Chapter 22 #2
The first sentence he’d spewed was typical and if he made the life-altering decision to taste her, he’d be dead within seconds. No one dared touch what belonged to me. However, it was the last sentence that was the most telling of what few words he’d spouted off.
Soon she’ll be home where she belongs.
Home.
In New York.
“What did he say to you?” she asked, her insistence another sign the shock was starting to wear off.
A statement that at this point I didn’t need to share.
“Nothing to worry your pretty head about. Come on. Let’s get everything together.”
She nodded, allowing me to pull her toward the house, but she tipped her head over her shoulder to study the man one more time.
As if she knew him.
Things were about to become very interesting.
“Two thousand six hundred and forty-two dollars.”
I quickly glanced in her direction just as we passed through a commercial section of whatever small town we were rolling through.
While we’d only been on the road for five hours, in taking the scenic route that would take us through Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York down to Mississippi and Alabama before heading into Louisiana, the trip was already arduous.
Maybe the real reason I was eager to stop for the night had little to do with the constant ache in my thigh and more about the woman sitting next to me.
While Fleur had been calm, maybe even too quiet, I sensed a fire roaring beneath her current passive demeanor.
She was biding her time either to launch into me or give me the cold shoulder.
By counting the money using one of the seven or eight flashlights Tilly had provided, she was keeping herself busy.
I rubbed my mouth, thinking about what the Russian fucker had said earlier. While I’d wanted nothing more than to contact both Gio and my brother with what had occurred in the interrogation, it would need to wait until she was fast asleep.
I’d begun to think Danny’s main warning had been about Zane Cummings.
If so, my instinct told me Zane had formed an alliance with the Papovek Bratva for his own personal gain.
Or he was using what he’d learned from his father about the organization for an entirely different reason, including the use of blackmail against the Russians.
It was none of my concern except for the reason he was determined to bring her back to New York.
And the reason our lives had collided.
Did I believe the meeting had been orchestrated? No. However, there had been a perfect opportunity to take full advantage of a gift. Maybe I should study under my grandmother so I could toss out evil spells.
“Not bad,” I told her. In truth, the money would prove useful. How strange that I was concerned about money, something I’d never been worried about before. My entire life had been filled with luxury, even though my father had ensured we understood the value of the dollar.
We’d never had to scrimp and save. I had no idea about clipping coupons or being forced to live from paycheck to paycheck.
Now here I was finding myself grateful to strangers who’d offered their personal cash so the son of a town legend and a darling of the community could take the scenic route north to south.
“Will it be enough?”
Her question was pure innocence, from a woman who was used to clipping coupons and worrying about the salaries of her employees. I admired her tenacity and dedication as much as I found myself attracted to her wistful beauty. “Unless we have major issues along the way, we’ll be fine.”
The stack of money in her hand had been positioned just so, her long fingers wrapped around the thick wad as if fearful in letting go it would disappear.
“We need to keep it safe.”
Laughing, I noticed a sign for a motel only a few miles away. I also hadn’t driven on back roads for as long as I could remember. Certainly not the routes leading us past once beautiful little motels in small towns that had long since ceased thriving. “I think I can manage to make that happen.”
“I hope so. I’m expensive.” Unfastening her seatbelt, she climbed onto the console between us, reaching for something in the backseat. With her butt in my face, my cock reacted instantly, twitching until I was forced to shift in my seat.
“Of that I have no doubt. What are you searching for?”
“Something.” She rustled through bags, finally thumping back into her seat.
Another quick glance offered no indication of what she’d snagged. The darkness was oppressive along the two-lane road.
“What are you doing?”
She wasn’t impressed by my insistence. “Open your mouth.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me for once. You continue to toss that in my direction, so you do the same.”
“Fine.” I gritted my teeth first and my hesitation was rewarded with something being shoved in my mouth.
It was good to hear her laugh even if it was at the expense of me choking half to death. “What the…”
“They’re Tilly’s famous double chocolate brownies.”
After swallowing the hunk, I teased, “I’m deathly allergic to chocolate.”
“What?” Her instant alarm brought a smile. “Oh, my God. We need to find a twenty-four-hour emergency care. A hospital. Something. You could go into anaphylactic shock. You could die.”
As soon as she heard my laughter, she punched me on the arm several times. “You bastard. After the ugliness of today, you’re teasing me?”
“You’re right. I am a bastard. How many times do I need to share that with you?”
“Never again. I was worried sick about you.” The venom in her voice was amusing while creating another wave of desire. She scooted as far across the seat as possible, hugging the passenger door.
“Careful, missy. You might fall out. With being short on time, I won’t be able to come back for you.”
“I assure you I’ll find a way home. Or somewhere anyway. Maybe I’ll head to the Caribbean and find a nice, hunky island boy.”
“Not a chance. I guess I’ll need to tie you to your seat.” When I reached for her, she laughed again, but I could tell she was fading into the same despair she’d been fighting for hours.
When she yawned, I made my decision.
“There’s a motel about fifteen miles away. We’re going to stop for the night.”
She leaned her head back. “Good. I need a hot shower. And I’m starving.” She shoved a chunk of brownie into her mouth.
While I should be paying complete attention to the curvy road, what I was I doing?
Sneaking small glances, as uncomfortable in my seat as I’d been around her before.
The way she was attacking the dessert was very much like the way she handled every other aspect of her life.
Both guns loaded, refusing to back down.
Adorable yet still irritating even after the time we’d spent together.
Another yawn and she pressed her hand across her mouth. “I don’t think I’ve been this exhausted before. At least not since the first week after opening Sunlight and Sparkles.” She fiddled with the radio while still munching on her brownie.
“My guess is you won’t find any reception. There’s no fancy satellite radio in the Blazer.”
“Fumblesticks.”
“I think the expression is fiddlesticks.”
Another yawn, deeper this time. “Is that something your grandmother taught you?”
“She might have used the expression now and again.”
“Tell me about her.”
I shifted in my seat, glancing into the rearview mirror.
Noticing headlights, I instantly reached for my weapon on the dashboard just as we were headed through an area with a brightly lit gas station and some old diner than had seen better days.
The heat of her stare prickled my skin. “She’s a formidable woman. ”
“We’ll never be out of danger. Will we?”
“When we reach New Orleans we will.” Thankfully, the driver turned into the station.
“You mean amongst thousands of soldiers, all armed with Ak-47s and other big machine guns. Do they carry grenades with them too? I mean…” Another yawn. “No decent mafia man would be without his grenades. Right?” Her giggle indicated her level of exhaustion.
“Absolutely. We have big tanks as well. Just in case we need to run over any giant Humvees.”
“Mmm… Sounds great.”
Smiling, I stared at the darkened road, wondering how in the hell I’d gotten here.
I didn’t need to see if she’d fallen asleep.
I could tell by her soft snores. While I was tempted to continue driving, when the sign for the motel came into view, I knew stopping for the rest of the night was the decent thing to do.
Up until a week ago, I’d say decency wasn’t on my list of attributes, but around her, that’s all I wanted to be.
A civilized, respectable man.