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I didn’t think either of us wanted to talk about why that might be a good idea.
We said our goodbyes to Dolores, who returned them cheerfully, and set out into the night. Lou rested her hand on the bulging purse she’d brought tonight, where I knew she was keeping her other pistol. She’d handled herself just fine, but I could sense the tension in her.
“You okay?” I had to ask.
Lou shrugged. “Sure. Hell, I might not ever need to use it. Really, you and the rest of the guys are the ones who should be concerned about protecting yourselves more than me. I’ve already taken down the biggest threat to my life.”
My jaw clenched. “Your mom—”
Lou caught my gaze. “Is a stone-cold bitch, I know. But she doesn’t want me dead. I can’t say the same for you guys.”
I couldn’t help scoffing. “We can look after ourselves. Or I can, and I’ll keep an eye on your skaters too. You worry about yourself.”
I slung my arm around her shoulders at the same time to take the edge off my chiding. Lou immediately leaned into me, bringing the sweet scent of her hair to my nose. My heart stuttered at the same time as my cock twitched.
This woman had quite a hold on me, that was for sure. And if I had my way—
I jolted back into a deeper awareness of my surroundings with the thump of footsteps. In a matter of seconds, a crowd of aggressive figures had barged onto the narrow street we’d been walking along, their gazes fixed on us.
I jerked to a halt, my hand dipping to the pistol at my hip, and paused as recognition washed over me.
Salvador stood near the front of the group. A bunch of the others were men I’d known in my old neighborhood… members of the gang Edmundo and I had run with.
I’d hoped I’d make it through our time here in Austin without running into them again. It looked like they’d decided to force the issue.
Mierda!
A different guy stepped out in front of the others—no more than a couple of years older than me, with flinty eyes and an equally sharp jaw that jogged my memory. His attention was totally focused on me.
“I heard you were back in town, Rafe,” he snarled. “Did you think you could skip a proper reunion?”
I swallowed hard and kept my voice calm. “I’ve been busy. It’s good to see you, Anton. How’s your cousin doing these days?”
Anton’s lips curled back in a sneer. “Bruno está muerto. We lost him three years ago now. Not that you would care.” His gaze flicked to Lou, who’d stiffened beside me. “Is this what you threw everything away for? Some Cordova puta?”
Lou glared back at him. “I’m no whore.”
Anton ignored her, his eyes meeting mine again, smoldering with rage. “Your brother would be rolling over in his grave.”
Even as I bristled at the insult he’d aimed at Lou, my innards turned to ice. Lou would have no idea what they were talking about—and I wanted to keep it that way. Forever, if I could.
These guys were clearly pissed, and there were a hell of a lot more of them than there were of us. What did they think they were going to do?
Were they just passing on a threat, or were they here to rain down judgment on me?
My voice tightened. “I’ve never betrayed anyone. Edmundo would be glad that—”
“Don’t feed us that mierda,” Salvador spat out. “You know what you were meant to do. You know who you owed.”
“You have no idea what—”
Anton took another step forward. “Edmundo’s not here to do it, so we’re going to deliver the message he’d have wanted his traitor brother to get. And if you don’t pay attention, next time we’ll be sending you to your grave so you can make your excuses straight to his face in Hell.”
The whole group surged toward us in a furious mass. I dove in front of Lou instinctively, my fists already flying.
My knuckles bashed in one guy’s nose and clocked another in the jaw. I jabbed my knee into someone’s gut before stomping an ankle hard enough that the bone cracked.
I had to take them all down—topple them all before they got close enough to hurt Lou.
