Page 51 of Primo DeLuca

We exchanged pleasant greetings when I walked around to open her door for her.

“Thank you Primo. You are such a gentleman,” she purred at me. I endured her pressing her lips into my cheek longer than was necessary. I even left her blood red lipstick on my cheek for a few seconds before swiping it off.

Once she was inside, I cast a glance towards the gray Honda with the dark tent while returning to my side of the car. I could sense the men’s eyes burning a hole in me.

An edgy tingle rolled up my spine after we pulled off. The Honda hadn’t moved, and I no longer saw the dark blue Jeep that had followed me from the apartment complex.

Distracted, I answered Leandra’s questions about how I was doing, my day, and so forth with one and two word phrases. After some of her energy died, the cab of the car grew silent. There was nothing I could think to talk to her about, so I just drove and kept an eye out for trouble.

I acknowledged Umberto and Lenni with a flick of the eye while driving past them. Leandra turned in the seat to watch them until their car disappeared from her view.

After a long pause, I sensed her eyes on me.

“So this is what it's always going to be like, being with you? All work and no play?” She questioned, turning in the passenger seat to get a better look at my face.

“You wanted this, advocated for it when I tried to warn you that I didn’t have time for much outside of trying to run this city.”

She tossed a deadly side eye at me and I knew exactly what she fought not to say. That I had found time for Nevah. I ignored her narrowed eyes.

“I’m in a tough position right now, fighting to stay alive while attempting to find out who’s trying to kill me. Weren’t you the one that said, and I quote, “I’ll be there for you if you need me, like a relationship of convenience.” Well, you’re up. It’s your time to be there for me and right now I need you to help me stay alive long enough to…”

I left the sentence open. I couldn’t even force myself to say the lie out loud. I didn’t want her and didn’t understand how she didn’t see it, sense it even. How long was I going to be able to lead her on before she figured out that I was using her to find my enemy?

I drove to the salon on Pine and North 10th Street preparing to drop her off at her appointment. I spotted the dark colored Jeep trailing us at least five miles back.

Leandra leaned over and caught me with another lingering kiss on the cheek, since my attention was on the vehicle.

“Call me when you're ready,” I told her, forcing a smile to touch my lips and stay. She climbed out of the car with a little extra pep in her step glancing back at me grinning.

I expected the Jeep to approach, but I didn’t expect them to do it in such a public place. It appeared they were going to get things started right here on the street in front of the salon.

With sheer will of mind, I tried to force the idea into Leandra's head to walk faster. Although I was using her, it didn’t mean I wanted her caught in the middle of someone’s attempt to execute me.

The Jeep crept along the road, nearing me from the rear. Only a shadow of the man could be seen through the dark tint of the windshield. Leandra had nearly cleared the walkway that led to the entrance of the building.

She reached for the door but stopped and tossed up her hands as if frustrated before turning back in my direction. My eyes zoomed in on her keys, left sitting in the passenger seat.

Fuck!

Shit was about to get ugly, and she was walking right back into the mess. The Jeep was feet away at this point, sealing Leandra's fate. I leaned over and slung the passenger side door open.

“Run! Get in! We got company. Bad company!” I yelled, my urgent tone causing her to take up a wobbly jog in those heels. She glanced up and her wide eyes and gaped mouth had me whipping my neck around.

Gun!

The asshole had rolled down his passenger side window, and the gleam of shiny metal was all I saw reflecting off the July sun.

Leandra dived into the front seat a millisecond before the first bullets impacted the car, sounding like rocks being thrown against it. I drove off in a mad dash with one of her legs still hanging out of the door. Bullets pelted my side of the car, the bulletproofing shielding us from being sprayed with hot metal.

Leandra managed to pull herself inside and slammed the door shut before I gave the driver’s side wheels a serious test of their durability. I cut off the Jeep at its attempt to ram my side of the car and took the next left on screeching tires.

Ducking low, Leandra held her chest with one hand and the nails of her other hand dug into the dash, her knuckles white. For a while, I suspected her of working with the guys who were watching her in an attempt to throw us off by having us think she had stalkers.

Based on the level of fear racing through her and the fact that she too was being shot at, I’d venture to say that she was nothing more than a means to my end, collateral damage.

I drove like NASCAR was paying me. It was time I led the man following me to church, one I frequented for reasons other than bible study.

No less than ten minutes later, we turned into the St. Andrew’s catholic church's parking lot. Leandra’s mouth flew open, head tilted and wide eyes locked on me.

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