My teeth sink into my bottom lip.
When I’m silent, he makes me another drink. “Zoe, we’re not leaving this spot until you talk. You might as well get on with it because you know I’ll outlast you.”
I exhale a sigh. “Hornsby’s not like you or Anvil or Trick. He’s not like Miller or your other guys, either.” I wince, but he doesn’t react.
“It’s okay, Z. Keep going.”
“He was upset about my being with Trick’s sisters and us not, like, staying in a tight little formation. He acted like some kind of sheep dog trying to coral us. Kathleen told him to relax, but that made him get even more bossy. When Ash started for a door to the street, he was not having it. He tried to block the exit,saying we all needed to stay together. She rolled her eyes at him and basically told him to get lost. Itreallyupset him. His face turned red, and he swore under his breath. I’m sure I know why. She’s such a beautiful girl. He had his eye on her all night at the wedding. Several of them did.”
“Dangerous,” C says.
“Because of Trick?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“I don’t know. She’s had boyfriends, right?”
C’s silent.
“Although Kathleen did say Trick still calls Ash ‘the baby,’ which is crazy. For all intents and purposes, she’s an adult. She’ll be eighteen in a few weeks. And she’s—well, she’s not as young as she seems.Not at all.”
Connor holds up a hand in protest. “If she’s fucking her boyfriends, don’t tell me about it. That’s not intel I want or need in my life.”
I crack a smile. “No, no. I have no idea about that. I just meant she was running around at the wedding, acting so carefree and young. But when our car got boxed in today, and they pulled us out of it, she was different. Kathleen was very smooth and charming. She was able to kind of calm the men down, even though some of them seemed hopped up on drugs. Ash was dead silent. I thought she was terrified, but it wasn’t that. Hornsby arrived, and he kind of panicked. I can’t completely blame him. He was outnumbered. But as soon as he started confronting them and waving his gun, a lot of other guns got drawn. One of them got behind him and hit him on the side of the head and knocked him down. But before any of them could get his gun, Ash had it in her hand. She got behind their leader and pressed the gun to the back of his head. I still don’t know how she knew which one he was, or how she moved before they got a chance to stop her. And the way her voice was…socalm, C, almost like a purr. Like menacing and seductive at the same time.” I shiver, picturing the scene again. “Even while they were shouting and pointing guns at us, she was whispering to that one guy. It was kind of eerie.”
I lick my lips and then continue. “Then Miller arrived, too. He fired a warning shot, but also someone had called the police. I’m not sure who. The sirens kept getting closer, and Ash whispered something in the leader’s ear that made him yell at his men in Spanish. Whatever he said made them lower their guns and start itching to bolt. Then she stepped back, still pointing the gun at the main guy, but giving him room to walk away. And they all scattered.
“Then it was just us. Hornsby was a mess, physically and mentally. Miller said something to him, and he pulled himself together and then got in the car and drove off. I guess to a hospital to get the gash on his head checked. After I agreed that I’d let Miller drive me back here, Kathleen and Ash drove away in Kathleen’s car.”
C takes my drink, refills it, and comes back to me.
“I was pretty much outwardly calm the whole time, but inside my heart was beating so hard. I thought someone was going to get shot for sure. I really did.”
When the cold glass is in my hands, he pushes the hair back from my face and kisses me on the forehead.
“I’m sorry Hornsby fell apart like that. He’s never shown signs of weakness before, not even in tense situations.”
“I bet you haven’t seen him when he thinks he’s alone and outnumbered. I’m sure it’s easier to face danger when he’s one of the pack. The pack’s very dangerous, especially its leaders. I’m never scared when I’m out with you because I know how you are. Why would an armed guy get scared when his alpha’s in the mix?”
“True.”
I down my drink. The liquor’s already taking hold and I’m glad. “I’m sure you need to talk to Miller and Hornsby and all that. I’ll leave you to it.” I stand, but don’t get away. C’s a wall of muscle standing in front of me.
“You could’ve called me, baby, when Hornby started showing signs of strain. You should have, so I could intervene and get someone else there to take over for him.”
“I didn’t think of it. Besides, you would’ve told me to wait. The Patrick girls were leaving, and I wanted to leave with them. Kathleen and I had plans to spend the afternoon together, and we were having fun until Hornsby started ruining it. I know you’ll say it was reckless of me to leave without a bodyguard. And you’ll probably want to punish me for it, especially since, in hindsight, you’re right; we were probably set up. But even looking back, I don’t see how I could’ve predicted that.”
“It’s a dangerous world. That part’s predictable, right?” His voice is gentle now, not accusatory, which I appreciate.
“Yeah, I guess. That’s the price of being a gangster’s girl, right?” There’s something distant and melancholy in my voice.
I know C hears it because he pulls me against him and wraps his arms around me, holding me tight.
My fingers play over the muscles of his back. “I’m going back to bed for a while. If you came with me, it would be a nice distraction from how ugly the day ended up being.”
“Yeah, of course, I’ll come up. Why don’t you soak in the tub for a little while? Then climb in bed and wait for me. I won’t be long.”
I nod, and he kisses me.
