Page 31 of Mob Bride

“No, Lina’s not pregnant. Just wondering for the sake of wondering.”

Finn’s still smiling, but it dims a little. “Yeah, some mornings are really rough for her, and there’s been several times at work where procedures that normally never bothered her do now. Whether it’s the smell or the sight, it just turns her stomach over. Luckily, she’s only thrown up a couple times. At least that I know of. She might not tell me everything.

Finn shoots us a rueful expression. We all know if Ally told him the full extent of how bad she might feel, he would flip out. We try to solve it all, but morning sickness, I assume, is one of those things that’s generally only solved with time.

We’re all a bit of control freaks because that’s how we’ve stayed alive. I know from watching my own parents and aunts and uncles, and now my brothers and cousins, being unable to fully protect and keep the person you love most well is something unbearable to men who are usually in control.

It makes me think of Carrie again. I worry about her. That said, I think a lot of it is still my ego. It’s not by any stretch love. She irritates me too much for that.

The rest of the evening progresses with all of us watching a rugby match. That’s our thing in our family. We may have all played separate sports, but collectively, rugby is what we most like to watch and what we all play. You won’t find anyone more competitive than my mom and aunts. They’ll knock you on your arse, run right over you, score the point, then come back and help you up with a smile. It’s rather endearing I suppose.

I’m up with the roosters since I know Carrie goes for early morning runs. I’ve followed her in my car, but this time I intend to meet her on the trail. She’s been going the same way every morning, which in and of itself is an issue. It’s too predictable. She should know that. I’m sure she does. She’s got to be doing it for a reason.

I park at the opposite end of the trail from where she enters and time it so we’ll meet in a spot that’s secluded. No one will see us when I stop her. She recognizes me before I recognize her. She comes around a corner and immediately spins on her heelsand starts running faster. I take off after her. Blessedly, I’ve got longer legs than she does. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to keep up. She runs like a fucking gazelle.

“Carrie, stop.” I snag her shirt sleeve.

“Shane, how would you feel if I wouldn’t leave you the fuck alone after you told me to? It’s likeSingle White Female, except you’re a guy fucking stalking me.”

I wait for her to stop hissing at me, then pull her off the trail and out of sight. This way, anybody going past won’t notice us since we’re keeping our voices down.

“Carrie, this all ends when you give me some explanations. I saw you going over to Bartlomiej’s the last two days. You were there for a few hours before you left. I know you’re staking him out, but who is he to you? Or better yet, who are you to him?”

“Shane, I work for him. As far as he knows, I do some stuff for his legal businesses, like social media management. Every once in a while, I go over there. I walk him through some campaigns. Then I leave.”

“And it really takes you five or six hours to do that? Because I know that’s how long you stayed two days ago.”

She scowls at me. I think she’d throat punch me if she could. “You are going to blow everything if they see some car parked close enough for you to watch me. They’ll see you’re in it.”

“Yeah, that would happen except I set up a dash cam and watch the feed from four blocks away.”

That makes her pause and consider it. “Well, I can admit that’s a good idea. It should be a pretty obvious surveillance tactic, but I’ve never used it. What kind of camera do you have?”

“I’ll answer that after you answer my questions. You’re not deflecting, Carrie. I’m more than happy to tell you what equipment I use, but I don’t buy for a second you’re some social media manager who goes over to her boss’s house to train him on Facebook for five hours. Seriously, nothing would make mehappier than to walk away. Let you do you and let me do me. Until I can be positive none of this is going to blow back on my family, I’m not giving in. You’ve got to give me something.

“Or you could try trusting me.”

I stifle a laugh that comes out as a throat clearing. “You don’t trust me, otherwise, you’d explain things.”

“Or, Shane, maybe this isn’t about you, and maybe I’d just like to keep my job and my head on my shoulders. Have you thought about that as a possibility?”

“Of course I have. That’s why this could all be over. We could go on our merry little way once you tell me the truth.”

The way she looks at me—I can guess what she’s thinking.

“Carrie, what happened in your apartment didn’t happen because I want to coerce information out of you. That was entirely different, and we both know it. I didn’t kiss you or touch you to manipulate you. It’s obvious we’re attracted to one another, even if we don’t get along. Even if it’s something we shouldn’t feel, we do. But that was then. This is now. We both have a job to do.”

“How very convenient for you, Shane, to just explain that away as though we’re just supposed to pick things up where we left off before that. Well, you’re right. I don’t trust you, and I don’t want you. It was merely physical attraction. I think you believed you could get me on the hook to make me tell you whatever you want to know as though I’m some poor little infatuated middle school girl. I’m not. It felt good, and I enjoyed it, but it doesn’t change my mind.

“I didn’t expect it to. All I want is to ensure my family is safe. I don’t trust Bartlomiej at all, so I don’t think you’re safe.”

“Of course, I’m not safe. What part of being undercover ever is? Shane?—”

She doesn’t have a chance to finish speaking as men swarm toward us. There’re three coming from each direction, and Jacekis leading the charge from the right. She and I both pull guns. I assumed she carried hers under the sweatshirt she ties around her waist when she runs. I rarely leave home without mine.

The Poles are already opening fire on us. She takes on the men coming from the right, and I take on the ones coming from the left. We have the advantage of cover while they’re exposed. One by one, we pick them off until Jacek is the last one standing.

I watch Carrie. It’s not hesitation that allows Jacek to get closer. She’s making sure he’s as easy a target as possible. She shoots, and the first bullet goes through his gut. The second goes into his shoulder. It’s not enough to kill him on sight, but with none of his men around to call for help, he’ll bleed out. However, if he lives, he’ll tell Bartlomiej who shot him.

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