“Well, I do.” She was fuming but he knew it was true. He’d come to care about her more than he realized; more than he should. Other civilians had been in this situation with him and he’d never insisted they leave. Why now? She was their best bet for information. Sending her away was a stupid move. Yet he still had a burning desire to get her the hell away from here as fast as he could.
“You’re under my supervision and I can’t take the chance of you getting hurt like Tina. You’ve gotten us some good information recently and I’ve been getting invited to the backroom games. Hopefully I’ll get something out of it.”
“They’re not going to say anything in front of you and you know it.” Her hands went to her hips and determination chiseled itself onto her face. “You might be let in but only because you lose money to them. Nothing incriminating will be said while you’re there. They don’t know you well enough yet. Barone hung around the club for more than six months before he was even invited to the games. It was even longer before business was discussed. I’m fine because Moreno knows I landed there out of stupidity, not because I was planted by the cops. You need me. Something big is coming up soon. You’re not going to get information any other way.”
She was right but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Moreno treated her as if she were invisible. Most of the time. It killed him that she had to be anywhere near the piece of scum. Thinking back to Samira and Tariq in Afghanistan and their sad eyes, they’d wanted to help him, too. They’d convinced him they could get information on terrorist activities and they’d paid for it dearly, with a bullet in the head. He’d ended up with only guilt. Nothing like this could happen to Meg.
“We’ll find a way,” he asserted, his stomach clenching at the thought of her hurt. “And it won’t include you with broken limbs…or worse.”
He glanced out the sliding door. The sight of the gentle waves lapping on the beach didn’t have the soothing effect it usually did. He was wound tighter than a drum. She moved up next to him placing her hand on his arm. Just the sight of her made him feel calmer. The crystal blue of her eyes hypnotized him, settling his nerves.
“Chris.” She reached up resting her hands on his chest. His heart thumped faster underneath. Could she feel his reaction? Did she know the effect her mere presence had on him? “You don’t need to worry. I can take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a while now.”
Her lips pressed a soft kiss to his but ended too soon. None of their kisses were ever long enough. He could gladly spend the rest of his life kissing her. Maybe if he did, she wouldn’t have to work with Moreno and possibly get injured or killed. The idea had merit.
“And I owe Tina,” she revealed. “When Eddie made the deal to pay off Moreno by working for him, I gave them a fake name. They wanted to see my license. I told them I’d lost it somewhere on the dance floor. I’d actually left it on the table when I realized Eddie was in trouble. Tina found it. She heard me give the fake name to Moreno but she never let on that she knew. Later she told me she’d destroyed it. She knew it wasn’t safe for anyone to have it. Sonny’s notorious for going through our things.”
He wrapped his arms around her pulling her closer. Her arms lifted to encircle his neck. But instead of kissing him again she rested her head on his chest. “I need to do this for Tina. I’ll be fine. I promise.”
Inhaling the scent of flowers, he nuzzled his nose into her hair. He kept a tight hold wishing he didn’t have to let her go. Her words were appreciated, but he was afraid this was one promise she might not be able to keep.
Chapter 16
“Hey gorgeous, you ready to blow this clambake?” Dave poked his head into Tina’s hospital room, guilt rolling through him at the sight of her cuts and bruises. She hadn’t listened when he’d tried to warn her about Moreno’s plans. After hearing the criminal and Barone talk, he’d hung around late that night, but nothing had happened. That had been a relief. Too bad he hadn’t stuck around the next night too but a meeting with his contact at the Miami PD had been scheduled for right after closing time. Stupid. He should have been there for her. Kept her from this horror.
She smiled though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I hardly think I’m gorgeous at the moment. You need to get your eyes fixed.”
He moved to sit on the edge of the bed. He took her cast-free hand and stroked her skin. “Nothing wrong with my eyes. You’re still gorgeous to me. Now are you ready to go?”
She nodded glancing down at her outfit. He’d had Tommy pick it out and they’d brought it during yesterday’s visit. “Tommy didn’t come with you?”
He hated seeing the disappointment in her eyes. “I’ve got him staying with a friend. Why don’t we get you out of here first then I’ll tell you about it.”
She slid off the bed and pressed the buzzer for the nurse. A wheelchair was brought and she settled in reluctantly. He followed as the orderly wheeled her to the elevator then downstairs and helped her into the car.
“Thank you for picking me up from the hospital. You didn’t have to. I could have called a taxi.”
He reached over and touched her arm as he drove. “You know I’m happy to do it. And I needed to talk to you.”
Her nervous eyes looked in his direction. “Is this about why Tommy didn’t come to get me?”
“In a way. I’m going to pull into the park by the bay so we can chat in better surroundings and I can give you my full attention.” It only took a few minutes in the light traffic to get there and park the car.
She twisted the hem of her shirt with her one good hand and bit her bottom lip. Hopefully she wasn’t nervous because of him. He never wanted her anxious in his presence.
“Why aren’t you taking me home? I’m not feeling great.” Her voice trembled as her eyes flitted around the inside of the car.
“You tried to convince me yesterday you were fine.” He picked up her hand and his thumb rubbed over her soft skin. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go home right now.”
Her face tightened. “Why not?”
“Because of what happened, obviously.”
Her eyes lowered, avoiding his gaze. “I told you I was mugged. I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“You weren’t mugged, Tina.” His temper flared, she was still protecting that scumbag boss of theirs. Even after what he’d done. “I know Moreno did this. I heard him talking about his friend, Mr. Smith, and how he wanted you. I told you this. I wish you had listened to me.”
Tears pooled in her eyes and her jaw clenched. “So this is my fault now?”
