Under His Protection

“Why?” she asked quietly.

I exhaled. “Don doesn’t like it when people stare. Best not to get on his bad side. Trust me.”

She moved behind me and I wrapped a hand against her waist. Her body was warm and soft. My fingers dug into her flesh and she whimpered.

“I think I’m scared.” She tried to take a step backward.

I shook my head. “I’ve got you. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I told you you’re safer with me than you are out there.” I wasn’t about to let her take her chances on the street again. She had idea what she was dealing with.

The door opened and I kept one hand on the gun holstered at my back, the other fixed to Jessica.

“Jason.” Don grinned. He puffed on the end of a cigar. “You’re alive after all.”

Jessica seized beside me. I felt her entire body go rigid as she tried to inch closer to me. There was no space she hadn’t already invaded. This was as close as we could get.

“Shh,” I hissed. “Stay calm.”

She had seen it. The nasty scar that ran from his forehead, through his eye, all the way to his chin. It wasn’t as noticeable from the left, but it depended on how Don walked into the room. Unfortunately, tonight he had chosen to showcase his monstrous ragged scar.

Jessica quivered behind me. Fuck. This girl was going to get us both killed. I needed to focus. Instead, I was worried about her. I’d never been the teddy bear type. If she wanted a man to hold and comfort her, I wasn’t that guy. I was the man who could save her life right now. I was the man standing between her and her worst nightmare.

Still, there was a part of me that wanted to wrap my arms around her and kiss her. I wanted to tell her she was going to be all right. But there was no way I’d come close to anything like that in front of Don. We’d lose every advantage I had. He had worked for years to find my weakness and always came up short. That wasn’t going to change.

Two hours ago I didn’t even know her name. I wasn’t risking everything.

“Don, you made it.”

He snarled. “Cut the shit.”

His eyes wandered to the terrified girl clinging to my body. Suddenly he smiled.

“What did you bring me?” It was more of a threat than a question.

I shook my head. “Nothing.” I felt the cool metal in my hand as my clasped my gun. “What did you bring me? That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”

He strolled inside the safe house followed by his goons. They were heavily armed. I didn’t expect anything less. He traveled with a full security presence wherever he went. It was the hazard of being a mob boss. One the bastard was fucking proud of.

“Why don’t you get me a bourbon?” He stared at Jessica. “I like mine on the rocks. Make it a double.”

“She’s with me. Leave her out of this,” I barked. I wasn’t going to force her to serve him. I gritted my teeth.

Don chuckled, settling on the leather sofa. It bowed under his weight. I had to hold Jessica to keep her from running. I could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest.

“And people call you a heartless bastard, Jason.”

I growled. “Do you have the cash or not?”

“Where’s that drink?”

She whimpered and the sound went right to my gut. “I’ll get your fucking drink,” I spat.

I led Jessica to the bar. “You have to get your shit together, sweetheart.”

She clenched her jaw. “Let me go. I’ll run.” Her eyes darted back and forth. “I used to run—in high school. I’m fast. Just let me go and you’ll never see me again.”

I grabbed a highball glass and dropped a few ice cubes in it. I reached for the bourbon, considering what she said.

“No.”