Page 34 of Married into the Mob
“Thank goodness you were there to save my ass.”
He patted his back. “I did, didn’t I?” He peered at my butt. “Seems to be intact.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to say he couldn’t be sure unless I got naked and he inspected my ass. But it was too soon.
A tiny bleep from the dashboard had me leaning between the seats, wondering if the engine was dying. The beeping was coming from the glove compartment, and I opened it.
Two things happened. I spied a phone, an older model that I hadn’t noticed when we were being chased. At first I thought it belonged to whoever had owned the car.
But as I stuck my hand in, I dislodged the gun that had been in the bag earlier. I should have caught it, but I was distracted by Odell rubbing shoulders with me and peering into the front of the car.
It thunked onto the floor.“Shit, the gun!” My mate pushed open the passenger door, and it creaked and groaned. He fell onto the grass with a loud, “Owww!”
He took off, running into the night.
“Odell, come back.”
As I was much faster than him, I caught up to my mate as he raced along the side of the road, yelling, “Don’t touch me.”
It was dark, and he wouldn’t have been able to see much. There were no streetlights out here. If he continued running, he’d trip and maybe break an ankle, and I’d have to take him to the nearest hospital.
“I won’t.” I raised my hands. “See, no gun.” I had to think fast, not wanting to alarm my mate any further. “You didn’t need the second weapon because your driving skill got us away safely.”
All of that was true.
“You don’t understand, Hunter.”
“Try me. I might.”
“I freaked just now because…” He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. “Yes, it was scary, and I didn’t know what I was doing. It was pure luck we escaped.”
I went to speak, but he continued. “Scary as it was, I kinda liked it.” He glanced away. “I can’t look at you.”
With a finger under his chin, I tilted it toward me. “Nothing you say would stop me looking at you.”
He snorted, saying I was being overly dramatic again. I’d get on a stage in front of thousands of people and declare my love for him if that was what he wanted.
“Does that make me a bad guy? Enjoying running over someone, causing collisions and escaping into the countryside?”
I was so tempted to kiss away his fear. Instead, I told him the truth. “No, it just makes you human.”
His chest heaved with a huge sigh. My mate needed a proper meal and a bed.
“It’s too much.” He tugged at his hair. “I want to go home. I need Aunt Louisa. But how can I tell her what I did?”
We shouldn’t contact his family, but if it helped calm him, I’d do it in a second, though he should definitely leave out being shot at and driving a getaway car.
“Your aunt and uncle are being looked after, and when we reach the cabin, I’ll arrange for you to speak to your aunt.”
He wrapped his arms around his body. “You promise?”
“I do.”
He allowed me to take him back to the car, and I strapped the seat belt across his chest. My fingers brushed across his arm as I clicked it into place, and he didn’t rear away.
After closing the doors, I got in the driver’s seat. “Wanna give me a lesson on how to drive a stick shift?” If I could get his mind off the past few hours, maybe we could reach the cabin and I could get him into bed. He needed sleep and a proper meal and to speak to the one person, other than me, who loved him unconditionally.
“Sure.”
