"Want it back?" After smirking, she held her mouth open to show me the small piece of bread resting on her tongue.
"No way in hell. I know what's been in your mouth."
Kinsley snorted into a laugh, trying to keep the sound low in the quiet of the restaurant, and swallowed some water to regain her composure. "It's your fault for being so tempting."
I reached for her hand, about to say something about our lovemaking. Without warning, the front doors burst open and people screamed, ducking and hiding as men in black riot gear stormed into the restaurant. I jumped up, but Kinsley pulled me back down until our heads were level with the table as gunshots competed with the din of crashing china and silverware. Patrons screamed again and hid under tables; I noticed those who drew weapons were immediately shot.
Kinsley clung to me as the thugs arrayed themselves around the restaurant. A man in his mid-thirties swaggered through the door last, wearing a black suit with a black shirt and red tie. Though we'd never met, I knew it was Casper with no introduction necessary.
"Burke Gallagher." He came to a stop a few feet from our table, took a cigar from his jacket pocket, and lit it.
Pulse thick and heavy in my throat, I rose to my full height; Kinsley stood at the same time. I tried to push her into her seat, but she refused. Instead, we faced our enemy side by side.
"Casper Molina."
"I know it was you," Casper said in response.
I felt Kinsley's left hand slip into mine as she slanted against my side. "Me?"
"It's blatant it was you. I don't know why you thought you'd get away with it." Casper studied the red-hot tip of his cigar as though it held the answers.
Turning to bury herself against me, Kinsley's right hand rested flat on my lower back. Her slender body shook, and I would gladly kill Casper for that alone. "What are you accusing me of, exactly?"
"Killing Carlos." Casper shrugged, finally meeting my gaze. "Blowing up his house."
"He tried to kill me and my wife. We all know wives are untouchable. He dishonored your Family name."
Casper narrowed his eyes. "If you'd married Pepper, this would never have been a problem."
"So only Pepper is untouchable?"
Casper laughed at Kinsley's statement, causing her to cower closer to my side. I could feel how rapid her breathing had become as she clung to me.
"Nice to meet you finally, Mrs. Gallagher. Kinsley."
I nearly growled at the intimate way he spoke her name. "Leave her out of this, Molina."
Casper took the lit cigar from his mouth, reaching out and picking up the end of my tie to press the embers against the silk. The scent of burning fabric filled our nostrils, and my jaw clenched with the urge to attack and defend.
Dropping the cigar on the floor and pulling a gun from his waistband, Casper held it loosely at his side as he addressed me. "Anything you'd like to say before I kill you?"
Before anyone could say anything, a gunshot pierced the silence. I barely had time to register the hole in Casper's head or the blood pouring from it before I grabbed Kinsley's hand and dragged her toward the kitchen in a hard run.
Multiple rounds lodged in the surrounding walls as the men opened fire, destroying booths and taking chunks out of the plaster. Kinsley only screamed once, but I couldn't risk stopping to see if she was okay. I pulled my cell from my jacket pocket as we passed through the swinging doors, the acrid scent of burning food assaulting my senses.
"I need a car in the alley behind the club right this motherfucking second!" I shouted.
Ignoring the haze of smoke, we managed to push past employees scrambling to hide or run. When we reached the back door, we continued running, even though Kinsley kept stumbling in her heels. There wasn't time to stop and take them off, so I did my best to keep her from falling. The cacophony of rounds exploding, people screaming, and sirens wailing barely penetrated the fog between my ears. The blast of the gun had been so close that I felt as if it had rendered me permanently hard of hearing.
I dearly hoped my men were faster than Casper's. Expecting to see the car waiting just past the end of the wall, I forced my legs that much faster, my grip on Kinsley never loosening.
And when we reached the end of the alleyway, we were met by a car.
"Stop! Hands in the air!" The officer in front of us held his weapon aimed in our direction. "Boston Police! Stop right there."
"Please help!" Kinsley shrieked. "They're shooting people in the restaurant!"
Sobs finally broke loose, and she buried her face in my chest, locking me in a stranglehold. In return, I held her as tightly as I could. Trembling so violently she was on the verge of falling apart at the seams, Kinsley sucked in air so fast she came close to hyperventilating.
