Page 10 of Saved By the Mafia Loverboy

“Drop your weapon.” His order sent terror through me. I hoped Cam got my message soon.

10

CAM

That damn woman didn’t know what was good for her. She should have gone straight home from work where she was safe. But then, she didn’t know of the threat against her because I hadn’t even had a chance to tell her. I didn’t want to scare her with a phone call, so I followed her around once she got off work, hoping to casually bump into her when she was done with her errands. What I hadn’t expected was for her to have a three-hour coffee with her lady friends.

I had been parked outside that damn coffee shop, down a block and across the street, watching the front door. I got bored a few times and scrolled my phone, but Shane was decent company. I hadn’t spent that much time with him alone until now, and learned we had a lot in common.

When my phone rang, I totally missed it, so engrossed in a conversation with Shane about the Jets and their upcoming season to even notice it vibrating. I looked down, seeing the tail end of the caller ID screen with Murphy’s face on it before it flashed off. I almost called her back, but when I looked up I saw her exit the coffee house. Her purse wasn’t on her arm, but she had her gun raised. She looked around frantically, then backed into the door again. When she returned, she had her purse tucked under her arm.

“Look,” Shane said, pointing. “She’s leaving.”

I tensed. From this distance I couldn’t tell what the look on her face was, but she had her gun drawn, which wasn’t a good sign. She walked a ta measured pace toward where she’d parked her car—a fucking dark alley of all places. As a cop, she should have known better, but she wasn’t the brightest light bulb at times.

“Follow her.” My phone buzzed, a voice mail coming through just as she turned down the alley. I lifted the phone to my ear as Shane pulled out and headed that direction. The message she left was frantic; someone had left a bullet and kissed her hand after paying for her coffee. And the guy with the tattooed face didn’t sound good either—he sounded like Bratva.

“Fuck.” I hissed, locking my phone. “Get over there,” I ordered, and Shane sped up. He stopped at the end of the alley and I bolted from the car, darting into the darkness. As I started my search, my foot kicked something on the ground. I looked down as a gun skittered across the rocky pavement—Murphy’s gun. It had to be.

I wanted to call out her name and listen for her to call back, but if I did that, and the guy had her, she’d be dead before I found her. So I picked up her gun and hugged the wall, creeping down the alley until I was almost at the end. Streetlights across the street revealed a hooded figure and a woman, she at the end of his gun. My sister’s flower shop was the backdrop for this horrible scene.

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, and I didn’t care. The man had his hand on a part of Murphy’s body that I had claimed as my own, and I didn’t let people touch my property. Without thinking, I chambered a round on the M&P Shield and held it out, advancing across the street. The man’s back was to me, and he didn’t even pull his head up until I was within firing range.

Thepop popof the weapon discharging made Murphy scream, but my arm around her waist held her there as the bastard fell to the ground.

“Cam— He… Oh my god.” She folded into my chest, sobbing, and I held her.

“Shhh, it’s okay. It’s over. I’m here.” I safetied the weapon and shoved it in my waistband as I looked up at the surveillance camera perched above the marquee for my sister’s store. Thank god it was owned by her and not someone else. I’d have my work cut out for me following up on every other store along this street—or Dad would anyway. Most of these businesses were owned by the family, and the ones that weren’t had owners who were terrified of us. They’d comply.

“Look, we have to get out of here.” I pushed her back, looking down at her face to see the blood spatter all over her skin. Her shirt had been torn open, droplets of that animal’s blood on her chest. Her shirt was soaked, and for a moment I thought maybe I’d gotten her too.

“Cam…” she sobbed. It was like all she could say was my name. For a cop she wasn’t very resilient.

“Murphy, we need to leave. The cops will have been called already. We gotta get out of here.” I looked down at the man lying on the street. His blood began to pool beneath him, drizzling down the sidewalk cracks toward the gutter. I must have gotten a direct heart shot for that much blood to be flowing. Thank god I didn’t hit her.

“Please, no. I have to stay here. We have to report the crime.” She clung to my shirt, not letting me back away. I heard tires screech and knew it was Shane coming to get us. He knew which way I’d run and probably heard the gunshot.

“Katherine, snap the fuck out of it.” I shook her hard. She stopped blubbering, staring at me with wide eyes. That was the first time I had called her by her name. “If you’re here, they’re going to ask you why you’re here. They’re going to ask about this.” I pulled out her weapon and thrust it into her hand. “They’re going to ask what this man was doing, and why he was doing it. Do you want to answer those questions?”

She shook her head, biting her lip, but stammered. “They test fire all service weapons. They’ll have my ballistics report.”

“Then Dad will clean it up. Okay? But if we don’t leave before they get here, you’re going to prison, and so am I.” I took her hand and walked toward the street. Shane pulled up and I opened the door, forcing her in.

She collapsed in the back seat in tears, and I slid in beside her. “Drive… and call the cleaner now.” As Shane pulled away, Murphy looked out the back window at the man lying on the sidewalk. How the fuck had it come to this?

11

KITTY

Ididn’t know where he took my clothing, but I stood in his shower letting the hot water wash over my body and clean away the blood. Still trembling and sobbing, my mind raced. I was a law enforcement officer; I was supposed to uphold the law—not break it. I stood there while Cam gunned that man down, and I didn’t report it. I did worse than not report it. I left the scene, washed away evidence, and now I was colluding with the perpetrator.

When my body felt clean, rid of the night and its pain. I turned the water off and got out of the shower. At some point Cam had come in and taken my soiled clothes and left a towel—white, which reminded me how dirty I felt. I dried off, squeezing the excess water out of my hair before wrapping the towel around my body. I had nothing to wear now, but I assumed Cam would offer me something of his.

I pushed the door open and walked out into the bedroom. Cam was perched on the edge of the bed, shirt off, gun in hand. When his head popped up, he set the gun on his nightstand and rose.

“I’m going to need clothes.” I hovered just outside the bathroom door, and he walked over to me.

“Are you okay?”

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