“You ain’t my friend, asshole.”
“Aww, you mad, bruh? Take her home. Take it out of public.”
I tug on Jess’ arm and drag her laser focus away from her milkshake. Lowering my phone, I press a gentle kiss to her temple. “Stay right here. I’ve just gotta step outside for a sec. Don’t move.”
Her narrowed eyes follow my arm to the phone on the end. “You’re working?”
“Yes, but I’ll be right outside. I’ll still be able to see you, okay? Don’t get into a gun fight, don’t get hurt, and don’t go anywhere.”
“You said you don’t have to work until tonight.”
“Just two minutes, Blondie, then I’ll be back.”
Angrily, she turns back to her untouched breakfast and gives me the cold shoulder.
She’s not mad I’m taking a call.
She’s mad I’m a criminal.
“Two minutes. I promise.” I slide off the stool and gently squeeze the back of her neck. Brushing her hair aside, I drop my lips to the bumps at the top of her spine and turn away. As soon as I push through the glass door, I bring my phone up and look around the deserted parking lot. “What the fuck?”
“I just got you in trouble, huh? She’s a clinger?”
“No. She’s fuckin’ perfect. And now she’s pissed.”
“Why’s she pissed? I just saved you both a public lewdness charge.”
“She’s pissed because I’m a fucking criminal! She’s trying to get me a job in her friend’s garage because she doesn’t want me to die while hanging out with assholes like you.”
“Aww.” He laughs. “She’s a sweetie pie. She’s pretty, too; fuckin’ gorgeous, to be precise. She got a sister?”
I turn and watch her through the glass. “Shut the fuck up, Jay. You aren’t getting near her or anyone else with blonde hair. Now tell me what you want.”
“You want me to shut up, or you want me to talk?” Laughing, he chokes on cigarette smoke and slams a fist against his chest – something I’ve seen him do a million times before. “Fine, I’ll get serious. But just for the record, you’re putting her in danger. Our world ain’t safe for her.”
“You think I don’t know that? You think I want her in danger? I have one friend inside that club. One guy who won’t put a bullet in my head for a buck. Where were you last night while I was knocked the fuck out and she was being attacked in an alleyway?”
“She was attacked?” The laughter leaves his voice. “Abel had me inventorying in the warehouse. I just got done an hour ago, went searching for you, and now here we are. She got hurt?”
“Yeah, motherfucker. She was hurt, and now I’m trying to keep her in my pocket at the same time I push her away and scare her enough not to come back to our world. She ain’t safe knowing me. She’s a danger magnet.”
“She’s gonna get you killed.” Like I can sense him shaking his head, I shake mine in response. “You’re already in trouble.”
“Don’t I fuckin’ know it? What do you want, Jay? If you can see me,” I lift my hand and flip off the empty parking lot, “if you saw I was busy, why the fuck you calling me?”
“Abel called.”
“I don’t give a fuck! I’ll be back tonight. He can’t have me twenty-four-seven.”
“Actually, he can. He owns us. He could have you thrown into supermax for the rest of your life. You want that?”
“Swear to god, everyone thinks they can threaten me with prison time these days.”
“So what happened last night?” Grunting in a way that signals him resettling himself, I can picture him sitting somewhere in his car with a set of binoculars. “What happened to your face? I see everything; I saw your hand sneaking up her skirt, I definitely saw your face. Run into a doorknob?”
“No. Abel.”
“I got that already. I mean, whatspecificallyhappened?”