Page 100 of The Woman with the Wallet

With that, we hung up.

“You’re going to be careful, right?” Max asked.

“Always,” I promised her, reaching to take her hand and pull her down the hall with me. “I plan on coming home to you. Every night,” I added as I moved into the closet to grab an extra gun and ammo. “But I want to leave this with you. Nothing points to there being anyone else involved, but just in case.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “At least it’s not as heavy as Lil’s gun.”

“I want you to keep it nearby, but do me a favor…”

“Don’t leave it around Chuck unattended,” she filled in for me.

“That’s my girl,” I said, placing the gun on the bed so I could pull Max flush against me, wrapping her up tight. “Don’t be worrying about me.”

“I’m not gonna be able to help that,” she said, voice muffled from burying her face in my chest.

“It’s gonna be a few hours, maybe half a day, then this is over. For good. After that,” I added when I felt her stiffen, likely thinking I meantwewould be over, “I plan to take you to bed for a week straight.”

“Mmm,” she sighed. “Promise?”

“With short breaks only for showers and picking up food.”

“There’s one flaw in your plan,” she said when we both heard Chuck’s hearty laughter.

“I’ll pawn him off on my brother,” I said, kind of excited at the prospect of torturing one of my brothers. What can I say? Big brothers never get sick of tormenting their younger siblings.

“Okay,” Max agreed, pulling back to look at me. “So, be extra careful then. Because it wouldn’t be nearly as fun spending the next week with you in bed injured.”

“Sugar, even then, I’d rally,” I said, snagging her chin with my fingers, then leaning down to seal my lips to hers.

Things were getting a little hot and heavy when there was a knock at the door that had us springing apart.

“Ride’s here,” Zeno called.

“Gun,” I said, handing it to her before we both made our way out into the common area.

Zeno looked at ease with his feet up on the coffee table and the remote in his hand.

“I’m hanging,” he said, and I saw a gun sitting on top of his laptop beside him.

“Thanks, man,” I said, nodding.

Sure, Zeno was a bit of an… unconventional mafia guy. But he’d been raised in the life. He could handle shit if he ever needed to. And the instinct to protect was strong.

“So, kids, are we ready for some comedy gold?” Zeno asked, patting the couch for Max to join him and Chuck.

I felt her gaze on me the whole way out of the door, but I tried to push that away as I followed Brio and Nico out of my building and toward the waiting car.

I needed to focus.

The more I could concentrate, the easier this job would be. Then it would be done.

And Max and I could finally get some alone time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Miko

“Place is dystopian,” Brio declared as we waited outside of the hotel for the fourth hour in a row.

---