Bart shook his head, shrugging as he did. “He’s an annoying fuck.”
“That he is.”
The first sentence he’d spewed was typical and if he made the life-altering decision to taste her, he’d be dead within seconds. No one dared touch what belonged to me. However, it was the last sentence that was the most telling of what few words he’d spouted off.
Soon she’ll be home where she belongs.
Home.
In New York.
“What did he say to you?” she asked, her insistence another sign the shock was starting to wear off.
A statement that at this point I didn’t need to share.
“Nothing to worry your pretty head about. Come on. Let’s get everything together.”
She nodded, allowing me to pull her toward the house, but she tipped her head over her shoulder to study the man one more time.
As if she knew him.
Things were about to become very interesting.
“Two thousand six hundred and forty-two dollars.”
I quickly glanced in her direction just as we passed through a commercial section of whatever small town we were rolling through. While we’d only been on the road for five hours, in taking the scenic route that would take us through Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York down to Mississippi and Alabama before heading into Louisiana, the trip was already arduous.
Maybe the real reason I was eager to stop for the night had little to do with the constant ache in my thigh and more about the woman sitting next to me.
While Fleur had been calm, maybe even too quiet, I sensed a fire roaring beneath her current passive demeanor. She was biding her time either to launch into me or give me the cold shoulder. By counting the money using one of the seven or eight flashlights Tilly had provided, she was keeping herself busy.
I rubbed my mouth, thinking about what the Russian fucker had said earlier. While I’d wanted nothing more than to contact both Gio and my brother with what had occurred in the interrogation, it would need to wait until she was fast asleep.
I’d begun to think Danny’s main warning had been about Zane Cummings. If so, my instinct told me Zane had formed an alliance with the Papovek Bratva for his own personal gain. Or he was using what he’d learned from his father about the organization for an entirely different reason, including the use of blackmail against the Russians. It was none of my concernexcept for the reason he was determined to bring her back to New York.
And the reason our lives had collided.
Did I believe the meeting had been orchestrated? No. However, there had been a perfect opportunity to take full advantage of a gift. Maybe I should study under my grandmother so I could toss out evil spells.
“Not bad,” I told her. In truth, the money would prove useful. How strange that I was concerned about money, something I’d never been worried about before. My entire life had been filled with luxury, even though my father had ensured we understood the value of the dollar.
We’d never had to scrimp and save. I had no idea about clipping coupons or being forced to live from paycheck to paycheck. Now here I was finding myself grateful to strangers who’d offered their personal cash so the son of a town legend and a darling of the community could take the scenic route north to south.
“Will it be enough?”
Her question was pure innocence, from a woman who was used to clipping coupons and worrying about the salaries of her employees. I admired her tenacity and dedication as much as I found myself attracted to her wistful beauty. “Unless we have major issues along the way, we’ll be fine.”
The stack of money in her hand had been positioned just so, her long fingers wrapped around the thick wad as if fearful in letting go it would disappear.
“We need to keep it safe.”
Laughing, I noticed a sign for a motel only a few miles away. I also hadn’t driven on back roads for as long as I could remember. Certainly not the routes leading us past once beautiful little motels in small towns that had long since ceased thriving. “I think I can manage to make that happen.”
“I hope so. I’m expensive.” Unfastening her seatbelt, she climbed onto the console between us, reaching for something in the backseat. With her butt in my face, my cock reacted instantly, twitching until I was forced to shift in my seat.
“Of that I have no doubt. What are you searching for?”
“Something.” She rustled through bags, finally thumping back into her seat.
