“She’s part of the policy.” He gestured at me. “Frankly, I thought the Dusters would’ve hit this place by now.”
“I thought so too,” I admitted. As the days passed, I was getting more and more worried that Felix hadn’t bought my little performance, and he wasn’t going to check this place out at all. Or maybe, even worse, he had some guys take a look, and they spotted all of Dante’s extra muscle.
I couldn’t let myself go down that road. Speculating was bad enough, but negative speculation only made me anxious, and I couldn’t afford to get knocked off my game.
“Lucky for you, we got a tip that they’re planning something big tonight.”
“Hence the overnight.” I nodded slowly. “What’s your source?”
“My source is, fuck you and don’t ask questions. I want you here tonight, but for now, you can go back to the mansion and get some sleep if you need it.”
I chuckled and ran a hand through my dirty hair. “A shower and some sleep. That’s all I need.”
“I’m sure Amber will be thrilled.” He frowned at me for a second then shook his head. “If this goes to shit, you’re falling on the sword. You get that, right?”
“I get it. I’ll take the blame so you can skate on by.”
“Damn right you will.” Dante turned. “Car’s waiting out front. Go get your girl.”
He walked off, leaving me alone up there. I looked out over the warehouse, at the stacked crates filled with illicit drugs, guns, booze, bootleg electronics, and a ton of other shit I could only imagine, then turned and walked down the steps to the offices. I found Amber standing near a window, looking out at the surrounding block with a glum look on her face.
“Something’s going down tonight,” I said.
She looked back at me. “You’re sure about that?”
“Dante thinks so. He said we can head back and rest up.”
“God, I could use a shower.”
I laughed. “That’s what I said.” I walked over and hugged her close against me. She tilted her chin up and I kissed her. “Whatever happens tonight, I want you to stay away from it. You hear me?”
“I’ll try.”
“I’m serious. We’re Dante’s insurance policy, but that doesn’t mean you have to get killed so he can cover his ass. Promise me you’ll stay away.”
“I promise.”
“Good.” I kissed her. “Now come on. Let’s shower together and fuck until we pass out.”
“Ren.” She grinned and hit my arm.
But she let me hold her hand and she didn’t say no.
* * *
Several hours and one very soapy session of filthy hot sex later, I found myself standing back up on that catwalk in fresh clothes, feeling only slightly invigorated from several hours of sleep. Amber hung on my arm and I kiss her ear before we retreated back into the shadows near the wall.
“What’s going to happen, when they show?” she asked, keeping her voice as soft as she could.
“Well, a lot of yelling,” I said. “I’m not sure what’ll happen after that. Maybe some shooting.”
She grimaced. “Shooting. Right.”
I hugged her against me. “I promise you’ll be okay. Plug your ears and try not to listen when it goes down.”
“Hard to actually do that, you know.”
“I know.” I kissed her neck, then her chin, then bit her lower lip. “Trust that I’ll get your through this.”
“I trust you.”
“That’s my girl.”
The evening, for the most part, was extremely boring. That was how these things went: lots of waiting, lots of exhausting nothing, until boom, something all at once. I caught sight of Dante’s boys roaming the warehouse floor down below, not speaking, guns at the ready, and I felt their twitchy nervousness infecting the whole place.
It happened a few minutes past two. Amber leaned on my shoulder, half-asleep, and I tried not to move so that she could get some rest. I figured only one of us had to suffer. Her breathing got rhythmic and deep, and I was tempted to brush some hair from her face, but left it alone. I heard a noise in the back office area, but figured it was one of Dante’s guys rooting around.
But one noise led to another. Voices drifted from inside, and I heard a beeping, following by a harsh, guttural laugh. I felt a surge of adrenaline as I nudged Amber.
She sucked in a breath and looked around. “What? Huh? Sorry, did I fall asleep?”
I put my finger to my lips the nodded my head back toward the office. She frowned at me then understanding bloomed on her face.
I stood up and took her hand. She followed me, and together we crept over the catwalk. I tried to catch the attention of someone down below, but the guys didn’t look up, and I couldn’t risk making more noise.
More voices drifted in from the office. I couldn’t believe none of them heard it, but the acoustics in that place were weird as hell. We made it halfway across before a man I didn’t recognize stepped out onto the staircase back where we’d been sitting a minute before. He was tall and broad with dark clothes and held a small rifle in his hands like it was no big deal. I tugged Amber along faster, trying to reach the other end of the catwalk before the guy could spot us.