I scoffed. “Are you?”
“Hey Bozo, she obviously doesn’t want you here.” Joseph pushed up from his seat. Build-wise, he matched Renzo, but he lacked a few inches in height and Renzo’s “I’ll gut you” aura.
“You want to challenge me?”
My chair screeched as I rushed between Joseph and Renzo, each looking on the verge of bulldozing our table. I pressed an open palm to Renzo’s chest and raised my head to look at him. Those crazed eyes fixed on me.
“Renzo, they’re my friends. Just friends, really. That’s all.” That didn’t seem to calm him one bit, not when his eyes focused back over my head, not with his teeth grating against each other, and not with the way his hand clutched my wrist tight against him.
“You’re leaving with me. Right now. No arguments.”
I nodded. “Okay.” It was probably for the best. “Guys, I’ve got to go. Have another latte or a slice of cake on me. We’ll catch up another time.”
“Anzy, you don’t—” Marc tried.
“I do.”
I picked up my purse, tossed a twenty on the table, and waved off my friends. I winced at the looks of shock they gave me as Renzo practically hauled me out of the coffee shop by my wrist. Giving in wasn’t like me, and they knew that. I’d always been as stubborn as they came, and I could already tell this was going to take some serious explaining. Renzo didn’t even seem to understand the shitstorm his caveman attitude was creating for me, as he dragged me down the sidewalk to his car.
I ripped my hand away as the doors beeped unlocked. “Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you?”
“Get in.” I crossed my arms, my hip thrust out, as he circled the car to the driver’s side. “Get in right now, or I'll go back in there. You won’t like what happens.”
I seethed under my breath. “Fine.”
We both got into the car, and I slammed the passenger door shut.
“I’m here. You happy now?”
“Not even close.”
Chapter 42
Hedrovelikeaman possessed, his fingers gripping the steering wheel and the gearshift with white knuckles, arms rigid, his face frozen between loathing and rage.
“Renzo, take me back. I hadn’t seen them in weeks. We had plans.”
“If I have to hear about you and those men one more time, Ainsley, I’ll put you over my knee until your ass is so red, you’ll think of me and only me.”
“Stop acting like a caveman. You can’t just show up like this and take me away.”
“Yes, I fucking can.”
“Just let me out of the car. I’m not going anywhere with you.”
“Yes, you fucking are.”
Every protest I gave caused a twitch of his eye or cheek. Every complaint had him pressing further on the accelerator or veering abruptly in turns, only to brake once he reached ten mph over the speed limit or went downhill. It was jarring, and I clutched the grab handles for dear life. It was a miracle he hadn’t hit anyone, but since it was late morning on a weekday before lunch, most people weren’t out and about on the street.
“What is going on with you? Answer me, damn it.”
His eyes stayed focused on the road. Houses soared past. Cable cars trundled by, their bells barely heard over Renzo’s monster car engine.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
He finally slowed down as we approached Golden Gate Park from the northeast. It was hard to hold on to my irritation as we drove at a crawl past the meadows and botanical gardens. I loved this place. This city oasis was peaceful yet lively in a way the rest of San Francisco wasn’t. I rolled down my window, taking in the scents of the greenery and freshly cut grass.
