She had two of them this afternoon, so after changing into clean clothes, she took her own car to the college while Brogan followed in his black sedan.
“You know you can’t just come into the classroom with me, right?” she asked as she got out of her car. He’d parked beside her, despite not having a campus parking pass. She was sure that he wasn’t at all concerned about a parking ticket.
“I’ll wait outside,” he said, falling into step beside her as she hurried down the sidewalk leading to the building where her microbiology class was held.
She stared at him for a moment. “You’re just going to stand outside of the room? For the whole ninety minute class?”
“Of course.”
He said it like it was such an obvious answer, but it seemed way over the top to her.
“But wouldn’t you rather wait in the canteen? They have a bunch of fast food restaurants and free Wi-Fi.”
Brogan looked at her like she was crazy. “How can I keep you safe if I’m not even in the same building?”
“Do you really think they’d try something while I’m in class? With all those witnesses?”
“It’s better to assume the worst.”
“Oh, that’s a fun outlook on life.”
Brogan rolled his eyes. “I’ll be outside of your classes.”
“Okay, fine. But don’t blame me if you die of boredom.”
Truthfully, it made her feel safer to know that he was going to be nearby at all times until this whole thing blew over. She just felt bad that he was stuck babysitting her. Surely there were better ways that he’d like to spend his time. But she wasn’t going to complain.
She just wished she knew how long this was going to go on. Owen wasn’t clear about that. He said he was going to track down the house she was taken to, and she assumed that meant he was going to go there and…
Well, she didn’t know what would happen, and it was probably better that way. Owen called the conflict between the two mafias a war, and she could only assume that meant violence and death.
God, how is this a part of my life?
She wasn’t sure that she’d done the right thing for herself by telling Owen anything. It just got her more involved in all this and seemed to have put a target on her back. When Owen and his men found the house, the Italians would know it was her that led them there.
But it was too late to doubt herself now.
When her class was over, she found Brogan waiting for her outside of the room, just like he said he would. She had an hour before her next class, and she was hungry after barely eating yesterday.
“Let’s get some lunch,” she said. “My treat.”
Brogan took her heavy backpack off her shoulder and carried it for her as they left the building. There was a fluttering in her belly, and she smiled.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “I’ll pay.”
She shrugged. If he wanted to buy her lunch, she definitely wasn’t going to complain. She wasn’t exactly flush with cash right now. Or ever.
“Fine, then you can pick the food,” she said, automatically heading toward the canteen. Brogan’s hand on her arm directed her toward the parking lot instead.
“In that case, we’re eating off campus. I know a pizzeria not far from here.”
Her stomach growled, and she felt her cheeks heat in embarrassment, but Brogan didn’t comment on it.
The pizzeria was only two blocks from campus. It was a small brick building that didn’t seem like much on the outside, but when they walked in the smell of cooking pizza reached her, she was thrilled that Brogan had chosen this place. She could hardly wait to get her hands on some cheesy goodness.
They approached the counter, and Amy could see back into the kitchen where two men were tossing pizza dough into the air.
“I could never do that,” she said. “I’d drop it for sure. Or tear it.”
