Page 44 of Protecting Charity

“Thanks for fixing my car.” She smiled.

I tipped my head back and laughed.

“Now get the fuck out.”

I laughed harder and stood. There’s my girl. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Ma’am is my mother, and she’s a bitch.”

She hustled back under the water, where she returned to the position I found her in, and I left.

“Is she almost done? I keep getting notifications that there is a water leak somewhere.”

I rubbed the rose tattoo on my neck. “She discovered that you never run out of hot water.”

A sly grin slid across his face as he rose and disappeared into the large walk-in closet. A few moments later, he sat back down on the couch and downed his liquor with a pleased look on his face.

An ear-piercing scream came from the bathroom, and I turned to see a dripping wet, naked Charity standing in the bathroom doorway. She didn’t even bother with a towel, and it allowed us to take in all her beauty, but also all the bruises and cuts that marred her skin.

Her knuckles were purple with bruising, deep cuts slashed across a few. A developing bruise on her neck and shoulder followed a line down between her breasts and to her waist, where the seat belt stopped her from flying out of the car. A small purple mark with a cut in the center sat above her left brow, followed by tiny nicks where the glass must have struck her.

“Who the fuck turned off the hot water?”

Nico and I quickly pointed fingers and Luca and stepped out of her line of fire. We weren’t going to bear the brunt of her wrath when it was him that provoked her.

Godspeed, Luca, you’re going to need it.

Chapter 18

Charity

Ishot a lethal look at Luca, hoping he could feel the pain I wanted to exact on him. There was no reaction other than lust. His eyes raked down my body, pausing on my tits, then his gaze met mine. He didn’t flinch; he didn’t even look concerned. No. He was hard, and hunger filled his eyes. My body betrayed me as I watched a roguish grin slip across his face. He winked, sending my belly tumbling down a hill in a whirlwind of flips. I bit my lip and tried to catch my breath.

“Where are my clothes?”

I needed to get out of here. If I sat around this house with three hungry men and a traitorous body, there was no way I would sort this out.

Luca stood from the couch and grabbed a bag from the bed, then handed it to me. “I had Vito pick some up from your house.”

I snatched the bag from his hands and ran back into the bathroom, leaving them with curiosity bleeding their brains. Determination had me throwing on my clothes, but not before I noticed my garish appearance, causing the need to end this shit all that more urgent. The shower didn’t help me in the looks department. My wrinkled fingers were like raisins, and my skin still hadn’t gone back to its normal color. I was as pink as a newborn piglet and not in a cute way. I guess that’s what I get for preferring long, blistering-hot showers.

Braiding my hair back to keep it out of my way, I put my boots on and walked out the door to find their faces slip with disappointment. It’s as if that was all they thought about sometimes.

“Where do you think you are going?”

Luca demanded answers, and I knew if I walked out that door without so much as an explanation or a hint of my intentions, he’d explode, and I’d never see the light of day again.

“I’m sick and tired of this shit, so I’m going to make sure it ends tonight.”

All three men raised their voices in a chorus of outrage and worry until I couldn’t make out a single word of their arguments. It didn’t matter to me; they could fight amongst themselves. It gave me a chance to slip out the side door.

I picked up my leather jacket that Vito had grabbed, God bless his soul, then grabbed a random pair of car keys from the perfectly designed hooks near his garage door. Stepping inside the mammoth-sized garage, the lights immediately turned on one by one, illuminating it to the far back. Fifteen pristine cars sat lined up, shining, and ready to take me wherever my heart fancied. Well, this black heart aspired to put another woman in the ground; two, if I’m honest, but one will do for tonight.

The shiny black Maserati flashed its lights as I hit the keychain button, letting me know I made an outstanding choice in random selection. I scampered to the car, glancing behind me to see if anyone was coming, and was pleased to see it empty.

I would end up coming back with their wrath on my tail, but I didn’t care. I climbed inside, taking note of the soft, buttery leather, pushed the button, fired up the atrociously expensive car, and pulled out of the space. The garage door opened with the push of a button only to find all three men standing in my way—I guess they weren’t as engrossed with themselves as I’d like to think.

Luca walked up to the driver’s side, Max to the passenger, and Nico stayed in front—there was no escaping this place now. I rolled down the window casually, as if I didn’t just try to sneak out while stealing his car.

---