Page 36 of Matched into the Mob

We should be with him.

Not yet, I told him.

“Please relate your experience yesterday.” That was Ambrose’s voice.

“I was in the car with Dane and two bodyguards. The one driving… his foot must have slipped and the car charged forward, hitting another one. The next thing I remember is Ranger carrying me.”

“Hmmm. And why were you in Dane’s car?”

That was Clyde, and I hadn’t expected them to ask that.

“He was going to kill me?”

FIFTEEN

MATT

“He was going to kill me?”

I’d made it a question, and I wished Ranger was beside me because what if that was the wrong answer. Could I prove in a court of law Dane has been going to kill me with that gun? No, it was all circumstantial.

Shoot, Ranger was right. I’d watched too much TV. He should be by my side. He’d thrown me to the wolves by leaving me alone.

There was silence from the five elderly men on the screen.

“Are you sure?” one asked as he rubbed his head. “It would be unusual for one of us to kill a human.”

This wasn’t going how I imagined. They were inquiring about my actions when it was supposed to be Ranger they were looking into. And why was everyone mentioning humans? Not that I hadn’t done that myself. Was it because the actions of the mafia were closer to animals than people? Nah, people were awful too.

“Ummm, maybe because… I’m not really...”

Ranger rushed over and interrupted. “Matt was knocked unconscious and is suffering from concussion. He’s not in the right frame of mind to be questioned.”

“I am,” I nodded, probably reminding them of a puppy, and I paired it with a cheesy grin. “What I should say is I’m not.” Maybe Iwasconcussed and this was a dream or I was hallucinating.

One elder scratched his ear, another made notes.

The one with the beard brushed the question aside. “And why are you with Ranger and not in the hospital?”

Ranger offered me his hand, and I squeezed it before the council members told him to leave. “He wanted to make sure I was okay.”

“And that involved a long drive outside the city?”

Hmmm. I could say he abducted me or kidnapped me, but would they look kindly on that? If they knew what I was doing with Dane, they might say I deserved it.

“I was asleep most of the ride. You’d have to ask Ranger.” I studied my palm. “Not sure if this is important but he bit me.” I held up my injured hand. “Is that similar to getting a mobster tattoo? Am I one of you now?”

I was faced with five gaping mouths.

“We do not refer to ourselves as mobsters. We are proud shifter mafia,” one spat out.

“What’s a shif?—”

Ranger silenced me with a kiss. His soft, warm, wet lips pressed on mine, and I thanked the universe. This was the best dream ever.

His cocoa-laced breath billowed over me as he placed a hand on either side of my head. His tongue probed my lips, flicking and licking them. I moaned into his mouth. His tongue darted inside me and pulled out, and I whimpered at the loss.

“Stop!” one distant voice complained.

---