Page 99 of Mob Knight

Salvatore and Luca position themselves in front of Olivia, who tries to peer between their arms. Santiago casts them a disdainful glare as he speaks.

“I know your history, Luca. Don’t assume I’m like you because of what men do in Mexico or because of my father’s past. I don’t hurt women and children. I wouldn’t survive my sister if I did. I fear Jocelyn far more than anyone else. You’d do well to do the same.”

The women in syndicate families grow up resilient and protective. They have no choice; it’s in their genes. But women who marry into syndicates are no less fierce. Joey will be both a syndicate daughter and wife before the end of the month.

Chapter Twenty-One

Joey

To say meeting Olivia blindsided me is the understatement of the year. Our resemblance is uncanny. It made my hackles go up immediately. I know there are miles upon miles of lies and secrets my father’ll never share. But this…

If Olivia knows, then why couldn’t Santi and I? It’s not like I expect my parents to invite Olivia and her family to Christmas, but this is a big fucking deal to keep hidden.

It makes me wonder ifpapáreally doesn’t know I’m with Cormac. If he did, he’d know I’m likely to meet members of the other syndicates, and that means I’d likely meet Olivia. I’ve been thinking about that for the last three days. We ended our conversation far better than it started. My combativeness shocked me, but instinct told me to protect my family and Cormac’s. It made me defensive and untrusting to an extreme. I know my behavior displeased Cormac, but he’s said nothing about it nor treated me any differently. But it put him in an awkward position during the conversation.

Santiago let me have it, though. He texted me like every five minutes until I relented and answered the phone the nextday. He chewed me out in English, Spanish, and Spanglish for fifteen minutes. It tempted me to put the phone down and walk away. Instead, I folded laundry. He defended Olivia a lot more than I expected, but nothing he said was untrue. I was a royal bitch. I don’t know if her attitude was a response to mine or the other way around, but neither of us was nice during most of the exchange. However, we’re meeting for lunch today.

I need to get a few things from my place before I head to the office then the restaurant. I seem to be progressively moving my stuff into Cormac’s place. All of this season’s clothes are there, but I need some more as the weather transitions and keeps getting cooler.

“Sean, I’ll be five minutes. I just want to grab a few things.”

Cormac’s cousin reaches for my keys as I insert them into the lock. I turn it and push the door open an inch as he steps in front of me. The moment he opens it wider, heat and sound combined with the force that launches us backwards keep me from understanding what’s happening. Immediately, fire detectors go off in my apartment. I hear people screaming, but I can make no sense of it.

“Jocelyn? Jocelyn?”

“Sean?”

“Yeah. Where are you hurt?”

“I don’t know. You?”

I force my eyes open and see a deep cut on his forehead and cheek. His suit coat is off and smoldering beside him. The front of his shirt’s ripped and shows cuts and likely burns, but nothing anywhere near as bad as I expected. How long was I out of it?

I look down at myself and realize I’m sprawled on the floor of the apartment across the hall from mine. The blast burst open that door. I hurt, but I think it’s from landing so hard. I feel some cuts on my arms, and I spy a wood shard in my thigh. I don’t think it’s done any serious damage, so I reach for it.

“No.”

Sean pushes my hand away and scoops me up. How the hell can he carry me when he just took the brunt of the explosion? I don’t understand what’s happening, but he’s running toward the fire exit. So are my neighbors. Everything’s been in slow motion, but now it whips back into real time. I feel the heat as we rush away from my fiery apartment.

“Sean, my head hurts more than anything else.”

“I know, Jocelyn. We’re going to get you to a doctor. You took a nasty blow to the back of your head.”

I try to lift my hand to feel for an injury, but Sean has my arms pinned to my sides. I struggle, but he tightens his hold. He’s keeping me from reaching, so it makes me think it must be bad.

“How’re you carrying me down four flights of stairs?”

Are my words slurred? They feel like it.

“Because Cormac will kill me if anything else happens to you.”

“But—”

“Jocelyn, save your energy.”

That’s a nice way to tell me to shut up.

Sirens greet us as we reach the street. Mobsters push through the crowd until they get to us. I don’t know them, but Sean’s issuing orders. They bundle me into an SUV. I don’t understand why it’s not an ambulance if it’s severe enough we need to leave.

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