Page 112 of A Dangerous Kind of Love

“I’m going to find out,” I say. “That’s not a threat. That’s a fact.”

No one looks away.

“If there’s something I need to know, you bring it to me before I come looking for it,” I continue. “You come to me, you say it straight, and we deal with it that way.”

A beat.

“But if I have to find it myself…”

I let that hang for a second and finish it clean.

“It’s over for you. Not just you. Anyone you thought was going to stand next to you when this comes down.”

The weight of that settles across every single one of them. I take a step back.

“Now get the fuck back to work.”

The space empties, leaving just the three of us.

Luca steps closer. “You think they’ll come forward.”

“No,” I say.

Marco comes up beside me, his gaze still fixed on the door. “Then we pull it apart.”

“Yes.”

Chapter 40

Katie

Michael gets to the bar an hour before my shift ends, sliding into the same booth he spent days watching me like a total creep. Only now, every time I catch sight of him, I’m smiling. It’s not even on purpose. It just happens. Every time I pass his table. Every time I glance up from behind the bar and find him already looking at me.

It feels different tonight. I can’t quite explain it, but there’s something sitting under my skin. Especially after last night and every time I remember where I’m going when this shift ends. With him. To his house.

He’s already waiting by the door when I finish. He opens it without a word, his hand sliding to my waist as we step into the night, pulling me close.

“Have a good shift?” he asks.

“It was okay. Tips weren’t great tonight.”

His mouth tightens, his gaze dropping to me, but he doesn’t say anything. When we reach his car, he opens my door first, his hand brushing my back as I slide in. He shuts the door behind me and circles the front to his side. As he pulls out, his hand slides to my thigh, resting there.

“So,” he says, eyes on the road. “You should quit the bar.”

I let out a short laugh. “You’re kidding.”

“If it’s about paying for your mom’s facility, I can do that.”

“Stop,” I say.

He glances over at me.

“I don’t like you working there.”

“I don’t remember asking you.”

He takes a slow breath, his jaw working.