The one thing I know for sure is that I’m going to need their protection going forward if I want to stay alive. I have no doubt the powerful men I’m going to out will come for me. But they’ll have to find me first. This giant compound is hidden away. They can track me to the airport, but after that I went off the grid. I’m scared, but I know what has to be done. I click the send button and then slam my laptop closed. I toss it over to the other end of the couch. I lean back and close my eyes, telling myself I can handle this.
“You're still here, Red? You already got your story.” My stomach flutters at the sound of his voice. I hate myself for it. I’ve been trying to fight my attraction to him. I open my eyes to see Tiernan.
Why are all the hot men assholes? Hot is actually putting it mildly when describing Tiernan. The man is built. I barely come up to his chest. I’m used to having to look up at people. I’m short at five foot two. It’s why I always wear heels. I’m not only short, I’m tiny too. He stares at me with those cool blue eyes waiting for an answer. He folds his arms over his chest, and I get that glare he always sends my way.
Tiernan has been a jerk to me since I got here. He glares at me while muttering words I can't hear under his breath. For the most part when I walk into a room, he walks out. Other times, he lingers and does things to annoy me. He really wants me out of here. I have no freaking clue why. He doesn't have a problem with any of the other women. I’m scared he might just kick me out into the snow. Then where would I go?
“I’ll be out of your hair soon enough,” I say as I stand. I might want to think about having a Plan B as far as my safety in case he does decide to toss me out. “I can only put up with you being an asshole for so long.”
“Red.” His tone is filled with warning. If he’s going to be an asshole, I might as well be one back.
“Jerkface,” I toss back.
He drops his folded arms from his chest. Something dark flashes in his eyes. “Don’t talk shit, and there won’t be no shit.”
I give him my best smile. “That’s a double negative that makes no sense.”
He takes a step toward me.
I lick my bottom lip.
His nostrils flare. His hands fist at his side, but he doesn’t say anything else to me before he turns and leaves the room. He’s confirmed I’ve overstayed my welcome, and my days of staying here are numbered.
2
TIERNAN
Why does she have to tempt me? That smart mouth of hers is going to get her in trouble. I was so close to grabbing a handful of her red hair and bending her over the counter. But I can’t. Daphne’s dangerous, far more dangerous than any of the assassins and mobsters I’ve dealt with in the past.
Daphne’s a reporter, one who gets far too many visitors to her blog and her articles for some pretty fucking huge news operations. I can’t get close to her, especially after she’s already mentioned that I look familiar to her.
Of course I do. I was all over the news a few years back. Everyone heard about my disappearance. Before shit went down, I was at the top of the Lisanti family, one of the biggest mafia families in the country. The whole world was laid out before me. I was rising higher and higher. But then I fucked up. Badly. So badly, in fact, I had to leave that life. Permanently. And when a body washed up on the Jersey coast with my family ring on its finger, everyone knew the worst had happened to me.
I can never go back. If the families were to find out I was still alive … I shake my head and sit on my bed, then rest my head in my hands. The war inside me rages on. I need that redhead. I need her on her knees right now, my cock in her mouth as I give her every inch.
“No.” I stand and pace. “Let it go.”
“What are you letting go?” Charles leans on my doorframe.
“Nothing.” I shrug.
He sighs. “The redhead?”
“What?” I roll my shoulders. “No, of course not.”
He smirks. “These women. I don’t get it, not even a little, but it’s like they were made for us.”
“Daphne isnotmade for me.” I say it with so little conviction that even I don’t believe it. I want her, and I’m not hiding it very well if Charles’s skeptical expression tells me anything. “Look.” I cross my arms over my chest. “She’s a journo, okay? If she finds out who I am, how long do you think it’ll take her to whip up a blog post outing me? And after that?” I throw my hands up. “I’ll have killers beating down the doors to get to me first.”
“I got to you first,” Charles reminds me.
I take a deep breath as memories from that day ripple through my mind. “You spared me.”
“Dumb on my part.” Charles gives a low laugh. “You’re a pain in the ass. Then again, you did pay me double the contract price, so it was a win-win.”
“Everything was going so well. Until those women showed up.” I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“Believe me when I say things have never been better.” He gets a half smile on his face, clearly thinking about his woman, Clover.