It takes Nova entirely too long to talk again. My anxiety jumps up as every minute passes.
“Who are you?” she whispers.
Sighing, I tip my head back. “I can’t tell you.”
“Am I going to be killed?” Her voice is so unsure.
“No! God no.”Fuck.I can’t give her any more information, but I can’t let her think I’m leading her to her death. “There’s a lot I can’t tell you, but trust that I will keep you safe with every fiber of my being.”
“Are we really getting a new shipment?”
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t Cano on the phone, was it?”
She’s smart; I’ve never doubted that. I just wish I could tell her what’s really going on.
“No, and that’s all I can tell you.” I park where I was told to and face her. “If the last couple of weeks have been more than a quick hook-up for you, like they have been for me, then I’m asking you to trust me. As soon as I am able to explain things, I will.”
She nods, but the uncertainty is still there.
I cup her cheeks and kiss her before pulling away. There’s no time for more discussion, though. The artifact should be here any minute.
Just as I think it, a car pulls up next to me, our driver’s windows parallel to each other.
“Here,” the man says bluntly, his eyes focused on Nova.Too focused.
“Thanks.” I grab the small item and start to roll up the window.
“How much?”
“Excuse me?” I pause.
“For the girl. How much?”
“She isn’t for sale,” I growl, finish rolling up my window, and speed off. “I’m sorry,” I tell Nova. I’m so angry; my only focus is getting to the damn warehouse without further incident.
“Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.”
“You still shouldn’t have to deal with it at all.” I sigh, finally loosening my hold on the wheel.
“My decisions have led to all of this. I can’t take any of it back. Now, focus on what we should be focusing on.”
Somehow, she has the level head now. It’s not great. I should be the one unaffected by it all, but here I am, wanting to go kill the bastard for even speaking to Nova, let alone propositioning her.
“That guy was Bill Pressley,” Nova says after a couple of minutes. “He’s bad news. Beat up one of the dancers. No one did anything about it. Bouncers didn’t care, and the women acted like nothing happened. The woman never came back to Bella’s.”
“Thank you.”
My mind is whirling with possibilities as to why this particular man was delivering. Up to the point, Oscar’s used disposable low men on the totem pole. I assume the ones that get multipledeliveries have proven themselves. The others … Well, they’re probably at the bottom of the river.
Far too soon, we’re at the warehouse.
We both get out of my SUV. The doors to the warehouse are wide open in broad daylight.
It should be my first red flag, but I’m still optimistic.
“Didn’t know you were bringing the ball and chain.” Oscar’s voice holds humor, but it’s also darker than I’ve heard from him before.
