Page 51 of Bad Men

The thought of sharing dinner with them sounded like heaven, but one glance at the frown on Nero’s face had that little light flickering.

“Is that okay?”

He continued to eye Davien over me, mouth set in a hard line. He heaved a heavy sigh and nodded.

“It’s fine.”

It didn’t feel fine. The two were glowering at each other the way my parents did when they didn’t want me to know what they were arguing about. In this case, I had an idea.

“Does it go against a rule?” I asked quietly. “We don’t have to. I need to make something for my parents anyway.”

They weren’t listening to me.

“You made your point,” Nero said to Davien. “You’re being careless now.”

“It’s just dinner,” Davien retorted with equal sharpness.

“It’s more than that and you know it.”

I started to step in, to make another excuse and bail on the whole plan when my protest was snatched away by the rattle of the doorknob. We all had just enough time to turn to the front door when it flew open and two enormous men ambled into the cramped foyer.

Davien and Nero were on their feet before I could even register what was happening. Nero had his gun out and aimed. Davien had his fists bunched. Both men were prepared for battle, except the two at the door parted to reveal a third man, one I did recognize.

Alejandro Delgado slipped into the vacated space, hands folded comfortably in the depths of his pockets. Cool, dark eyes registered his surroundings with detached disinterest before settling on the trio across the room. He glanced from face to face, unperturbed by the gun leveled at his chest.

“Nero. Davien,” he greeted lazily. “I’m glad you’re home.” He pocketed a set of keys I assumed he’d used to unlock the door. Why he had keys to someone else’s apartment was a question I tucked away for later.

With some reluctance, Nero lowered his weapon down to his side, but didn’t remove his finger off the trigger.

“Alejandro,” Davien found his voice first. He stepped around the coffee table and moved towards the other man with smooth, confident strides. “We weren’t expecting you.”

Everyone had heard of Alejandro Delgado, Eduardo’s shadow, his ruthless and murderous right-hand man. Only the very unlucky had ever crossed his path. His very presence was the equivalent of death. People murmured prayers of protection when his very name was mentioned. Seeing him up close and in person for the first time in my life, I could see why.

He was beautiful, an angel with the face of Adonis and eyes the very pits of hell. They were bottomless voids, endless, cold, vicious, and sat perfectly beneath a proud brow and dark, silken fringes that fell free in reckless wisps over those watchful eyes. They pivoted from Nero to Davien then drifted between them to settle on me.

My breath caught in my chest. That single glance held all the power and cruelty of the entire world. It crackled with the warning of thin ice splintering under shifting weight. It paralyzed me.

“Where is the boss’s delivery?”

The question pooled into the room but his focus never wavered, never shifted. I was the center of this man’s focus, a dangerous place to be.

“We were just on our way with it,” Davien replied, gesturing to the cash box. “Just as soon as we dropped this one off where we got her.”

The statement was so cutting, so horribly offensive. My head snapped in his direction before I could stop myself.

Had he just called me a prostitute? Maybe not in so many words, but the implication was unmistakable. I would have slapped him if Alejandro hadn’t taken that moment to speak.

“That is no way to speak to a lady, is it?” The low murmur had me caught in his web all over again. Only this time, there was fire in those eyes. “And there is no need for that. The boss is not a man who likes to be kept waiting. I will take the lady home.”

My heart jumped in my chest, a rampant rabbit trying to out run a wolf.

“We couldn’t ask you to do that,” Davien interjected. “We’ll take care of it.”

“I insist.”

There was no room left for argument, no space to dodge. He had won the discussion.

My chin tilted towards the man on my left, certain he would say something to keep me from this man’s clutches.

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