Page 149 of Brutal Collateral

“What the hell?” Bourne comes up behind me, tugging me. “Mrs. Quinlan. I need to get you to the car.”

“No,” Griffin roars, his bloody fist pointing to Bourne. “You both stay right there.”

Oh fuck, I put Bourne in danger. I’m tempted to tell him to run, but there’s no hiding from the mob. I should know.

Griffin pounds Ted until he’s only a wheezing, shivering mound of flesh with a death rattle whistling from his lungs. My husband stands up and turns around, his eyes on me for a minute, and then Bourne.

I whip around to my guard. “Go home. Not my house. Yours. I’ll handle this.”

“Mrs. Quinlan?”

“No,” Griffin barks.

“Leave, Bourne. My husband will protect me.”And I will protect you.

Bourne steps back, and relief floods me, seeing him disappear around the same corner I avoided earlier.

“Listen to me.” I grab my husband. “I... I did something stupid. I took this guy on. I hid from Bourne.”

“He called me, fucking frantic.” Griffin’s bloodied hands cup my face. “But I was already on my way here. We have to talk.”

My heart drops into my stomach. “We sure do.”

“First...” His gaze rakes up and down my body. “Are you all right?”

“I am,” I groan, my voice thick with emotion. “I’m okay. I would have been okay. I know what I’m doing. He had an edge for a minute.”

Griffin’s thumb brushes my heated cheek, the bone tender and possibly starting to bruise. “You shouldn’t have done this. Any of it.”

I shake his hand away. “Those women I teach don’t have bodyguards.”

“That’s admirable. But you’remy wife. And I just murdered someone who hurt you.”

I glance down. “He deserved it.”

“No doubt.” Griffin’s blue eyes, tempered with fiery rage, stay on me. “You came to the office this afternoon.”

“I sure did.” I fold my arms. “I didn’t stay because I didn’t want to end up in the morgue.”

His eyebrows pinch together.“What?”

“You told Kai Powers to get rid of me, and if he didn’t, Ares would be planning my funeral.”

He laughs a sickening cackle. “I was talking about my assistant.”

“Oh,” I whine softly. Jesus fucking Christ, that makes sense. “She didn’t let me into the office.”

“And for that, she was fired.” Griffin hikes up to me. “She’s gone. No one does that to you and sticks around. I sent that message, and if I had my way, Wrenwould bein the morgue.”

“I had these insane thoughts,” I confess, getting my breath back.

“That I’d be screwing my assistant?”

“It’s not unheard of, plenty of powerful mafia men—”

“Plenty of mafia men are not married to you.” He crashes his mouth on mine in a deep unnerving kiss.

I give in to it for a moment but then pull away. “Stop. Wait.”

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