He stared me down before he answered. “We treat them exactly the way they treated their victim. Stalk them. Blow up their phone with threatening messages. Show up at their apartment and beat the shit out of them whenever we feel like it. We keep an eye on the victim, and if he goes within a mile of her, we break his nose and his collarbone. And so far, it’s worked pretty damn well. Once their rehabilitation ends, they’ve learned their lesson. In jail, they just sit there and fester in their rage. But in our rehabilitation program, they actually learn.” He grabbed his glass and took a drink before he crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s just this week.”
I had no words for what I’d just heard. Speechless yet again, like all the other times. “I had no idea.”
“There’s a lot of other stuff happening too. Monitoring the dealers, making sure their product is meeting standards for consumption. Then there’s the truce ... or war ... with the Skull King in Florence.”
War? Skull King?
“Never ends.”
“I’m surprised you have any time for me,” I said with a slight chuckle, trying to break up the tension that poured out of him like smoke. “With how busy you are.”
He stared at me across the table, arms crossed over his chest in a relaxed way, his eyes focused on my face like I’d said something serious rather than humorous. “I always prioritize the things that matter. I prioritize my family and everyone who’s as good as family—like you.”
Chapter 18
Aurelia
I parked my motorbike outside, carried my bag that held my camera and lenses on one shoulder, and then grabbed the grocery bag. I did my best to carry it all upstairs in one go. I’d been pickpocketed before, so if I didn’t get everything, then it might not be there when I came back downstairs.
I made it into my apartment and set everything on the counter as my phone vibrated with a text message.
I’ll pick you up for dinner at seven.It was Constantine.
We had no plans tonight, so I wasn’t entirely sure that was intended for me. Maybe he meant to send that to someone else? I texted him back.Think you sent that to the wrong person.
I didn’t, sweetheart.
We didn’t have plans, so that meant he’d just decided this on his own.How do you know I don’t have plans?
Do you have plans?
Well . . . no.
Then dinner it is.
I was a bit annoyed that he just told me what was happening, but I also kinda liked it. I liked the fact that I didn’t have to think or wonder when I’d see him again. And if he did reach out, we didn’t have to play that long game of deciding what to do or where to go. He picked the time, the place, and he picked me.
Truthfully, I had so many edits to get through tonight, and I should be a responsible adult and work on that.
But he was sooooo hot. Like gotta-jump-his-bones-at-the-sight-of-him hot. So, I put my groceries in the fridge and sat down to work to get as much as possible done now, before seven came around.
He picked me up in a collared shirt with his sleeves pushed to the elbows. He wore black jeans and boots, and his head nearly touched the top of the doorframe. His shoulders almost touched both of the walls too. His eyes dropped down at the sight of me as he obviously checked me out—from head to toe. “Hey, sweetheart.” He hooked his hand around the small of my back and pulled me close to kiss me.
To kiss me so good that I didn’t even want dinner. I just wanted this man spread on a cracker.
He moved his hand underneath my dress and squeezed my ass like routine before he took me by the hand. He walked with me down the stairs, and when we approached the SUV outside, he opened the back door for me and seated me inside before he joined me on the other side.
His hand went to my thigh, and the drive was spent in silence. The two guys in the front didn’t say a word. They didn’t even have the radio on, just dead silence from three enormous men all carrying guns.
I’d never been around guns, so seeing one sticking out of the driver’s side made my heart race a little faster. When I looked in the rearviewmirror, I could see the shotguns propped up in the row behind me like this was a SWAT vehicle.
Constantine’s huge hand took up most of my thigh, so when he turned to look at me, I assumed it was because he could feel my quickened pulse. His eyes roamed over my face, checking for the signs of distress I tried so hard to hide. “Pull over. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”
I couldn’t hide my surprise.
The guys didn’t say a word, just pulled over like he asked.
Constantine helped me out of the car and took my hand, and we walked together down the sidewalk before we crossed the street and headed down a small side road.
