Page 7 of Mafia Daddy Next Door

“Will do.” I grin and take another picture of him. “I’m going to miss you while you’re gone. You know that, right?”

“I know. I have a couple more days in town, though. When I don’t have work to do, you better believe that you and I are going to have as much fun as possible.”

I roll my eyes and aim the camera at him again. Brennan flips off the camera, the sun shining behind him and the waves rocking against the boats.

He laughs and leaves, waving to me before walking down the dock. I watch him go, snapping pictures as he walks.

The sky gets darker as I make my way around the deck, taking pictures of everything that catches my eye. The play of lights this time of day is just amazing and I can’t pass on the wonderful opportunity to capture this raw and beautiful corner of the world as it goes from banal and easy to otherworldly. So much happens here that I couldn’t capture it all if I tried.

The stars start to appear in the sky, though there is still enough light to see by.

I turn the camera in the direction of one of the docks. The play of light and shadows in the alleys and the bobbing boats catches my attention.

When I pull the camera away and look down at the screen, there is a pop of color that I can’t quite make out. I hadn’t even noticed it was there before.

As I enlarge the picture, my breath catches in my throat. Salvatore is looking right at me — through the screen — with a gun pointed at a man’s head.

It’s only once I lower the camera that I see the man stumble and fall into the water. Someone else fishes him out of the water and loads him into a boat while Salvatore tucks his gun into his waistband.

Oh my god.

I immediately delete the picture and turn the camera off. My heart is hammering in my chest as Salvatore makes the short walk from where he just stood to where I am. For a second, I consider getting down into the cabin and grabbing one of the guns.

When I look back to where he is — only a few steps away now — I know that I don’t have enough time.

“What the hell did you just do?” he asks as he stands on the dock beside the boat, his voice low and menacing.

“Nothing,” I say, standing up and clutching my camera. “I thought that the line shining on the boats and the dock was beautiful. I didn’t see you standing there at first. All I did was take the picture but I deleted it as soon as I saw you were in it.”

Salvatore shakes his head and climbs onto the boat. His dark eyes drill holes into my head as he closes the distance between us. He holds out his hand and I pass him the camera, hoping that he doesn’t toss it over the edge or break it.

This camera is my life.

Salvatore powers on the camera and looks through the pictures. Once he is satisfied, he turns it off and hands it back to me.

“Believe me now?” I ask, my tone a little harsher than necessary.

His mouth sets into a thin line as he crosses his arms. “I don’t want you or your little camera making my life complicated. Do you understand?”

“Don’t speak to me like I’m a child,” I say, taking a step closer to him. Our chests nearly brush against each other when I inhale.

“It seems like the simpler I say something, the more likely it is to get across to you,” he says, his tone gruff as his arms drop to his sides.

“And now you’re implying that I’m stupid.” I glare at him. “You know nothing about me.”

“I know that Brennan has done his best to shelter you from the shit that goes on in this world. You might have been through hell as a child, but you have no clue how dangerous the world really is.”

I want to punch him right in his stunning face. If I knew I could do it without breaking my hand or being killed, I would.

“You know nothing about me.”

Salvatore shrugs. “Is that supposed to bother me? I don’twantto know anything about you. My life was a hell of a lot less worrisome without you and your camera.”

“I showed you that I deleted the picture. What more do you want?”

“Nothing from you.”

I fight the urge to scream. Instead, I take a step back. Which was a mistake, I think as I take in the predatory look in his eyes. It’s like he’s ready to chase me until he gets what he wants.

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