Page 20 of The Woman with the Target on her Back (Grassi Family)

He told me once his full name was Augustine. After the saint.

“Can we get out of here?” I asked, making both men jolt slightly. Which, yeah, I had to admit brought me a little joy. Big, strong mafia guys startled by the sound of a woman’s voice.

“Hey,” August said, getting to his feet. “Yeah. You alright?”

“Well, just saw my dad with tubes sticking out of him and his face beaten beyond recognition. So… somewhere on the not alright scale,” I admitted, glance moving over toward the stranger with the slight bit of gray in his hair. Which I had to admit just made him hotter.

“This is Aurelio. My cousin. Aurelio, Traveler.”

“Hey, angel. You look like you need a cup of coffee.”

“I do,” I agreed, glancing down at his hand. “But not that shit,” I said, getting a small smile out of him.

“Let’s get back to the hotel where we can talk,” August suggested, holding an arm out toward the elevators.

“I, ah, okay,” I agreed, following him.

I wasn’t about to admit that I’d picked up a handy-dandy new phobia to August, of all people. But with each step toward the doors, I could feel that panic settling in again.

The cold sweat, the pounding pulse, the tight throat and heavy chest.

By the time the doors slid closed, I felt ready to climb the walls to escape through the emergency hatch.

I was just thankful that August was standing near the doors with his back to me.

Aurelio, though, was practically shoulder-to-shoulder with me on the back wall.

Just when I was sure I was going to pass out from the panic, Aurelio’s hand shifted, two of his fingers tapping out a strange beat right on the front of my hand that had a death grip on that silver rail thing that wrapped the sides of the elevator car.

I glanced over at him, but found just his profile as he stared ahead, but continued the little beat.

Which distracted me long enough for the car to stop dropping, and the doors to slide open.

Then and only then did he catch my gaze, giving me a little wink, then waiting for me to move ahead of him, so he could flank my back.

I wasn’t a mafia dude, but I was pretty sure that was a tactical move on their part. One in front of me, one behind, as we moved through the hospital and outside into the lot.

Hell, even my head was on a pivot, some part of me sure that there were a bunch of shadowy men lying in wait, ready to take me out.

But the walk toward August’s car was uneventful.

“I’ll follow you to the hotel,” Aurelio said, getting a nod from August who was holding the door open from me.

“What?” August asked, making me realize I was staring at him with my brows drawn down. Because, well, the kinds of guys I’d been around, yeah, they weren’t exactly hold-the-door-open types.

“Nothing,” I said, sliding inside, then watching him close the door for me before going around the car.

Old-fashioned manners.

I wouldn’t normally think I’d like those. But I had to admit this particular one was kind of nice.

“Mind if we take the stairs?” Aurelio asked when he joined us in the lobby. “Little restless after being seated for so long,” he added to his cousin’s questioning glance.

Thank youI mouthed to him after agreeing to take the stairs, and following August up.

To that, he shrugged.

Okay.

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