Page 49 of Wanted by the Lawman

“I don’t know who you are anymore, Rory.” It made her sick just to say his name.

“You’ll get to know me again, sweetheart.”

She felt the blood drain from her face. “I’ll never go back to that life. Ever.”

“If you don’t, then your friend will have a visitor.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“No, I wouldn’t, but I know a group of men who enjoy making people pay by the skin of their teeth.”

“Zander has nothing to do with this—with us.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Wynn. He has everything to do with us and that’s because you gave him the goods. Now he’s as much a part of this as you and I are. See what you’ve done?”

Wynn recognized the look in the man’s eyes as evil, and when he brought his hand up to her face, she jerked. He pushed a tendril of her hair behind her ear. He seemed tender, but he wasn’t…hadn’t been in a long time. “He’s a special agent. Your people wouldn’t mess with him.”

One groomed brow flipped up. “Is that what you really believe? If so, you’re far more naïve than I ever thought you were. No one is safe against the mob, my dear. No one. Not even that pretty boyfriend of yours. All they need is a name and they’d love to take out a man wearing a star.”

“I can’t trust anything you say.”

Not liking her rebellion, he leaned closer and snarled. “I could take the bastard out myself, but I don’t want to dirty my hands. You see, I don’t blame him for wanting a piece of the pie.” He swiped his hand between her legs and then brought his fingers to his nose. “Mm. As always, sweet smelling and succulent.”

“I’ll tell him everything.”

His laugh scraped her nerves like a raw blade. “And you think he can hide?”

She was trembling by this point. He stood and held out his hand to her and she reluctantly accepted it, and he pulled her upright. Once she felt the dizziness pass, she asked, “What do you want me to do?”

“Come with me.”

“Why?”

“Because you know too much, sweetheart.”

“I don’t know anything,” she protested as she felt a familiar tightness in her chest. Breathing was getting harder.

“You know me. That’s too much.”

A small voice in the back of her head warned her to send him away and divulge everything to Zander. He’d know what to do, but then what if Rory’s threats were valid? Her fear wasn’t from him as much as the people he had dealings with. Would they hunt Zander down if Rory made them believe Zander was a danger to them? She didn’t know a lot about the mob, but what she’d heard was that no one could hide from them.

He swiped his palms down his shirt. “I’ll even show a little compassion. I’ll be back to Crooked Creek in a week. This gives me time to handle the situation back in New York. I expect you’ll see my way of things, and when I return, you’ll be packed and ready. Just don’t fuck with me and I won’t fuck with you,” he ground out in a menacing tone that made the hair on her nape stand. He leaned in and kissed her temple and she felt sick.

The feeling didn’t subside when he left.

She took a long, hot shower and scrubbed every inch, but still she had an unsettling sensation in her bones that she couldn’t shake. She went back and forth a hundred times, unsure of what she should do. Wynn didn’t want to stay and put Zander in danger, but she also didn’t want to lose everything she was starting to love.

What could she do?

She knew exactly what she wanted…

Her life back.

Her cell rang and she hoped to see Zander’s name on the screen, but instead she saw an unknown number. Reluctantly, she clicked ‘talk’. “Hello?”

“Yeah, right number,” Rory was on the other end.

“How…?”

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