Page 100 of The Woman on the Jury

“Where is she?” I asked, wincing a bit at the forcefulness in my tone. This was her best friend. Her knee-jerk reaction would be to protect her from aggressive men. Which was exactly how I was coming off.

“Oh, big guy, what’d you do to her?” she asked, her gaze moving over me, seemingly unbothered by the men all around her.

“I fucked up,” I admitted.

“Pretty big, if she ran away while in danger,” Lauren said.

“She is, Lauren,” I said. “In danger. She can’t be wandering around the city alone. She was attacked while shehada guard.”

“Hence the overkill now,” she said, gesturing around.

“Yes.”

Lauren sucked in a deep breath, then released it slowly.

“There are four men after her,” I pressed. “Men who almost killed her grandfather and one of my guards. I need to get her safe again.”

Lauren held my gaze for a moment, and I swear to fuck, it felt like she was seeing shit that I wasn’t intentionally showing her.

“She’s at my apartment,” she told me. “But I want to see her,” she added, voice firm.

“I’ll bring her to my apartment. Miko will take you there,” I said, waving toward Miko.

“You know… as pretty as all of you are, I think I will take my own ride there. Give me the address,” she demanded, surprisingly firm despite knowing she was talking to the mafia.

“Okay,” I agreed, waving toward the street, but giving Miko a nod.

He rushed to follow her as I turned and got in the car with Silvano, Tony, and Joe.

Lauren lived in a nice building with a doorman.

I wasn’t surprised, given where she lived and how she dressed. And I tried to remind myself as I waited for Joe and Tony to distract the doorman, that she was much safer at Lauren’s place than she’d be at her own.

I’d lucked out when a resident made their way out, holding the door open for me, then made my way up the elevator with anticipation sizzling through my veins.

I was careful to make my footsteps light as I got close to Lauren’s door, hoping she would think it was her friend, or possibly dinner getting delivered.

I even tried to knock more quietly than I normally would.

As I hoped, Halle seemed to be expecting Lauren or food, because she didn’t even look through the peephole.

She just slid the locks, and pulled the door open.

Then there she was.

Looking tired, a little red-eyed, and completely fucking shocked to see me standing there.

I really should have, you know, practiced what I was going to say to her before I actually got to the door.

Because what came out from between my lips was probably the worst fucking thing I could have said.

“Baby, are you out of your fucking mind?”

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Halle

I almost would have preferred to open the door to find the brothers standing there.

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