Page 9 of Weaponized

Luca and I? Did she just say Luca and I? I guess that confuses McGuiness as well because the look on his face is comical.

“Luca? You’rewithLarozzi?” McGuiness’s tone is incredulous. I know I’m not her caliber, but I don’t like his tone and I don’t like him. I also don’t think this is going to end well because I can feel the telltale sign of my neck warming and something tingling in my chest. Something that means the beast inside is coming to life.

She sighs again and begins to get out of her seat. Her voice is laced with sincerity as she tells him,“I’m sure you’re a great guy, Liam. My brother has said really nice things about you. But, I’m certainly not going to be picking out china patterns with you any time soon. I can only assume the reason you’re acting like a self-righteous prick right now is because there’s been some confusion. I’m sorry about that.”

His eyes widen. She’s shocked him. Hell, she shocked me. He stays fixed in place. “Listen, sweet—”

“ENOUGH!” I slam my fist onto the desk’s tray table hard enough for it to come off of its hinges. Fucking thing was becoming suffocating. McGuiness wisely takes a step back. For her part, Gráinne doesn’t even flinch. Why doesn’t she flinch?

“Thanks, Liam,” she says as she walks around him.

Thanks for what? The fuck is she thankinghimfor? For stepping back? For putting up with me? For being a total asshole? I’m lost as I trail behind her. What? It’s the way out of the lecture hall.

“Larozzi?” McGuiness calls after me, coming out of his momentary stupor. I stop and turn toward him. I wait while he bounds down the stairs. The angel I was following continues to glide out of the room.

“You really with her?” he asks me. He looks unsure of himself, running his hand through his auburn hair. He is finally catching on that his flirting wasn’t having an impact but he can’t believe it could possibly be because she would prefer me.

I’m pretty sure I growl in response.

“I’m not sure if her father would like that.”

Is this twat serious? He wants to threaten me with Cormac O’Toole? What a pussy. I surprise even myself with what I snarl next.

“Do. Not. Touch. Her.” And just to be sure I make my point, I tack on, “Ever.”

And, with that odd warning, I storm out of the lecture hall. The angel is long gone. I see no trace of her or which direction she may have gone. Not that it matters. It’s not like I was going to approach her or follow her. Was I? No. Definitely not.

I have no idea why I warned Liam off her. After all, she told him she didn’t plan to be his “any time soon.” That doesn’t mean never. I roll my neck side to side as I walk across the quad. I’m worked up now and that’s never a good thing. I need to stay away from this girl. Nothing good can come of feeling like this. It’s messing with my head.

I do, however, see John DeAngelo walking toward me with purpose. I stop so he can finish his approach. Might as well get this over with. This shit day just keeps getting better.

“I—I don’t know why you aren’t answering my texts. I’ve done everything I could do.” He looks uneasy. And, for him to approach me over this, he is definitely desperate. The guy is at least forty, and coming to campus has got to be pretty far out of his way.

“Have you?” I don’t want to have this conversation.

“I need to know if you’re coming after me. I said I’d fix things and I will.”

It always annoys me when people think I am going to react with violence before trying another path. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had my share of fights and I’ve taught some hard-earned lessons. I admit that I lose my temper from time to time. But, I’ve worked hard to be more than that. I’m more than my impulses and if I was coming after DeAngelo, he’d know it.

I shrug. “So fix it.”

“That means you’ll let this go, right? I mean, we’ll be good?”

“It at least gives you a chance,” I tell him honestly. I haven’t decided how to handle this yet. Bastard lost half a shipment just over a week ago and didn’t seem to notice. That is, until Matteo showed up in his bedroom one night to point it out. I can only imagine that John must have nearly shit himself to wake up to my brother glowering over him. Unfortunately, Matt is always trying to ensure my demons don’t make an appearance against my will, so he sometimes takes matters into his own hands. DeAngelo isn’t too bright, so maybe it didn’t scare him as much as it should have. I mean, he also didn’t notice that he looks out of place as fuck on this campus. A lot of things happen at St. A’s, but discretion is as much a rule here as mandatory attendance at final exams.

“Come on, Luke. I’ve got a lead on what happened, and you’ll want to know that so we can deal with it for good. It looks like the Russians. We should look at this as a blessing. This isn’t a one-off. They are coming after us and this will help us sort it out.”

A blessing? This guy. I have that hot, itchy feeling again. Here I am, in the goddamned middle of campus with this scrawny bastard pleading with me. I set up the perfect drop. His part was simple. Motherfucker. This isn’t a good look, and when I surreptitiously glance around to see who is watching this all unfold, I lock eyes with an angel.

There she is, leaning against a building about twenty-five yards away, watching intently. I can feel my blood pressure rise, while she looks cool, collected. Another damn skirt that is too short,showing off her smooth, toned legs that go on and on. I know she is too far away for me to smell her, but I can remember her scent and it’s messing with my mind. My stare in that direction catches John’s attention and he turns her way. That is when I snap.

I grab him by the throat, squeezing, lifting, watching his eyes bug as I turn him back toward me. “Never, and I meannever, come here again.” I am snarling the words. “Nod if you understand me.”

His head jerks up and down quickly and I release my grasp. He falls to his feet, wheezing.

“Fix. It.” I leave him gasping as I make long strides away. Once again, the angel is gone.

Gráinne

---