Maybe the ruthless killer had a bit of humanity left in him after all. Chains didn’t want to dwell on it. He’d already been thinking too much about that crazy bastard.
“He’s lucky he didn’t hurt you, because then I’d have to hurt him. Well, kill him. After torturing him.”
The look on Lori’s face reminded him he needed to keep some of his life on the down low. Lori was sweet innocence, and he didn’t want her completely tainted by his world. Or scared. “I don’t want anything to happen to you, Chains.”
“Nothing will happen to me. I know how to survive. I’m not new to any of this. That’s why Boss recruited me long ago.”
“When you came to this country?”
“From Russia. Whatever shithole you’re used to, my neighborhood would make it look like Beverly Hills.”
She touched his face. At first, he flinched, not used to allowing a woman to get so close. “I can’t hear much of an accent,” she said.
“It’s there, but only when I want it to be. I know a lot of languages. It comes with the territory.”
“You must have some happy memories as a child. Is there anything you can remember?” She sounded genuinely concerned, and it touched his heart. Lori was a good woman, and he’d never let her go.
“I had friends in the orphanages, but after the things I witnessed happen to them, I learned to keep my emotions in check. If you don’t have emotions, you can’t get hurt. Know what I mean?”
She smiled warmly. “I understand. But, if you don’t let anyone in, you can never know love.”
“I know love,” he said. Chains was still reluctant to make any declarations to Lori. Things were still in limbo, and he didn’t want to risk his heart just yet. But he knew what he felt for her, and it terrified him. He needed to change the topic. “What about you? What’s a happy memory you have?”
“I have a lot,” she said. “Seeing the happiness on my little sister’s face when I bought her a grade eight graduation dress. Or paying for my brother’s school trip to the zoo. He was so excited.”
“Those are all other people’s happiness,” he said.
“That’s what makes me happy.”
Chains was pissed off. Those were all things a parent should be worrying about. Lori struggled like a dog to provide happy memories for her siblings. He’d change all that. He wasn’t sure how, but he’d make sure her brothers and sisters were taken care of so she could enjoy her own damn life.
“You’re too good for me, baby.” Chains pulled her closer, tucking her into the crook of his arm. “I don’t deserve you.”
“Don’t say that,” she said. “I’ve never been happier. I don’t know what I’d do without you now.”
He loved hearing her say those words. Chains wanted her to need him, because he’d be working hard to make her dreams come true. He’d never been responsible for anyone but himself, and it felt empowering to have another life to care for.
They cuddled together until they fell asleep. Chains wasn’t sure how much time passed, but his pager vibrating in the kitchen woke him up. He checked on Lori, and she was still sound asleep. Carefully slipping off the bed, he tugged on a pair of shorts, and closed the bedroom door behind him.
He checked his pager. It was Maurice, so he called him back on his cellphone.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Your cell was off.”
“Yeah, well, I’m laying low right now. Since that piece of shit got past my security system, I needed to get off the grid.”
“Since when have you been afraid of a fight?” asked Maurice. “I thought you were Boss’s go-to man.”
Did he know about Lori? As far as Chains knew, she was his dirty little secret. “I’m just playing it safe. You have a problem with that?”
He heard Maurice sigh on the other end. “El Diablo took the next bait. That means he’s on target for interception in two days.”
“Boss know?”
“Of course Boss knows. This is part of his plan. He’ll be there with Killian. He’ll expect you to be there, too. El Diablo trusted you the most. You did spend a lot of time with him.”
“That doesn’t mean we’re best friends. I don’t know shit about him. And a man like El Diablo doesn’t know anything about loyalty.”