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I rose from the chair, and Catalina reached for me. Her fingers brushed against mine, sending a jolt through my body. For a moment, I contemplated taking her right then and there. I knew she would let me, but the problem wasn't her; it was me. I was holding back for some reason.
“Where are you going?”
"I need to reach Riddick. I have to tell him what's going on and get some guidance on where to go from here," I explained, breaking the silence.
"Why not go to Jameson instead?" she asked.
Because he'll be the first one to take you from me.
I didn't tell her my thought, just gave her a quick smile before gently pulling my hand back.
"Stay out of trouble."
"That's my middle name," she called out and I shook my head in dismay. The woman was the embodiment of trouble with a capitalT.
I checked my burner phone for messages and missed calls, but found none. When I tried to reach Riddick, there was no answer. It was possible that he lost his phone or turned it off while on his honeymoon with Abigail. Since he was supposed to be back by Sunday and it was already Wednesday, we had no choice but to wait.
I decided to call Kingpin next. He answered after three rings.
"It's Snare," I said hastily as soon as he picked up.
"Is everything alright?" he asked.
"I know I owe you my life, but I don't know what to do now..."
"What do you need, brother?" Kingpin asked.
"I need a place to stay until I can reach Riddick. He needs to talk to Jameson on my behalf. If he doesn't, I'm not sure what will happen to the woman I'm with."
"Who is she?" Kingpin inquired.
As I glanced out the window and saw her walking along the lakeside, the guilt of what I'd done to her the night before hit me hard.
"She's someone I've promised to protect," I replied.
"Consider it done. The Memphis Chapter has your back, brother."
"I appreciate that, brother. It'll take me a day's ride out. I'm currently in Texas," I said.
"You do what you have to do. We'll figure it out," he replied.
I hung up the phone, feeling relieved that I had a safe place to take her until we figured things out - or at least until we found her father. All we had to do was find out where Enrique Solano was hiding, and maybe we could make a trade with the Mafia to set her free.
As I watched her from a distance, I wondered if she would miss me when I was gone. Would she even think twice about the man who saved her life? We were from two different worlds. My world was harsh and unforgiving, and it required a certain level of brutality and coldness to survive. She was too sweet and good-hearted for this life. Every day held a new challenge, a new danger. I’d live my life to protect her if she truly wanted this, but would I be selfish to want to hold onto her? To keep her for myself?
Suddenly she turned her head toward the window and we both paused, staring at each other across the distance. A distance that explained who we were to each other. A long ways apart.
I turned away from her and busied myself with chopping wood and doing other tasks around the cabin to distract myself. A few hours later, I was outside checking the tires on my bike realizing I needed to go into town and get some oil, change it while we were here. The aroma of food wafted through the air, and I stopped what I was doing and wandered in through the open back door.
Catalina stood facing the stove with her hair pulled up in a bun, wearing the jeans I had bought her and a tank top. She moved to the Latin beat of the music she had turned on, her hips swaying effortlessly. As I leaned against the doorframe, I found myself liking the beat because it matched hers. The smells emanating from the pots and pans let me know that she knew what she was doing in the kitchen.
After a few minutes, she turned and yelped in surprise when she saw me. I smiled as she closed her eyes and placed her hand on her chest.
“Hi,” I said.
“What are you doing standing there like that?” she asked.
“Just watching you,” I replied.
