Falling for the Killer: A Dark Possessive Mafia Romance by B.B Hamel (books to read for beginners .txt) 📗

Maybe I shouldn’t have pushed her like that, but we needed to know what we were up against. She was shaken after leaving the park, and she stayed in her room for the rest of the night, and slept in late the next morning.

I brought her out on my usual rounds with me. We checked in on a few businesses and I introduced her to more of my crew. She was quiet and taciturn the whole time, but at least she looked fantastic in a pair of black yoga pants, a messy bun, and a tight tank top. She was dressed for the gym, but I liked a woman in work-out gear.

She didn’t say much and I didn’t try to draw her out. I figured she’d been through enough recently. Watching me beat the shit out of three guys at once, and nearly killing them was probably crossing a line, but making her meet with Stuart definitely tipped her over the edge. She was having trouble dealing with her current situation, and I wasn’t going to try to push her much harder.

I parked out front of a quiet bar called Sparkplug Lounge. She smiled a little at the name and narrowed her eyes as I got out of the truck.

“What’s this place?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” I said, and tugged her along behind me. “Come on, you’ll like it.”

“One of yours?” She blinked up at me as I pushed the door open.

“Not exactly,” I said.

The Sparkplug was a biker bar. The place was decorated in distressed wood, fake leather, and metal. Pictures of motorcycles covered the walls, filling every conceivable inch. The chairs and booths were shaped like bikes, and even the bar itself had wheels at the bottom, like it was a massive Harley. Ash looked around, her mouth hanging open, and laughed a little as I gestured toward the light fixtures that looked like motorcycle headlights.

“Amazing, right?”

She nodded and laughed again. “I love it,” she said.

“Bet you’ve never been in a place like this before.”

She gave me a look. “I went to college, you know. We did some crazy stuff back then.”

“I bet you did.” I grinned and steered her over to the bar. The place was empty except for Maud, the owner. She stood back near the register, counting bills and polishing glasses. She glanced over as we approached and she frowned, which was basically a smile, coming from her.

“Ah, shit,” Maud said. “Trouble.”

“Maud, this is Ash,” I said. “She’s the new girl. You’ll see her a lot, I think. Ash, meet Maud, the sharpest, oldest battle-axe I know.”

“Dick,” Maud said and held out a wet hand for Ash. “Nice to meet you, new girl.”

Ash shook it and grinned back. “Nice to meet you as well.”

Maud grunted and went back to polishing. “What can I do for you, Gian? Got to say, it’s never a good thing when you walk in that door.”

“Oh, please,” I said. “You love my visits. I spread good cheer and bring wonderful tidings.”

“You come and take my money away,” Maud grumbled. “That why you’re here, running a collection?”

“Actually, I have a present.” I took a wad of bills from my pocket and tossed them onto the bar. Maud’s eyebrows rose and she looked at me.

“The hell’s this?” she asked.

“Closing out some tabs,” I said. “Spread it out however you want.”

She laughed sharply and took the cash. “Did you know he does this?” she asked, looking at Ash. “I bet he only does it when a girl’s around, though. Especially a pretty one like you.”

“Thanks, I think,” Ash said, and shook her head. “But I have no clue what’s happening.”

“Call it charity,” I said. “When I get a little windfall, I like to come to my local bars and cover some tabs. It’s like winning the lottery for everyone.”

“More like helping drunks stay drunk, but hell, people love you for it.” Maud shoved the cash into her drawer. “Not like I’m complaining.”

“Do you do that a lot?” Ash asked me.

“Once a month or so,” I said, shrugging. “Good way to keep the people happy. I like to take care of my neighborhoods.”

“He likes to be liked,” Maud said. “Don’t let his good looks fool you.”

“I’m not fooled,” Ash said, smiling at me a little bit, and I think it was the first genuine smile of the day. “But he’s not so bad underneath it all.”

“I’m a stone-cold killer, girl,” I said, “and don’t you forget it.”

She grinned and Maud rolled her eyes. “You’re such a ham,” Maud said. “I don’t know how anyone buys your shit.”

“They don’t,” Ash said. “I know he’s full of it, but it’s funny to watch him try.”

I laughed even if the joke was at my expense. Whatever made Ash happy right now was fine with me. I wanted the mother of my unborn child in the best mood possible—stress could complicate the pregnancy.

Not that I could avoid all stress for her, but I could do my best.

“Good seeing you, Maud,” I said, and began back toward the door. “Collection’s on Friday. I’ll send Stefano.”

“Tell that little dickhead that he owes me,” Maud said. “You wanna cover a tab? You cover his fucking tab.”

“Stefano can pay his own bills,” I said. “Don’t let him snake his way out of it, either. And don’t let him pay in my money.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Maud said, waving at me. “You have a great day, asshole.”

I grinned and waved back. Ash left with me, and we stepped from the dim biker bar out onto the street.

Something struck me as odd right away. There’d been cars parked out front when we went inside, but the street was suddenly clear. A black SUV rolled down toward us, and as it approached, the windows lowered.

It was like instinct. Something deep inside reacted, like an animal that could smell a hurricane coming. I threw myself on top of Ash, knocking her to the ground an instant before the gunshots started.

They blared like