NINE
ANTHONY
Becca opened her eyesas I carried her to her car. “What happened?”
“You’re fine, angel.” I held her against my chest. “Gian and Bastien are getting rid of the body.”
“No. Wait.” She kicked her legs. “Put me down. I want a better look at that asshole.”
Bastien stormed up to us when I nearly dropped her. “Becca, you passed out. You lost blood. You might have a concussion.” He caressed her cheek “We got this, honey. This is part of being queen. Letting us do the dirty work to make sure you’re safe.”
She exhaled after a moment, giving in.
“I’m gonna catch a ride over to her townhouse and do a surveillance check before she gets back there,” Gil said, taking out his phone.
“That’s a good idea,” I said to him.
Becca’s eyes, full of anger and fury strayed over my shoulder. A look I would never want directed at me. It gave me a moment to shudder at all the blood on her clothes.
Can’t go to her mom’s house looking like that.
When Becca’s gaze turned my way, I felt the connection to her so strong, so powerful. It didn’t matter if I had to share her with two other men. She was mine. “Becca, angel, please get in the car and close your eyes. I think we should just take you home,” I said with a smile. “We’ll have you in your townhouse soon, I promise.”
“Okay.” Becca’s stomach appeared to unclench. Throwing her arms around me, she whispered, “Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. Protecting you is my job.”
“It’s my job, really,” Vale said with gravel in his voice, staring at me.
“You know what I mean, angel.”
“I do. Please get whatever it is your doing over with so I can go home.”
“Will do.” I kissed her again and helped her in the car.
I hiked back over to Gian and Bastien inspecting the body while the blackmailed groundskeepers started putting leftover chairs away from the ceremony.
Bastien leaned over the body, one knee in the grass. “Fucking guy has nothing on him. No wallet.”
“Typical,” I said, dropping down next to him and ripped the guy’s pants up the seam.
“You could have just unbuckled him, Anthony.”
“I like to save that fun for you,” I teased Bastien.
“What are you looking for?” Gian rolled his eyes. “Something shoved up his ass?”
“That might be fun,” I said. “No. Some dogs tape their ID to their legs. Fuck, nothing.”
“You guys are such old-school gangsters.” Gian pushed me out of the way and lifted the guy’s hands. “There’s an app for everything. This will make an infra-red scan of his fingerprints.” He held the guy’s fingers on his phone, each one. Even the side palm. “Take off his shoes.”
“You giving me an order, Gian?”
He held up his phone with a dark screen. “I’ll take off his shoes. You scan his feet and work the app. Fire it up and—”
“Fuck you,” I bit out to him. “Move. I’ll get the shoes.” Guy thought he was so clever.
Actually, he was.
I had no idea how to use a fingerprint app.
*