Page 17 of Iron Blade

I fished into my pocket for my phone. I bit down on the middle finger of his glove to slip it off my hand so I could use the touch screen. I heard him groan.

When I looked up, he was staring at the sky, biting his lower lip, his Adam’s apple exquisitely bobbing.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

He turned back to me, and his eyes burned with a lust that was frightening, and … enticing.

“Nothing, love,” he said, as he took in a ragged breath. “Nothing at all.”

I shook my head, as if to deny the feeling creeping up my arms, and to my chest. The way my mouth tingled with the memory of tonight’s kiss.

I didn’t have anyone. No one I could call, at least. Blink wasn’t someone you called in these situations.

So, I called Cosima “Cosa” Durante, thinking that maybe she’d offer me some protection. I just had to pretend that I didn’t know anything about their families. Surely, if something happened to me, the heiress of the Italian Mafia would be able to take action against the Irishman. As powerful as he might be, she was just as strong. At least when it came to influence in the underground crime scene.

“Hey, where are you?” Cosima answered without greeting. “Want to come over to watch Casablanca?”

“I’m… I’m with someone, and I need you to stay on the phone with me,” I said quickly, staring at Eoghan who tilted his head with a lazy smirk.

“Are you on a blind date?”

“No, not as such…” I watched his eyebrow go up, as his smirk turned into a grin. “I just… he’s going to drive me home. I just want you on the phone with me…”

“Put her on speaker,” Eoghan mouthed, as he lifted an amused brow.

I don’t know why I complied.

Despite what happened in the gallery, I didn’t think he’d hurt me. Not really.

“Oh my God, are you afraid of ending up on one of those murder podcasts?” Cosa sounded like she was enjoying this. “Who are you with? Is he handsome? If you’re going to get murdered, he better be handsome…”

“Cosa!” I said through my teeth.

“Tell me who he is and how you know him,” she said, with a sigh.

“His name is…” I swallowed, hesitating, before letting out a long breath and giving an Oscar-worthy performance. “Eoghan Green.”

Eoghan nodded in approval as I said this, then stepped out of the way as he bowed, beckoning me into the car.

“Eoghan… Green?” Cosa said, as I shimmied into the back seat.

Eoghan slipped in, closing the door behind him.

“Yeah, you know him?” Of course, she knew him…

Eoghan reached over and grabbed my seatbelt, buckling me in.

“Safety first,” he said, with a wink.

His driver pulled out into traffic, just as Cosa screamed, “Get out of the car!”

“What?” I reached to the door handle, as if ready to tuck and roll if I had to, even though I knew I wouldn’t.

Eoghan raised a quizzical brow. I wondered if he believed my lie or if he was just humoring me.

“Get out of the car, Kira!” Cosa was frantic, her voice hitting a level of distress I wasn’t used to. “You don’t understand! He’s not a good man. He’s a very, very bad person. You need to get out of there now. Where are you? I’ll come get you! Tell me what cross street, and I’ll be right there!”

“Cosima…” I gritted.

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