Page 81 of Break

“It’s taken care of,” Max says as he steps into the back hallway with us, stopping Mina as she opens her mouth to argue. “You ready to head out of here?”

“I’m ready, and thank you for paying. You truly didn’t have to.”

“All of you need to get out of here so I can go home. Mina, come back anytime.” Gray waves us out. I pull Mina along behind me, still holding onto her hand. It’s almost become second nature to us at this point, both of us content with the contact.

The moment we’re outside, Mina stops me for just a moment and pulls on my shoulder to bring my face closer to hers. Pressing her lips on my cheek, she gives me a radiant smile, then says, “Thank you. This turned out exactly how I would have wanted it to!”

Smiling, I kiss her back quickly, mimicking the way she kissed me. “Anytime darlin’.”

We’re only parked two blocks down from Anarchy and Vice, and Max walked the path prior to coming back to get us. So, I’m surprised when Mina’s pace slows down and she begins to look around her, confusion furrowing her forehead.

Drawing her attention to me, I tug on her hand. “What’s going on, Mina?”

Max is walking ahead of us with Vincent, and they both look over their shoulders when they hear me question her.

“I… uhh… I don’t know? I just got a feeling, like where you feel uncomfortable in your own skin, you know? Like where it crawls with bugs or something.” Max and I hold gazes for a moment, silently communicating to get her ass to the car now.

Vincent is already gone, back the way we’ve come from, his cellphone to his ear as he swivels his head around to look in all directions at once. Max moves to the other side of Mina, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. With my hold on her, I pick up our pace without being obvious to other people, anxious to get her into the backseat and on the road.

“What’s going on?” She asks, fear seeping into her voice.

“Nothing, darlin’. We’re just taking precautions and getting you home.” I unlock the SUV when we’re feet away, then toss the keys to Max, who’s making his way to the driver’s side. Wrenching the door open, I wrap my hands around her waist and pick her up, shoving her unceremoniously into the back. Then urge her across the seat so I can slide in next to her. Shutting the door behind me, I stare out the window to see if I can spot Danny.

Max is pulling away from the curb within moments, and Mina jumps up in her seat to look out the back window. “Wait!We forgot Vincent!”

“Mina, sit down and put your seatbelt on.” Max doesn’t yell at her, but he’s firm in his order. She scrambles off her knees and quickly obeys him. I’m still looking around, so when her fingers touch my hand, I jerk from the contact.

“Ethan? I don’t understand,” she whispers. She’s doing really well holding it together because I know with the way we’re acting, we’re scaring the shit out of her.

Scooting to the center of the seat, I wrap an arm around her and tuck her into my side. “Honestly, everything is okay. That feeling you described?”

She nods her head against my body, letting me know she’s listening.

“Sometimes people feel like that when they’re being watched. You may be more in tune with Danny’s presence since you lived with him for so long. Vincent stayed behind to look around and call into the station for backup. Just in case hewasthere, we wanted to get you in the car and gone as quickly as possible,” Max answers for me.

Adding in my own opinion to continue easing her worry. “He’s correct. It’s better to be safe and overly cautious.”

“So, you guys didn’t see him then, right?” Her voice is small when she asks.

Hugging her tighter, I reaffirm our actions. “We didn’t see him. Promise. We’re just being careful.”

She stays silent the rest of the drive back, and as we’re pulling into the driveway, Max’s phone rings. Answering the call, he puts it on speaker without addressing Vince. “You see anything?”

“I didn’t see him, but I stopped in the stores between Gray’s place and the car to show his picture and ask if anyone’s seen him recently. One of the ladies working register at that gift shop half a block from Gray’s said that there was a guy there only ten minutes before I arrived who looked like him.”

Max slams his palm on the steering wheel and I feel Mina jolt at the “FUCK!” he barks out.

“Let me let you go. I’m gonna stay down here for a while and see if we can’t pick him up somewhere. He’s got to have wheels, or someone helping him to get around so quickly. I’ll let you know if we get anything. Mina, sweetheart. Don’t stress about any of this. We’ve got the best of the best looking for him. I’ll see you all later tonight.” Vincent hangs up after that.

Slamming the car into park, Max shuts the car off and stares out the front window, attempting to control his anger.

Mina looks up at me, her eyes worried. “Let’s get inside. Max, why don’t you take a walk around and make sure everything looks good?”

He only nods, and although she hesitates before getting out of the car, she eventually leaves without saying anything. Once I get the door open and hold it for her to go inside, swapping places with Walter as he comes bumbling out and down the front steps. I look back to Max, where he’s still sitting in the car, watching us make it into the house.

Understanding passes between us. I’ve got her in the house. He’s going to protect her from out here until Vincent gets home. Danny needs to pull his head from his ass before one of us takes him out. I’d prefer it to be me blessed who’s with that opportunity.

Chapter 37

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