Looking around the portable, I chewed the inside of my cheek. What was I going to do? Sit here and read while they worked? That would make me look like a productive, useful member of society.
“Thanks, I’ll catch him later,” I gulped, suddenly needing to get the hell out of the office. The perfume of ambitious girl boss was too strong in here. I wasn’t sure who wore it stronger, the young lawyer or the old receptionist with dancing, all-seeing eyes.
I stumbled back outside, nearly tripping down the steps.
My guards were nowhere to be found. Battling down the feeling of being a silly mafia princess, I hurried to the parking lot. I needed to put aside my own grievances and focus on the matter at hand. Finding Liam and telling him.
“Hey! Gabriella,” a jolly voice called out, rolling the r in my name. “Where you off to in such a hurry, cailín?”
I blinked at the tall construction worker with chestnut hair peeking out from under his hard hat. He seemed vaguely familiar.
“Hi,” I responded robotically. “I’m just headed to my car.”
“Let me walk you.” He grinned. “We’ve been waiting for you to come back to the Galway Arms. What gives?”
Recognition snapped into place. He was one of the McDonagh crew members who’d been drinking and dancing that night Liam took me there. The night after our wedding. I still didn’t remember his name, but his teasing smile was dangerously handsome.
I moved even faster to my car.
“I’ve applied to be one of your guards,” he added, falling easily into step beside me. “Liam won’t give me the green light, though. Any reason why not?”
Because you smile too much at me?
I didn’t state the obvious. I shrugged. Which did nothing to dispel the funny feeling between my shoulder blades. That sixth sense made my skin prickle. I looked around but didn’t see Liam watching from the shadows.
“Hey, let’s go this way, it’s a shortcut,” he offered, stepping in front of me to cut me off.
I pulled up short, reaching out to the chain link fence so that I didn’t fall on the planks of wood that were laid on the bare dirt.
Putting on my best managerial face, I pinned him with a look. “Thanks, but I’ve got this.”
“Come on,” he coaxed.
The funny feeling crawled up my neck, turning into a buzz of warning against my scalp. I looked around.
And spotted Connor.
The guard was behind a port-a-john, watching. He didn’t approach. I must not be in any physical harm, but the danger instantly doubled. That was Liam’s second in command. He would report the incident to his boss.
The best course of action was to slap the prick in front of me and hope that Connor hadn’t noticed me catching him spying.
“I said, I’m fine.” I pulled myself up straight—and took a step back.
As if on cue, the jolly soldier stepped forward. A spark lit in his eye. He thought he was having a bit of fun. The thrill of the chase, cornering the boss’s girl, was too intoxicating to resist.
Stupid,stupidman.
My husband was going to eat him alive.
“Go back to work.” I gave him one last warning. “Go back to work.”
He pounced.
I slapped him hard. I’d been hit enough times to know just the right spot to make his head snap to the side.
His angry growl was swallowed by the roar of a bike out on the street. He reached for me again, but I dodged, scrambling backward.
Before he could catch me, before he had time to make his peace, gunshots erupted.
