc noticed how they shook. Ben’s face swam in my mind’s eye, and I felt him closing in all over again, his hand tight around my throat.They know where I am. It was only a matter of time before he came for me. The question was whether Luc would stay true to his word and protect me.
The sensation of Luc’s large hand on my knee jolted me out of my head and back to the present. Tension held my body prisoner, and my stomach churned with nausea. I was making myself sick with worry. I took in his handsome face, skimming over the strong lines of his square jaw and slightly crooked nose before latching onto his light-blue eyes like a lifeline.
“I promised I would keep you safe, and I meant it. I want you to stay here with me. When I move into the Brambilla estate, there’ll be a room there for you. The same number of security guards will encase the perimeter. The Amato family will not be able to get to you.”
