Decker shoved me in the shoulder as we turned to leave. “I knew you were going to get us in trouble. Why would you say that?”
Decker all but ran, thundering down the stairs like an elephant stampede. When we made it to the sidewalk, we walked toward the car. “Why is it so fucking difficult to help someone?”
“You should have told Luca why you wanted to see him instead of just showing up. What’s your plan now?”
Opening the door, I got in and slammed the door. “I don’t know. I’ll come up with something.”
And I did. The very next day.
Chapter 7
Luca
On my way home from the library, I tried to wrap my mind around why Axel Hughes wanted to see me. We weren’t friends, and there was no six degrees of separation. Just when I thought I’d let it go, John called to warn me not to come home, afraid for my life. It made little sense until it did.
“Hang on. Was this the guy?” Quickly searching the internet for a photo of Axel, I sent it to him.
“Huh,” he said, the anxiety absent from his tone. “Yeah. That’s him. Who is he?”
I chuckled incredulously. “My protector.”
“Ooooh.Thatguy.”
“Yeah,” I sighed. “I don’t know how he found out where I live.”
“He’s hot, Luca. If a man like that wanted to see me, I’d be on my way. Maybe you should talk to him.”
“Maybe. It might be the only way I can get rid of him.”
By Monday afternoon, I’d forgotten all about Axel until I left the office for the day. There he was, leaning against my car, dressed casually with a backward baseball cap.Jesus.Looking around, I checked for idling cars or anyone around in case I needed to make a run for it. I was overreacting because when itcame down to it, I wasn’t actually afraid of Axel. Probably more curious than anything.
He was scrolling on his phone as I walked toward my car. I stopped a few feet away. “Are you lost?” I pointed east. “Brooklyn is that way.”
His smile reached his eyes. Why did that make me happy? “There’s that wit I’m used to.”
When he looked at me like that, eyes all soft and playful, it was impossible to be angry with him. “Why are you here, Mr. Hughes? Stalking is a crime.”
“Axel. Mr. Hughes is…” He shook his head. “Never mind.” He shifted his weight and stood to his full height. Dressed in form-fitting athletic wear, his physique was difficult to ignore. It was obvious he took care of himself. And I’d never seen a dressed-down professional hockey player before.
“Okay, Axel. Why are you here?”
“I had a meeting with my attorney, so I thought I’d drop by to invite you to dinner.”
My eyes bulged. “Dressed like that?” I had a hard time believing he went in that attire. But whatever.
Glancing down at himself, he ran a hand over his abs. “It’s not an issue. He works for me. Not the other way around.”
Crossing my arms over my chest, I tilted my head. “Why would you want to have dinner with me?”
“Are you always so suspicious?”
“Maybe. Especially when things don’t add up.”
“What’s not adding up? We’re friends now, and friends have dinner together, Luca.” I grinned at how he said my name like he was making a point. “And I need your help.”
My mouth fell open as I stared at him.“Really? With what?”
“I’ll tell you over dinner.” He turned to go to the passenger side of my car. “Where’s a good place to eat? I’m hungry. And by the looks of you, you need to eat.”
