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Her blue eyes took me in carefully, searching for any hint that the Ashby family did business or had any ties to the Reckless Bastards.
“Thanks for the warning, Agent Beck. You be safe out there.”
“Right,” she said, her tone angry and snide before she turned and walked away.
As soon as Beck’s headlights turned out of the parking lot, I locked the door and texted Terry an abbreviated version of my conversation with her. He and Jasper needed to know, and I wasn’t an idiot, but that didn’t mean I didn’t blame them both—at least a little—for how things had played out between me and Vanessa.
My attention, once again, went back to the bad ending with Vanessa, which only made me think of Agent Beck’s words. I’d heard enough of the Black Jacks to know they were bad news, and worse, they were rough, which meant the agent had a point. Vanessa probably was in even more danger than she knew. Hell more than I realized, and she needed protection.
My fist landed on the bag, feeling heavier with every blow. Hit after hit landed, flashes of beating the fuck out of that guy going after Vanessa playing with every strike. Fighting. The Army. Fiona. A small part of me wondered if I was fighting too hard to live the straight life when I was only a breath away from the wrong side of the law. Crime and violence were in my DNA, it was part of who I was as a man. As a person.
Maybe I really was just fighting it too hard, because the one thing I learned was that I would do whatever necessary to keep Vanessa safe, whether she wanted my help or not.
A man could run from his past, but he could never, ever, run from his nature.
With that in mind, I hit the bag until my knuckles started to bleed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Vanessa
“This is the fourth or fifth date, Mace. Sounds like you’re getting serious about this woman.” The big man flashed a wide smile that said I was right, but his wide shoulders shrugged because he was a man and would never, ever, admit his true feelings. Ever.
“She’s nice, and I like her. We haven’t had a big talk about it or whatever.”
“Or whatever,” I mocked and rolled my eyes. “If you like her, tell her. No matter how big your muscles or how amazing the sex is, you can easily lose her to a man who speaks up.”
Mace groaned beside me and shook his head. “What is it with you women and talking about your emotions? I show up and take her out. Why do I have to say more than that?”
I laughed as we approached the front door where Mace, or one of the other guards, insisted on watching until I was safely inside my car and driving away.
“Because if you don’t say it, we’re guessing and why should a woman have to guess how a man feels about her when she’s sleeping with him?”
“Ugh, I hate it when you make a valid point.”
His words pulled a laugh from me. “Sorry, but it would suck more if you lost her.”
“Maybe,” he said in a tone that projected his own uncertainty. “Looks like I’m not the only one worried.”
He nodded to my car and I turned, smiling at the sight of Emmett in a crisp white button up shirt and jeans that hugged his thick thighs, highlighting his narrow waist.
“See you later, Mace.”
“Make him work for it,” he called out with a laugh and a tossed a wave over my shoulder, all of my attention focused on the man I hadn’t seen in over a week.
“Hey.” My heart felt lighter and fuller at the sight of him, and I couldn’t help the wide grin that crossed my face. Too bad Emmett’s expression didn’t match my own.
“You can drive,” I told him and tossed the keys his way.
Emmett nodded and held the passenger door open for me, but he never smiled. Never said a word until he was behind the steering wheel, maneuvering the car through the streets of Glitz.
“It wasn’t my decision to keep the information from you Vanessa, but once we got close, I should have warned you at the very least.”
“Why didn’t you?”
He let out a sigh at the question and shrugged his big shoulders. “I didn’t want the ugliness of it to touch you. That might make me sexist or a pig or whatever, but that’s the truth. After what happened with Lance, I didn’t want you to have to worry.”
“Okay.” I nodded as I processed his words. “That doesn’t make it okay but at least now I understand what you were thinking. Or not thinking.”
His lips twitched with amusement, but that was as close as he came to a smile.
“Why would someone cut out her tongue?” It seemed like a horrific thing to do but it also seemed like a message of some sort.
