Page 15 of Consumed By the Mafia

What the fuck was she doing?

His gut insisted Abby had already been pulled into their little war with Coughlan and his gang, but Ryoma was well aware he needed more than that to justify telling her his secrets without receiving permission. Not that he had any intentions of letting that handicap put her in harm’s way. He also had a promise to keep.No reason one can’t pave the way for the other.“I have to make a call, baby girl,” he said as he tugged his phone from his pocket. He went first to retrieve the images he’d sent himself from her phone. They needed to be forwarded to be useful. “I know you have questions, but I’m gonna ask you to hold on to those a little longer.”

She shifted in her seat. They were fully redressed and he’d cranked the engine over to restart the air conditioning, but itwas late July and they’d definitely worked up a sweat. “Can you make the call from my apartment? I’d like to change.”

Ryoma grinned. That wasn’t horrendously unreasonable, and they’d gone enough the other direction that the coast was probably clear to swing back that way. If nothing else, he would be there. Whatever had happened to set Coughlan off—whether it was the jab to the nuts or if he thought she’d overheard something—Ryoma would make sure the threat didn’t touch her.

His memory flashed back to the visual of the man, presumably one of Coughlan’s, with his hand fisted in her hair. It had been all Ryoma could do not to jump the curb in his car and run him the fuck over.

“Little of each,” he said, dragging himself back to the moment. “It’s actually two calls. So I’ll make one now, and one when we get there.” He winked at her, wiggled his seatbelt for emphasis, and then fished out his earpiece in order to drive and talk at the same time. She was buckled by the time the phone was ringing and he had the car in motion by the time Mikey answered.

“Is this to explain the two random pictures you just texted me?” Mikey asked, a faint layer of irritation in his tone. Which was normal for him. Moreso since he’d gotten married and taken to actually trying to step away from his computer on weekends. “All I can tell is that it looks like Silva got caught being an ass.”

Ryoma snorted. “Silva’s an issue, yeah,” he said. He turned into traffic and the air conditioning cooled notably as the caraccelerated. “But he’s not the main one. I’m pretty damn sure the guy with him is Brendan Coughlan.”

Abby shifted again in her seat. That was fair. If she hadn’t had questions for him before, she definitely would after this.

Mikey’s reaction, of course, was louder. “Fuckingwhat? How certain? Where did you get these pictures? Where and when was he last seen?”

This must be where I learned that habit.Ryoma almost grinned again at the recognition. Almost. “Yeah, that story’s probably also a problem.” He winced at his own wording, but he knew that was how they’d see it. All he could do was speak honestly. “One sec.” He glanced to the side as they idled at a light. “Where were you when you got waylaid by those two?”

Abby’s brow pinched for a moment, her gaze going distant as she thought back.

“You’re with someone?” Mikey asked.

“Girlfriend,” Ryoma replied. He was sure Cris had shared that piece of news.

“They were outside Nonna’s Pastries, not half an hour before I called you,” Abby said. “Talking up next to the wall like they’d just randomly walked into each other.” Her tone bespoke her skepticism.

Ryoma repeated the information, adding, “Presumably one of them is the one who sent that dirtbag chasing after her. So he might know something.” Meaning it was good that he hadn’t run the bastard over.

“I already watched the exterior footage,” Mikey said after a second. “I get why you might want that guy. I’m still struggling with the bigger connection. How did your new girlfriendhappen to run into Brendan fucking Coughlan, after we’ve been searching for that fucker formonthswithout a solid lead? Did he justintroducehimself and not realize her connection to you?”

“None of that,” Ryoma said. He opened his mouth to explain, but Mikey beat him to it.

“Let me hear it from her.”

Ryoma ground his teeth, but he supposed he wasn’t overly surprised. “One sec.” He tapped the dashboard, switching from his earpiece, and nodded to Abby. “Could you explain to my supervisor what you told me about that incident?”

Her eyes widened and she swallowed visibly. “Um, sure.” She cleared her throat and repeated the story she’d told him previously.

Ryoma moved one hand from the wheel to curl his fingers over her thigh. He wasn’t entirely sure if he was trying to offer her support or if the gesture was purely selfish. Regardless, she didn’t swat him away.

Mikey cursed. “Okay. I understand now. Thank you for explaining that to me. Ryoma, have you called Cris, or anyone else?”

“Figured getting you the info was priority one.” Ryoma slid into the lane he needed in order to take the final turn before her apartment complex would be in view. “Was gonna call Cris next.”

“Good. Do that.” The line disconnected seconds beforeRyoma rounded the corner.

He saw the other vehicle coming in slow-motion. He lifted his hand from Abby’s thigh, to stretch his arm across her body, even as he spun the wheel in an effort to avoid the collision.

“Shit!” Abby cursed. In his peripheral vision, it looked like she reached for the purse she’d previously lifted up off the floor.

The oncoming SUV slammed into them, moving fast enough and coming at enough of an angle that the front of his car crunched and the entire thing twisted, spinning completely out of control. Abby shrieked as the rear windows popped from the pressure and then the airbags finally deployed.

In the next second the air was punched from his lungs and his consciousness faded.

As if he were hanging in some mystical, suspended state, Ryoma realized he needed to take action. Even though he couldn’t yet open his eyes. It was like he hovered in a fog. They’d been hit, too perfectly for it to have been anything other than intentional, and he hadn’t been able to stop it. He hadn’t been able to shield her.

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