“What about the others?” she asked.
“They can be dealt with later.”
“Gabe, what’s going on?”
He marched her back to where their car was parked. He pushed her into the backseat and then the guy she’d come to realize was Felipe sat in the driver’s seat.
“Take her back to my place.”
“Wait, Gabe. I don’t like this.” She tried to roll the window down. Felipe pulled away and she looked back behind her toward Gabe. The sound of sirens filled the air. Her heart raced. “What is going on?”
Felipe said nothing.
Her questions fell on deaf ears. She kept on looking back, trying to make sense of what had just happened, but nothing.
They’d been shot at in the park.
She held her hands out in front of her and saw how much they shook. Fear ran down her spine and she struggled to focus.
“Will he be okay?” She slapped the chair. “Answer me. Will Gabe be okay?”
“He will be more than fine. He has men who will do anything to protect him.”
“Really? Like take a bullet?”
Felipe didn’t say anything else.
Clenching her hands into fists, she tried to remain calm, but it wasn’t going to happen. They were shot at while walking in a park. The way Gabe reacted suggested he was used to it.
She ran her hands over her face, trying to clear the fog from her brain, but it wasn’t working. If Gabe was in danger, she wanted to be there to help him.
Felipe arrived at Gabe’s apartment building.
“I want to go home.”
“Miss, if I take you home, it’ll be my head. Mr. Moore gave me an instruction. Please, don’t be difficult.”
She could leave or run, but she had a feeling Felipe wouldn’t let her.
After climbing out of the car, she followed him to the waiting elevator.
He stood in front of her, keeping her close. His hand was perched inside his jacket, letting her know that at a moment’s notice, he could shoot anyone he believed to be a threat.
****
Screams filled the warehouse.
Deathly silence followed as Gabe stared at the man he’d just tortured. The mafia didn’t like how he controlled his own turf. Today, they’d tried to make a show of force, and well, he was one man down, while they were six men down. This one he’d just taken, a capo. One of the soldiers had given away his location.
He tapped the dead man’s head.
“I want the head cut off, put in a box, and mailed to the Boss with the message that if any mafia scum enter my territory again, this is what will happen. I don’t care.” He stepped back and wiped the blood from his fingers.
He didn’t have a change of clothes.
“Felipe called,” Andrew said. “She’s at the penthouse, but she’s not happy.”
Gabe nodded. Going out with her, being seen with her, had always been a risk. In his world, no woman had ever lasted more than a couple of fucks. Laura was already different, and his enemies were sniffing around her.
He had a leak somewhere, and he’d find it.
With how accurate the mafia men were today, he had a feeling it was one of his closest men. It wouldn’t take him long to find the mole. Once he did, he’d make an example of him. Men could be easily turned. Money, position, power, they were all relevant.
As he looked at his men, his suspicions rose. The only man he trusted was Felipe. The man had sworn his loyalty to him. They were more than employer-employee. They were brothers. They’d found each other on the street. Felipe had been kicked to the gutter as well.
The only person he’d trust with his woman beside himself was Felipe.
Pulling on his jacket, he left the warehouse. Whatever happened now, he was ready. The only problem he now had was Laura. She was known to belong to him. His enemies would try to take her, to use her. He had to protect her the best way he knew how, by keeping her close.
Rather than be repulsed or angered by the thought, he was happy.
He climbed into the back of his car and watched the city move on by as he made the journey back to his penthouse. Felipe stood outside. He stared at the door but had his gun raised as he approached. “You’re safe?”
“Yes.”
He quickly filled his man with the details of what went down.
“I need you to get some sleep.”
“No. Not while we can’t trust those bastards,” Felipe said.
“I can take care of myself from here, but I need you to be ready. They’re going to attack again. It’s only a matter of time. I won’t have anything happen to you.” He shook Felipe’s hand.
Besides Laura, Felipe was the only other person he cared about.
Felipe nodded at him and turned to leave.
Squaring his shoulders, he entered his apartment and put the necessary locks in place. Anyone who tried to get in would set off plenty of alarms. There was no easy way into his penthouse.
“Felipe?” Laura asked, coming around the corner. “Gabe!” She rushed toward him and stopped when she caught sight of the blood he was covered in. “What the hell happened? Are you hurt? Is this your blood?”
“No, it’s not my blood. I’m fine.” He took a step toward her, and she stayed perfectly still, not moving an inch.
“I’ve been so worried.”
He didn’t expect her to throw herself into his arms, closing the distance between them. He held on to her, pressing a kiss to her head.
“I’m fine.”
“Is that, like, normal for you?” she asked.
Gabe cupped her face and tilted her head back to look at him. “I need to know if you’re in this with me.”
“What?”
“This is beyond fucking now, Laura. You’ve been seen with me. They know who you are and what you mean to me.”
“But I don’t understand. I don’t mean anything to you.” She nibbled on her lip. I’m nothing. I’m no one, Gabe.”
“You are.”
She shook her head, and he pressed his lips against hers.
“You are someone. You’re mine.”
“You’re saying that right now because I’m with you, my life is in danger?”
“Your life is in danger anyway.”
“I don’t want to hear this,” she said.
“But you have to. I don’t want anything to happen to you. They know who you are, and if they don’t right now, they will soon. I’m not willing to give you up. You like me. You enjoy spending time with me or you wouldn’t be trying to encourage me to eat shitty hot dogs.”
She laughed.
“I’m not promising you an easy life. I’m not going to force you to do something you don’t want to do, but if you decide to walk away from me, I’ll try to do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
“So my choices are, stay with you or take a chance on my own and risk dying?”
“Yes.”
She pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. “I don’t know what the hell to do.” She rubbed at her temple.
“You need to do what feels right to you.”
She shrugged. “I hated today. Driving away from you. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”
“I’m not a good man, Laura. Anything that happens, I deserve.”