Page 105 of Working for the Mob

“Bullshit. You don’t care whether I’m alright. You just want to make sure your prized weapon doesn’t get damaged.”

“For chrissake’s sake, Art. I’m here, and I’m telling you that we need to be careful. They’re making moves and we need to be ready.”

“I have news for you. They already came after me,” I said, flatly. “Two of them ambushed us in the city tonight.”

“Us?” His brow wrinkled in worry.

“Me and Genevieve.”

What did it matter? It would be over in a matter of hours.

“Holy shit! Are you both alright?” he asked, and looked around as though Genevieve might be hiding behind the door I hadn’t bothered to close.

“We’re fine. No thanks to you.”

His expression softened and his smug smile returned.

“In the city, huh? You guys must be getting pretty serious.”

The words stung. Just a few hours ago, I would have agreed with him. But I couldn’t go down that road. Not anymore.

“You’re seriously a pain in the ass.”

“Whatever,” he said, and moved to the door. He stopped in the open doorway and stared me in the eyes. “Just be on your guard. It won’t be safe until all this dies down.”

“It’s never safe around me,” I muttered and his eyes widened then narrowed.

“Hang on, whereisGenevieve? Did she not come back with you?”

“Go get in your car.”

“What’d you do? Drop her off at her place in the middle of the night?”

“Where else would I drop her off?” I growled.

“You didn’t want to bring her back here?”

“And have the whole town talking about it at church tomorrow?” I asked.

“It’s the middle of the night. They’d never know,” he said. His eyes searched my face while I looked around the room for a response. “But that’s not it. Is it?”

“Hang on.”

“You’re going to leave her,” he concluded.

“It’s none of your goddamn business,” I spat, but he talked over me.

“Art, I’ve watched you for years and you’ve never gotten close to anyone. You even keep Jamie and Miss Dunham at arm’s length,” he said, and I clenched my fists. “But the way you look at Genevieve. It’s like you’ve never believed you’re worthy of having something that good in your life. You count yourself lucky just being in the same room as her.”

“Shut up,” I said. I could feel my anger spiking again.

“So what are you going to do? Break up with her?”

“We’re not even dating.”

“Fire her? Throw her and her sister out on the street? You finally have a good thing going and you can’t stop yourself from ruining it.”

I snapped and sucker punched him in the face. He fell to the floor with a thud that shook the house.

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