Hold on. Had I been so stupid? Fuck. What if she’d checked my phone after I’d fallen asleep? While I was careful with passcodes, keeping them encrypted, there was enough by way of saved emails that Russo could learn certain details that would be extremely detrimental. However, if this was the same girl, she was one fucking damn good actress.
This needed careful handling.
What I couldn’t do was jump to conclusions.
“Where were you going?”
“Um…” She reached into her pocket and when I stiffened, her eyes opened wide. You bet the girl was extremely smart, very slowly showing me that she was simply trying to get her phone. She smelled of fear and night-blooming jasmine, a strangely evocative combination.
And a completely different fragrance.
With her unassuming beauty and the fact I was a man, I was aroused. Again. My instincts were rolling to a conclusion. Perhaps more than I should be given the circumstances.
She blinked profusely while studying her phone. Most young women when facing potential harm would crack under pressure. She was holding her own, her jaw even clenching out of frustration the longer we conversed. “Terpsichore Street.”
I could tell with her accent and horrific pronunciation of her preferred destination why she’d likely been told the wrong bus to get on. “This is Treparshan Street. The street you’re looking for is several miles away.”
What the fuck was on that street?
Completely ignoring that she was standing in front of a dangerous man who’d been holding a weapon, she glanced at the huge plastic watch on her wrist, the numbers easy to read even from where I was standing. “Dannazione, che schifo.”
The lilt of her voice and the tone was different when issuing curse words in Italian, one of several languages I spoke fluently. Hearing her swear, not only did I sense she was telling me the truth, but her reaction also amused and impressed me.
“I take it you’re late to wherever you were going,” I suggested, noticing how Zorro had taken to her. In the two months of working with the pup, I’d come to trust him implicitly.
“Yes, to a very important meeting. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude with your… business.” She turned away, cringing when she did. The girl knew she’d wandered into a landmine but wasn’t going to fall prey to either telling me she’d never share what she’d seen with anyone or begging me to spare her life.
Which meant she was trying to convince me that she’d ignore whatever my business entailed. Fortunately for her, she hadn’t been a few minutes later or I’d have no choice but to interrupt her life. What she’d seen meant nothing.
“I’m going to have one of my men drive you to your destination.”
“No. That’s not necessary. I’ll just catch the bus. I’ll spell the goddamn street, so the bastards don’t send me on another wild goose chase.”
I closed the distance until we were standing only inches apart. She was a tiny little thing, shorter by at least six inches, but she’d proven how feisty she could be, including in the face of danger. My balls were tight just thinking about the number of filthy things I could do with her.
And to her.
There was no doubt in my mind my Aphrodite was still playing a game with me. Did she not understand or gather from our time spent together what I was capable of? Evidently, my mask had kept my secret. When I crowded her space, she took a step away. Still defiant. Still playing her role.
My hunger was off the charts. There was nothing so enjoyable as a little role playing.
“I don’t think you realize that you’re in a very… dangerous part of town, certainly for a young, beautiful woman such as yourself. Take the men in question by my warehouse. They tried to break in. Thankfully, no one was hurt. However, only I can protect you if a treacherous issue should arise.”
In providing her with an out, a way to keep living, I was eager to see how she handled the information.
“Crime is rampant everywhere in every neighborhood. Don’t worry about me. I’m just a girl trying to find my way to a meeting.”
Good girl. She’d accepted my deal.
“You are so right about that. I assure you that my men are quite trustworthy and will ensure you arrive at your destination without issue. Now, you will wait right here while I make the arrangements. Do you understand?”
I sensed Donatello was fighting to keep from grilling me with questions.
With her head tilted, she was still fighting to maintain eye contact, the slight clench of her jaw bringing another wave of electric twitches to my groin. “Yes. I understand.”
“Good girl. I’ll be right back. Zorro will keep you company.” I took a deep breath, enjoying the view for a few additional seconds before turning around. What troubled me more perhaps than her sudden appearance was the bruise on her cheek. While the brutal hit had been from days before, someone had hit her on purpose. What little I knew about Sergio indicated he was a nutcase, possibly schizophrenic. His behavior with women was widely known as being abusive.
Could that mean she’d been forced to work on his behalf? Entirely possible, but given her reactions, the chance was low. How strange that the thought of anyone abusing her angered me to the point of potential violence.
