Page 32 of Bad Men

The halt on the hit could only mean two things, either Ernie paid up or, come morning, they’d find his body in the bay. I put my money on the latter.

“What is it?” Mia asked when I tossed my phone into the cup holder and started the car. “Why are we leaving?”

“Going to take you home,” I murmured, pulling into the street.

“But what about Ernie?”

I glanced at her for what felt like the first time and really wondered about the woman in my — well, Davien’s — car. I didn’t know a damn thing about her. Not really. I knew her parents were in the same protection deal as most of the people in her neighborhood. I knew she loved her family but had zero regards for her own safety. I knew she had a sex drive that could outmatch me and Davien and was open in a way I hadn’t experienced with anyone, unless they were being paid. I knew she was too kind, too sweet and trusting, which made her a perfect target for people like me.

But could we trust her? I just told her my mark’s name, a rookie mistake. I told her why we were there. I gave her Eduardo’s name in association with Ernie’s, which meant, if he turned up dead in the morning, she knew everything. She was a witness, a threat. It was my job to eliminate threats. It was my job to keep my boss — and myself — out of prison. My freedom and Davien’s depended on me handling this situation. There was no other option.

I had to kill her.

Chapter Seven — Mia

Nero pulled up at the end of my block and parked. The night whispered around us, soft and with a secret that never failed to make me shiver. Outside the windows, everything glittered with beneath the streetlights. Droplets of rain pinged off the roof but nowhere near hard enough for me to pull my umbrella free of my purse. Instead, I faced the man at my side. He’d been oddly quiet throughout the drive. I wondered if he was upset he’d missed his chance catching that Ernie guy. Part of me felt bad that I’d interrupted his work. The other part reminded me that he was the one who had asked me to stay.

“Are you going home?” I asked him, turning to study his intense outline half hidden in shadows.

The palm wrapped in gauze rubbed lightly along his thigh. “Yeah.”

I dropped my gaze to my own lap, to the fingers I’d twisted in the strap of my bag. “Did you want to come in for a little bit? My parents won’t be back until late. I could warm us up something if you’re hungry?”

I don’t know why I felt so unsure asking him to come home with me. I wanted to spend time with him the way I had Davien, but he’d been so tense the whole time, I couldn’t be sure he even wanted to.

“I have things to do.”

It was hard not to feel a stab of disappointment at the rebuff but I forced a small smile and nodded. “Okay, thanks for the ride.”

Not waiting for a response, I pushed open my door and rolled out. The sticky, muggy air clung to my skin, weighing down my hair and making my uniform rub uncomfortable against me. I adjusted the strap of my bag, closed the car door and sprinted towards the opposite side of the street without glancing back.

At my house, I let myself in. My coat and purse were snagged on the pegs. I kicked out of my shoes and padded to the kitchen through a thick wall of darkness. I didn’t bother with lights until the carpet under my feet turned to linoleum and my hand drifted to the switch on the inside wall.

Dull light flooded the cramped space, highlighting the clean counters, the empty sink, the old appliances. Its familiar neatness brought a sense of comfort to me as I moved to the fridge and pulled out a container of leftover pasta, tomato, and meat. I didn’t bother with a bowl when tossing it into the microwave and hitting heat. I ate standing over the sink, watching my tired reflection in the dark pane of glass overlooking the backyard.

I thought of Davien sneaking into my room the night before without prompting but leaving before I even had a chance to catch my breath. Then Nero who had refused entirely to come in at all. I was probably reading too much into it. I had to remind myself that we weren’t dating. This wasn’t a relationship. I agreed to fuck them, that’s it. That was all we could ever have. I had to remember that. Catching even more feelings would only end badly for me when they grew bored and decided they weren’t getting enough from me. I couldn’t expect them to want one woman between them forever. That was crazy.

But the idea of them replacing me with another woman had my appetite vanishing. The few bites I’d managed to swallow down turned to ash in my stomach. I had to seal up the rest and set it in the fridge once more. I rinsed my fork, grabbed a glass of water and made my way up to my room.

I shut the door, placed the drink on my dresser and reached for the zipper on my dress.

The hand shot out of the dark and clapped over my mouth. My scream hit a lump of fabric that smelled of blood and Polysporin.

“Quiet!” a voice hissed into my ear, right before I was spun around and slammed into the door.

My terror dissolved the moment I found myself staring up into Nero’s face. My body relaxed even while my heart continued to race.

“You scared me!” I gasped, hand coming up to press into my chest. “You could have just said something.” Not waiting for his answer, I went up on my toes and kissed him lightly. “But I’m glad you changed your mind about coming in.”

He shoved me back, hitting me into the door again. I stared up into a face I could barely make out in the darkness and wondered why he hadn’t kissed me back.

“Nero?”

His hand closed around my throat, his fingers firm but not crushing. I knew he could feel my pulse hammering but I didn’t stop him. I had zero doubt in my mind he wouldn’t hurt me. Why would he? Whatever he was doing, I trusted him.

“Kiss me,” I whispered, needing to taste his mouth.

A fraction of a second passed before he replied, “Where?”

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