“Why?”
“Because I have to be back before 11 p.m.” Her brows shoot up in response, and I can’t tell what she’s thinking.
“Okay.” She finally nods, and we excuse ourselves from the row of deeply invested fans, frustrated by our walking in front of them. We quickly make our way out of the building and through the foyer. She doesn’t say anything about the rush or tease about my urgent feet. I hope I haven’t made her mad.Only because fucking her will be more difficult if she isn’t interested in me anymore,I tell myself firmly.
We quickly enter the car, and it zooms off. Knox is a great navigator, so I'm aware that there will be no issue with us getting to her apartment in the next ten minutes, but that only leaves us five minutes to get back to Pops’. Vince will be so pissed. That classic red-faced-vein-popping-body-shaking type of anger, and there’s nothing I can do about it now.
“Is everything okay?” She asks me as we turn the corner to her street.
“Yes.” I nod as we come to a stop, but she doesn’t seem to believe me.
I can’t focus on this now. Fucking some girl— even if it is her— or getting in worse trouble from Vince, isn’t a contest. I can’t risk Fashion Week.
“Goodnight.” I force a smile, and she nods, sliding out of the car and heading inside. We make sure she’s in and has locked the door before we zoom off even faster than before.
“Boss, I can get you to the location where they’ll be tonight. It’s just up around the corner.”
“I don’t have my black clothes for patrol.”
“Switch with me when we get there.” The tires screech as we make a sharp left turn.
“Okay.” I agree, though I know we are not the same size. I’m the leanest of all my brothers. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got muscles, and I’m certainly not weak, but I wouldn’t fit into Knox’s clothes for many reasons. For one, he’s built like The Rock. And then there’s the fact that he just likes things oversized. I’m going to look as if I’m wearing elephant skin, but I can’t do anything about it because I’m pressed for time and options.
We come to a screeching halt in a back alley that reaches a dead end. Past it, there seem to be tall reeds of grass which may be some sort of field. It’s most likely where we’re patrolling tonight. We switch clothes within a matter of minutes. Then I’m out of the car earlier than the rest of the group because they probably just began driving.
I get a call as I approach the field in front of me. It’s Vince. I can’t say I’m not reveling in the fact that I get to shut him down.
“’sup?” I answer casually.
“Where the fuck are you? The boys just left.”
“Already here.”
“Well, you’ll have to fucking drive yourself, I guess because—”
“No, like, I’m already at the location.”
There’s a silence for a second before he clears his throat.
“Okay.” And hangs up the phone. I smirk as I shove it back into my pocket, feeling far too pleased with myself for proving him wrong for once.
When the boys arrive, we begin our patrol by breaking into sections throughout this field. Apparently, someone on patrol earlier today figured out that some Russians were plotting something close by. I hope Lydia is safe in that house of hers all alone. My older brothers have had horror stories of people they were associated with getting taken by the Russians, so I won’t sit by and let it happen to me.
“Romeo, how’s it looking at street-view?” I hear in my earpiece, and I glance across the lamppost-lit spots surrounded by the darkness of the road leading into Lydia’s neighborhood.
“Clear,” I whisper back.
“Copy that.” They respond, and then it’s quiet again. Only the breeze through the trees and tall grass swishes in my ears. I could fall asleep, to be honest. I probably should have slept more today. Even on a normal sleep schedule where I got a full night's rest, I still wouldn’t be prepared to stay up the entire night. But my better judgment lost out to the excitement of seeing Lydia.
I don’t think I need to explain why even excitement can be dangerous in my family’s business. It’s just better to feel as little as possible; even if it seems tempting to acknowledge those thoughts, I can’t let them have a say.
“Watch out.” I hear feet pounding towards me in the grass and my partner yelling for me a few feet away. A body collides with mine, and I fall to the ground before I can figure out what just happened. I reach for my gun and raise it to the black form pinning me down.
“Get the fuck off me,” I grunt, and they don’t respond. As their leg swings up and kicks my gun from my hand, they continue to hold me down as they grab it off the ground. The metallic flashes in my eyes, slightly blinding me as it’s brought to my head. The cold tip of the barrel pressed firmly into my temple as I attempt to wiggle out of this deadlock to no avail.
“Who the fuck are you?” I grunt. Still, I get no response from the black form, strong and persistent, covered from head to toe in a black mesh material like a ski mask. Their top section feels like a bulletproof vest. He has to be incredibly strong. I don’t know why I’m calm, like I know they won’t shoot me. I’m just growing irritated that they are not letting me go.
“What do you want?”