Page 78 of Play With Me

“Idotake whatever Mick gives me. And I’ve let him keep me on a leash for all these years, but…I’m ready to move on, Anders.” His eyes snap to mine. “I don’t think there’s any substance to your theory that he’s behind the murders. But I do think that it’s time for us all to move forward.”

“And what does that look like for us, Cara?” he asks, angling his body toward me to cup my face. His thumb sweeps along my cheekbone, featherlight and strikingly soft. “Where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know,” I tell him honestly. “But I want to find out.” My hands wrap around his wrists as he raises the other hand to cradle the back of my neck. “We’ll just have to find a way to make it work,” I whisper as his lips descend upon mine.

His kiss is temperate, gently parting my lips with his tongue, taking his time like he’s savoring the tasteof me. Like he’s gradually fusing our souls through our kiss. When he pulls back, he presses his forehead to mine. “Should I stay for now, then?”

I nod before kissing him once more. “Let me go get my things, and we’ll go back to the apartment.”

Anders lets me go, following me back to the bar so I can grab my phone. “We’re leaving,” I inform Mick. “Don’t sleep here. Go back to your hotel.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he snarls, knocking his stool over as he stands abruptly. The sudden aggression as he draws near makes my skin prickle. I’ve seen Mick angry, and he’s even gotten angry with me over the years, but he’s never looked this pissed off.

Anders steps between us as I swipe my phone from the bar top and retreat a few steps. “You lost, Mick. Take it like a man and walk away,” Anders says.

I ignore being talked about like I’m property. “I’m going to get my things.”

“I’ll be right here when you get back. Mick and I are gonna have a little chat.” Anders drops his voice, murmuring words I can’t decipher as I walk out of the Grand Room and toward my office.

My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look at the screen to see that Maya is calling. “Hello, mijita.”

“Can I come home soon? I miss my bed. And the pool,” Maya grumbles without so much as a greeting.

With a laugh, I switch the phone to my other ear. “Don’t you mean you miss me? Or is it the Jackson Tailor wall you miss?” I joke. “In all seriousness, though, I hope you can come home by next weekend.”

“Ugh,” she groans. “Anyway, there was actually a reason I called. I know this is super random, and I don’t know why it hit me suddenly, but I remembered something about the night that man picked me up from school.”

My feet falter, and I stop just outside my office. “What do you remember, Maya?”

“Well,” she draws out the word, “I think I overheard him take a phone call. And for some reason, if I remember correctly, I’m linking his name to ice cream. Rocky Road?”

“Rocky? Okay, I’m grabbing my things. Anders and I will call you back when we get home, okay? Love you.”

“Okay, love you too.”

The line goes dead as I reach for the door, searching my brain for why that name sounds familiar, and then it hits me just as I twist the knob.

“Rocky, move it. Let the lady sit down.”

“Rocky, have a car take the lady wherever she needs to go.”

Vinny Morroni’s henchman’s name is Rocky.

Luca’s father had my daughter kidnapped.

I’m about to turn and yell for Anders, but movement on the far side of the room grabs my attention,causing my voice to die in my throat before it’s gathered enough to carry down the hall.

A light clicks on from the lamp in the corner, and I squint, waiting for my eyes to adjust. When they do, they widen in surprise at who is standing in the room. My heart hammers in my chest, adrenaline spiking as my thoughts become muddled.

“Wait…you?”

Anders

Anger radiates off Mick, so thick I can feel it as he steps into my personal space, chest bumping against mine as he looks down at me. “It’s time for you to go, Brooks. Get the fuck out of my city. You’ve overstayed your welcome.”

“Now, why would I do that?” I smirk, unwilling to let him intimidate me. I’ve squashed bugs more intimidating than this washed-up old man who thinks he’s still hot shit. “My girl is here.”

“Funny, I thought your girls were back in California.”

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