I nod and quickly recite the address. “The two who helped with the robbery, I don’t care about them. But my brother… Everything you said about the Mafia scares me, but what scares me the most right now is I fear that Harris knew and he made my brother wear the Volto mask to make him look like one of us from the heist so that anyone who came looking would just shoot him and I…” Warmth stings behind my eyes and I swallow hard. “Everything I’ve done, everything I’ve always done has been to protect him and care for him. That’s been my job for the past fifteen years and I’m not perfect at it, I’m not amazing oranything, but I do what I can, so please… I’ll do anything you want, but please make sure no one kills him. He’s innocent in all of this. He’s just sick. Please, I just want him safe.”
Bradley falls silent and remains that way for a long time. My heart races like a rabbit and I grow far too nervous to speak again, acutely aware of how my reasons sound like excuses, but there’s finally light at the end of the tunnel. If I gain Bradley’s protection by helping him, we can find the diamonds, return them, and Peter and I can live free without Harris’s disgusting influence.
Bradley finally sighs deeply. “I want to ensure I understand everything,” he says. “Just so I am clear. Did you ever meet the second team Harris worked with?”
“No. Not once.”
“Did you know about them?”
I nod. “After the second robbery, I overheard Harris talking about working up for a distraction. Eventually, he told me that he had a second team that was going to score big, but I didn’t have to worry.”
“And you don’t know the identities of the other two men who helped with the heists?”
Again, I shake my head. “I’m sorry.”
His brow dips faintly. “Never apologize for not knowing. I understand your motivation. Your brother must be very dear to you.”
“He’s all I have,” I whisper. “My parents died when I was fourteen and he was only eleven. We…” I shake my head and grimace. “We were supposed to go into the system, but wejust slipped through the cracks and somehow ended up all by ourselves. I couldn’t bear the thought of losing him so I worked hard to get us through school, and I got a job as soon as I could. My entire life…” My chest shudders suddenly, and I place my hand below my throat. “Sorry. I constantly wish I’d done a better job so that he didn’t turn to drink, but I couldn’t. So I’m doing everything I can to keep him safe now.”
“Fourteen,” Bradley repeats softly. “You raised yourself and your brother all by yourself.”
My shoulders lift. “It’s easy when you don’t have a choice.”
“I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He lifts his chin slightly and then a warm smile curls his lips. “I will do everything I can to keep you and your brother safe, although I must warn you that his survival may be tied to whether we can reclaim the rest of the diamonds.”
My heart lifts and I clasp my hands together on the table. “Thank you. Thank you. I can’t…” Shaking my head, my gratitude that Bradley will at least try to help suddenly fades, and I squint up at him. “Just like that? You’re not asking for anything in return?”
Bradley looks faintly surprised. “Not everything is a transaction. And what you’ve become involved in is bigger than a robbery, so the return of the diamonds is what I get out of it.”
That can’t be right. I know men and they never do something for free, even quiet, seemingly kind ones like Bradley. The man’s embroiled with the Mafia yet somehow takes me at my word that I’m telling the truth?
No. There has to be a catch. Something I’m not seeing. There’s always a catch.
Then again, he is a man. Attractive, hot-blooded men like him always want one thing, and if it means getting ahead of his demand and securing my safety along with my brother’s, I’m not opposed to it.
“I can’t thank you enough,” I say, softening my tone while swallowing my stress and fear down into the dark pit of my gut where I store all my anxiety.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Bradley replies. “There’s only one path of least pain here, and your agreement makes things far smoother than your rejection.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course I have to thank you.” Rising from my seat, I approach him, and Bradley leans back in his as I get close. There’s just enough space between his body and the table to fit me, so when I reach him, I clasp his shoulder and slowly throw my leg over his lap. Then I settle down onto his thick, strong thighs and lightly clasp either side of his neck with my hands.
“What are you doing?” Bradley asks.
This close, his sweet scent fills my nose and his voice vibrates against my palm, sending an unexpected thrill through me. This might be the first time I’vethankedsomeone and actually enjoyed it.
“Whatever you want me to,” I say softly, arching my back into his chest and leaning up and forward until we’re eye to eye. “How do you like to be thanked?”
14
BRADLEY
Iblink, and suddenly, I have a lap full of a beautiful woman, and my mind completely goes blank in the few seconds it takes her to properly situate herself and lazily drape one arm over my shoulder while the other continues to caress my neck.
“Tell me,” she purrs. “Everyone has a way. There’s no need to be shy. How else can I show you just how thankful I am that you’re helping me?”
There’s so much to unpack in those few words and I don’t know where to start, especially since resisting someone as beautiful as her almost feels like a disservice. I could tell her that thanking me this way isn’t right, but something in the way her eyes darken tells me that my words won’t land right. This is a delicate situation and not just because her hips are rocking slowly back and forth over my crotch.
“Zira—”
