Page 10 of Out of Control

I winced when I accidentally hit the tender spot on the back of my head. I'd styled my hair carefully so it was pulled back to cover the small gash left from the bullet graze; I didn’t wantto put the dye on my roots with an open wound there. My annoyance with Special Agent Lucas Blake roared back to life. If he wasn’t there distracting Antonio, I might have been able to complete my mission without burning another bridge.

I also might not have been shot in the freaking head.

I shook my head, rolling my eyes at myself this time when the solid throb returned with the harsh motion. I didn’t have time to spend thinking about Lucas Blake. I had to put on my game face and get ready for the next mission.

The meeting went better than expected.

Carlo Morelli was definitely interested in doing business with me—in more ways than one, which was a little annoying since I was trying to look and dress like his daughter to avoid another Morelli man pawing at me—but I suppose the hair wasn’t enough resemblance for him to think of her.

Carlo might have been attractive once upon a time, but his age was catching up with him fast. He was fifty-seven and had that thickness that resulted from muscles going slack with disuse. His hair was mostly silver with a couple streaks of black at his temples, the dark hair mirroring the creases at the corner of his eyes. The crow’s feet were emphasized all the more by the creepy smile on his face as he walked me out, hand resting much too familiarly on my ass as he paused to kiss my cheek at the door, sending me on my way with the promise of another meeting in a couple days to finalize the details.

I went with the flow, as always, and smiled when I looked at him demurely through my eyelashes on my way out.

Angelo was even creepier, just watching the whole exchange without saying anything. His eyes were the same shade as his brother’s, but where Carlo’s eyes seemed to be relatively harmless, even as he leered at me, Angelo’s gaze was piercing, like a stab wound wherever he stared. I avoided the sass and sarcasm that were my go-to’s whenever I felt uncertain. Blowing him a kiss could be a huge mistake; there was no world in which I wanted to encourage Angelo Morelli.

I gave one more wave before I walked out the front door, crossing the street and heading up the block to where I’d parked my car. I was a couple storefronts away when I took out my phone, stopping the recording app and immediately saving the audio in three separate locations…Just in case. I hadn’t even slipped the phone back into my purse yet when the side door of the locksmith van parked next to me opened and I was pulled inside.

My instincts kicked in and I twisted out of the man’s grip, throwing my weight into a punch. He managed to dodge the brunt of my hit in the crowded space, almost like he anticipated it. I was aiming a kick to his torso when I took in the face of my attacker, instantly recognizing those movie star good looks and chiseled jawline. Who knew I could get so annoyed at perfectly styled hair and hazel eyes? Was Lucas Blake a stalker?

I dropped out of my defensive pose onto my knees and grunted in frustration.

“Are you following me?”Why are you following me?seemed a more accurate question. Did he actually give a shit after all?

“No.” His voice was firm, almost angry. “I’m on a job. Wanna explain why the hellyou’rehere? What did you do to your hair?”

I glanced around the inside of the van, blinking in surprise when I saw it was full of recording equipment. So no, it had nothing to do with me. Was he watching the Morellis? Did he see me with them? Instead of answering his questions and digging myself further into a hole, I asked my own.

“How long have you been here? Who are you watching?”

“I’m going to watch the people who tried to kill you yesterday. What are you doing in this neighborhood?”

I hid my relief; he clearly didn’t see me exiting the Morelli office. I needed to distract him before he realized it wasn’t just a coincidence. “For the record,peopledidn’t try to kill me yesterday. Just one guy pulled the trigger.”

“After someone else gave the order.”

“Yeah. One someone.”

“How do you know it was just one person? That man works for some dangerous people.”

“First of all, you’re being condescending. I’m not a child and I can take care of myself. Secondly, that was a personal issue, not a professional one. His boss doesn’t know anything about me and didn’t order a hit on me.”

“That you know of,” he said ominously.

I rolled my eyes. I was literally just in their office. If they wanted me dead they had plenty of opportunity to pull me into a back room and get it done. But I couldn’t say that to him.

“Look, I’m not doing anything wrong. Can I go, or should I start recording this conversation as well?” I dropped my purse from my shoulder down to my elbow and began riflingthrough it, but no phone. Right…It was in my hand when he grabbed me. I dropped it outside the van in favor of making an FBI-punching fist, even if I didn’t get to land a hit on him.

He stared hard at me, then glanced at his video feed. The Morellis were back in their offices, not visible through the glass front door. It was safe.

“Fine. You can go. But I’ll drive you. It’s not safe for you alone out there. You don’t know the people you’re up against.”

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I’m taking an uber.” I actually was going to head back to my car, but he didn't need to know that. A license plate would give me away pretty quickly.

“Alright, I’ll stay with you until pickup. What’s the ETA?”

“I haven’t ordered it yet.”

“Then you better get to it. I don’t have all day.”

---