“Good. I’ll call when we’ve stopped.”
“Yeah, boss.”
While Stefano’s men had their heads turned in the opposite direction, we skirted across the rows of people and ducked into the alleyway.
Once we were out of sight, I whirled around and held her face between my hands and checked her over. “You good?”
“Yes.” Her chest heaved, and her hands shook, but all things considered, she was a champion.
“No matter what, don’t let them see your face.”
“Who?” She tried to keep up.
I heard a noise, and my head shot up, trying to locate the direction it was coming from. Footsteps became closer, and I weighed my options. We didn’t have enough time to run the full length of the alleyway, and there was nothing to hide behind.
I threaded my hand through her hair, dipped down low, and caught her lips with mine. I used one hand to hide the side of her face, and the other slid up her leg and around her bottom with the gun hidden by her cloak. I knew she could feel it against her skin, but she didn’t react.
“Whoo!” Some boys cheered us on, and I opened my eyes to spot one of the men coming up behind the boys. I kissed Sienna deeper. Part of my head relished the moment, while the other half waited for the boys to leave. Once they did, I whirled her around so her back was to him and pointed the gun from beneath her cloak and fired, sending a bullet straight into his gut. I swallowed her scream, pressing her body to mine and holding her tight.
As terrified as she was, I could tell she was turned on by the way her body rubbed against me. I fought to keep focus.
Between Sienna’s reaction and the smell of gun powder, I wanted to rip her clothes off and sink deep inside her.
Once I knew the second man wasn’t on our heels, I pulled away with all my might.
“Come on.” I motioned for her to follow me, and we headed deep into the dark alleyway to the cemetery.
I checked the gate, and it was locked. I backed her up and used the handle of the gun to hit the lock sharply, breaking it off.
“Now what?” She huffed as she glanced around and wrapped the cloak around her chilly arms.
“Now we hide.”
“Here?”
“I don’t think they’ll mind.” I used my head to point at the tombstones and motioned for her to follow.
The grass was wet, indicating the sprinklers were just on, which wasn’t in our favor. The grass would give away our footprints.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry,” she apologized to the graves we walked over.
“They can’t hear you, Sienna.” I took her hand and tugged her along.
“You don’t mess with the dead, Elio. Damn.” She brushed mud from her high heels.
I chuckled, and as we made a sharp turn, I pointed down at her heels.
“Think of it as aeration.”
“Ha!” She laughed darkly. “Sorry.” She cringed when she missed her footing and used a stone to catch her fall. “Sorry,” she mouthed again with her eyes shut.
“We’ve got to keep moving.”
“Elio.” She lifted her heel that was stuck in soft mud of a fresh-dug grave. “As of right now, I might be joining them, so a little respect can’t do any harm.”
“Any bullet coming your way has to go through me first. Besides,” I scanned the tops of the tombstones for any sign of company, “you’re not the one they’re looking for.”
She stood straighter, and her chin rose with a questioning eyebrow.