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“Be happy I only brought them.” He throws a thumb over his shoulder.
“Ugh. They’re going to fill the place. It’s so small!”
He chuckles. “Why don’t we take the food to go, then?”
“I’m not going to wait till we get home to eat.”
“Eat in the car.”
I blink at him in disbelief. Neither my father nor my brothers ever let me eat in their sports cars. “You’d let me eat in here?”
“If it makes you happy.” He shrugs as if it’s no big deal and continues driving.
If it makes you happy.That’s something he’s been saying a lot lately. Actually, I recall he said that a lot before too. Always willing to do whatever I want. Except when it comes to letting me go. Anything but that.
I pull out my brand-new phone and search the restaurant’s website for a menu. “The owner, Ricky, is from around the same place Papá is from. Michoacán. That’s probably why I like his food so much.”
Rowan stays quiet for a while before asking, “Is he on his payroll too?”
I look up from the screen. “Ricky pays his dues like everyone else. We keep his business safe.”
“But not thriving. You just said it’s tiny.”
“You know how this business goes, Rowan. Don’t come at me with some self-righteous bullshit. Ricky makes more than enough to leave if he wanted to. He doesn’t for a reason.”
“I’m not being self-righteous.” He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips. “I just want to know to what degree he’s involved with your father.”
“He’s not going to kill you. I promise.”
“Good,” he says as he pulls into a parking space across the street from the restaurant. “I’d really like not to die today.”
He steps out of the car and goes to talk to the other men. I start to walk to the restaurant, but he catches up to me before I can open the door.
“Lou!” He snatches my wrist and hauls me to him. “What the fuck? You stay close to me. Is that understood?”
I take a quick glance at our surroundings, embarrassed to be talked to like a child. “I’m a fucking grown-ass woman on my own fucking streets.”
He leans in real close. “You’remywoman now, Lou. A McKenzie. These aren’t your streets anymore. Which means you tread carefully.”
“It wasn’t my choice to switch sides, remember?” I yank my arm free. “So I suggestyoutread carefully if you still want that pussy that supposedly doesn’t control you.”
His lips pull tight and his left eye twitches. “I just want you safe.”
Taking a deep breath, I calm my rising temper. This is not the time to lose my shit.
I grab his hand. “I know you want to protect me. I’m just hungry.”
“Let’s get you food, then.” He opens the door, a bell ringing above, and scans the small eatery before pushing me forward.
“Welcome to Enrique’s.” Elisa, the young hostess glimpses my way for the tiniest moment. She knows me, has for a long time. Which means she also knows to remain discreet. Grabbing two menus from the stand at the entrance, she says, “Just the two of you today?”
“We’re taking it to go,” Rowan tells her.
“But we can sit and have a drink while we wait, can’t we?” I ask him.
“Of course.” Then to her he says, “Can we have a table?”
“This way.” Elisa leads us to a table near the front window and farthest from the kitchen. Good girl. She hands us the menus as we sit. “What can I get for you?”
