A little shiver rolls through her, and I can’t help but grin against her warm skin that still smells like me.
Like sex.
Like everything we did together last night.
Finally, she glances up, and the uneasiness and reservation in her gaze makes my shoulders tighten. “I had to leave. Isaac called. Satriano made a move.”
I tighten my grip on her. “Then why the hell didn’t you wake me up and bring me with you?”
If she thinks I’m going to believe for one second that she left because of the phone call and it wasn’t just coincidental timing, then she’s greatly underestimating how well I can read her.
She presses her lips together, struggling with a way to justify leaving without letting me know what was going on, but we both know she doesn’t have a good reason.
Other than her fear.
Not of him.
Of me.
And I know I won’t get a straight answer from her if I push her here and now, not when bigger things are at play.
I release a heavy sigh. “What happened with Satriano?”
She glances toward the open door, probably terrified that someone could walk down the hall and see me with my arm on her, but I refuse to relinquish my hold and let her run.
Again.
“He called on my brother last night.”
“What do you mean?”
Her eyes meet mine again, the anger and tension there darkening them. “Pope made a deal with him a while back, after he helped us rescue Atlas, Astrid, Kennedy, Allie, and Benjamin from Dan Roselli, that he would treat any of Satriano’s men who needed medical care and do it at our clinic so there wouldn’t be any records at the hospital. Aunt Nora agreed to assist if needed, too.”
“Jesus…”
She gives me a little nod. “Yeah. So, he’s forcing Pope to be a mob doctor, and last night, one of his men took a bullet to the shoulder, and he called Pope into action.”
“Does that happen a lot?”
“Not particularly, thankfully.” She sighs. “But enough that it makes all of us uneasy. Not just because Pope could lose his license for what he’s doing, but because every time Satriano does it, it’s a reminder that he has that power over us. Over my brother.”
I nod slowly. “Did your brother speak to him?”
She shakes her head. “Of course, Satriano doesn’t personally deal with any of this shit. He just texted him and said a car would pick him up. Pope got there and the guy was practically dead on the table from blood loss. He was barely able to save him.”
“But he did.” I raise a brow. “What would happen if he hadn’t?”
Her jaw tightens. “I don’t ever want to find out.”
I relax my hold on her slightly, and she starts to slip away, but I catch her wrist, sliding my thumb across her thrumming pulse. This may not be the place or time to say this, but if she has her way, she’s going to ensure she isn’t alone in a room with me ever again.
“You can’t run from me or hide forever, Bishop. What happened last night wasn’t the end of this. It was just the beginning.”
If she only stopped fighting it.
Bishop locks her gaze with mine, heat flaring there as I tighten my grip, a very visceral reminder of the way I had her restrained. “You sure have a lot of confidence.”
I shake my head. “I just know what I want, and I know you want it, too.”
