He sees it happening.
And he isn’t going to give me a choice but to take a step back, breathe, and regroup.
The man is a pusher, but it isn’t drugs he’s shoving down my throat. It’s something much more dangerous—he’s forcing the self-reflection I’ve avoided so much because it would mean admitting my intense focus on my training and my job was actually hurting me.
Like I might be doing now…
All it took was one look from him to know it, too.
Dammit.
“Fine.” I free myself from his hold and push off the wall with a huff. “A quick lunch. But then I want to meet up with Gabe and my dad again. There has to be some way to track down the man at the café. Maybe we can hack the city’s street cameras and backtrack him that way. Maybe it would lead us to McDonald and Satriano.”
Gage’s jaw tightens. “What would you do if you did find them?”
“What the hell do you think, Gage? My uncle might be the one who’s a sniper, but I have a pretty damn good shot, too.”
He lets out a low whistle. “While I know you do, Hellcat, do you really think executing a mob boss is going to solve the problem?”
No.
I shake my head. “It would make things worse, I’m sure, but it doesn’t mean I don’t think about it every fucking day.”
“As long as it’s just thinking about it…”
Even though we’ve only known each other for a short time, the way he’s watching me confirms that he’s already read me easily. He knows I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger if given the chance again, without the risk to innocents like there would have been at The Grind. We can deal with the fallout after—or at least, that’s what I tell myself in my head every time I picture putting that man down like rabid dog.
With a frustrated huff, Gage reaches out and spins me toward the door. “Let’s go.”
He ushers me from the office, down the hallway, and presses the button for the elevator. As soon as it lights up, he wraps his arm around me from behind, tugging me back against his firm body and sweeping his lips across the back of my neck.
The contact sends a little shiver through me, and I instantly regret wearing my braids up in a bun today, exposing that sensitive skin to his wicked mouth.
“After lunch”—another brief touch of his lips—“if you still need to relax a little bit more, we can go with your other idea.”
The elevator doors slide open, and I glance back at him. “Very funny.”
I step forward, putting some much needed distance between us, and he comes in after me, chuckling. But he absolutely isn’t kidding about being willing to take me to bed to work out some of the tension.
We both lean against the wall, waiting for it to descend to the first floor, and when the doors slide open again, the music and thumping bass hit us. Fairly empty this early in the day, I still immediately scan the club, looking for anything unusual even though there’s security everywhere.
They have it handled.
I keep telling myself that as we make our way toward the front door. Gage’s eyes follow mine on one final sweep of the club before we step out into the afternoon sunshine. Because we share the same instinct and inability to turn it off.
A deep lungful of fresh air somewhat helps relieve that anxiety coiling when we were inside, and Gage and I walk across the parking lot to the reserved spaces for the Hawkes where everyone still lingers around their vehicles, embroiled in further discussion.
Seems no one is truly able to take a break…
Savage and Gabe talk with Dad near Gabe’s car, while Luca, Stone, and Isaac appear to be trying to talk Coen off a ledge where he stands beside his car, the door already open like he can’t wait to get inside and get back to Allegra.
I glance at Gage’s motorcycle parked next to my SUV on the far end of the line of vehicles. Even though we were both coming from his place this morning, I had insisted we arrive separately, as if that somehow makes a difference when everyone knows what’s going on between us now.
He grins, nudging me playfully with his shoulder. “A ride might do you good…”
I glower at him, and he holds up his hands in defense, a smile twitching his lips.
“On the motorcycle.”
