“Don’t worry,” I say, “I’m going to steer clear of Alejandro.”
“I know, it’s not about that. I need you to go straight up to your room when we get in there.”
“Okay, why? Do I need to be worried.”
He sighs and runs his hand down his face.
“I’m gonna tell you something, it’s not really my story to tell, but I need you to be safe.”
I nod, letting him know I’m listening.
“Diablos Rojos killed El Jefe’s brother.”
“What?”
“Yeah, it was about four years ago, there was a fight between the clubs; we never found out who fired the gun, but it was definitely them.”
“I guessed there was history from the last time they were here… but that’s… they killed him?”
He nods. “It was a turning point for El Jefe, it’s one of the reasons he made the call to go legit, losing his brother… it nearly broke him, he didn’t want it to happen to anyone else.”
“I can’t even imagine… but… why were they here? Why are theyhere now?”
Panic rises in my chest, the club seemed so far removed from all this. I know they used to do illegal shit, but now they’re getting involved with killers…
“I don’t know.” He holds my chin and tilts my face up to his. “I’m going to keep you safe, Elizabeth. That’s why I need you to go up to your room—”
“I’m not worried about me!” I grip his shirt, tears form in my eyes, the thought of something happening to him terrifies me. “They don’t even know I exist; I’m worried about you.”
He presses me against the wall and leans into me, the weight of him comforting, grounding me.
“Hey, hey,” he soothes, resting his forehead against mine and cupping my face in his hands. “We can look after ourselves, besides this is probably a friendly visit, trying to move past old shit. I’m not even worried about me, or the club. I’m just worried about you.”
“Jesus, Angel. I get that you’re protective, but you need to start worrying about yourself. Could the killer be in there right now?”
He doesn’t need to answer, his eyes tell me everything I need to know. There’s a good chance the killer is in the clubhouse, and Diablos Rojos are still very much into illegal shit, this could be dangerous.
“Fuck, you’re a legal club, I never even thought I’d have to worry about this kind of stuff—you’re mechanics for fuck’s sake.”
He chuckles. “We may be mechanics now, but you know we haven’t always been. You need to trust that I can take care of myself, and that will be easier for me, if I know you’re safe.”
He’s right, he doesn’t need distractions, he needs to focus, so I nod.
“Fine, I’ll go to my room. Promise me you’ll be careful?”
“Of course,” he says, “I’ve just found you, I’m not gonna do anything to jeopardize that.”
“Will you stop making this about me, I’m being serious.”
“So am I,” he murmurs, his face barely an inch from mine. “As far as I’m concerned, everything is about you, because you’re everything to me.”
My eyes roll, “Way to turn a dangerous situation into something romantic.”
“Mm-hmm… was that a smile I saw too?”
“No!” I say, trying to stop my mouth from breaking into one.
He chuckles and leans in, kissing me deeply.
