When she shifted, perhaps forgetting she had a weapon pointed at her head, Damien was quick to remind her, pulling her tightly against his chest.
There was no real reason for the reaction I had, including being furious with him for touching her, but that’s exactly what happened. She’d proven herself to be a liar, yet in my mind, I’d already claimed her as a possession.
The thought would have been amusing had it not been for the situation we were in.
“You are an arrogant prick just like your sister said.Gli uomini americani sono tutti uguali. Cocciuto.”
American men are all the same. Pigheaded.
The words tossed from her mouth were mildly amusing. “E le donne italiane non sanno quando è il caso di stare zitte. Se vuoi rimanere viva, farai come dico io. Ci riesci?”
And Italian women don’t know when to keep their mouths shut. If you want to live, you’ll do as I say. Can you do that?
I cocked my head. “Yes, you did fool me, Anna. I thought you were a nice girl.” She gripped Damien’s arm, blinking solidly once to indicate she knew I was doing my best to try to keep her from getting killed.
“You don’t know me.” Her response was calculated.
“I guess not. But I’m about to. Quando sposto la mano destra davanti alla sinistra, si muove.”
When I shift my right hand in front of my left, move.
“Talk English. I just want to get out of here and nothing else, Mr. Prince. You don’t know what Sergio will do. This was supposed to be nothing more than an easy money-making operation. I’m not here to hurt anyone. So you’re going to allow us to walk out that door. You’ll never see me again. That much I promise you.” Damien was under some crazy assumption that I had any intention of letting him go.
“That’s fine, Damien. Just let the woman go once you’re outside.”
She opened her mouth to retort but was smart enough to realize I was trying to save her life. Once again, the fact she wasn’t terrified told me much about her personality and her past.
She’d been taught how to handle potential kidnappings and basic violence.
Which was exactly what my sister had been taught as a teenager.
I took a deep breath and acted as if I was going to lower my weapon. At the same time, I sensed a presence behind me. A human and a canine.
There was no time to waste. The second I placed my right hand over my left, she did exactly as she’d been taught to do.
She slammed her foot into Damien’s, effectively managing to push herself away. It was classic, calculated, and executed perfectly.
Pop!
The single gunshot was all that was needed. Damien hadn’t expected I’d kill him, his eyes opening wide before he sagged to the floor.
Woof. Woof. Woof.
Donatello flanked my side, shaking his head. “Well, that didn’t go as planned.”
“No, it did not.” I turned my attention to Anna, who was currently on the floor after being tackled by Zorro. He was doing his best to keep her protected. “Have Malcolm handle the cleanup. Get the crew here. I want the place spotless.”
“Yeah, I came to find you to let you know there’s a group of trainees here tonight.” He motioned toward my lost angel, who was currently glaring at me. She was also in a cocktail waitress uniform.
Hold on. She’d gotten a job here?
My Capo was trying to tell me that the lovely Anna was supposed to be here. It was far too convenient as everything else aroundher had been. “Find the goddamn club manager whether he’s working or not. I need to know whether she’s authorized to be here or not.”
“Yes, sir.”
Her glare remained hot and heavy and had the opposite effect of what it should.
My cock was at full attention.
