Headhunter (With Me in Seattle Mafia 2)

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice over there.”

I nod. “Is your family still there?”

“Some of them, yeah.”

“Cool. That’s something I always missed, you know? I just had my dad when I was little, and he was no prize, as you know. No siblings or extended family to speak of, at least in the US. I don’t know if there was or is family in Bulgaria. He never spoke of it. So, I always felt like I didn’t have roots.”

“You’ve set down roots in Denver,” he points out. “You have Annika and Nadia and their family.”

“That’s true.” I smile as I think about it. “You’re right. I guess family doesn’t always mean being tied by blood.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

“What did you do before you came to the ranch?”

He clams up now and shakes his head. “I think we should get over to the shooting range for some practice.”

“You said I could ask ten questions. That was only, like, six.”

He pushes his hand through his hair in agitation. “I worked with Shane in the military.”

“Oh, wow. Thank you for your service.”

He just gives me a stiff nod, and I decide to change course. “Do you have a girlfriend?”

“No.” He snorts and shakes his head, his shoulders loosen. “Do you see any women out here? Besides you?”

“I’m sure there are single girls in town somewhere. Or maybe a long-distance relationship. There are options.”

“I’m kind of a loner, Ivie.”

“Yeah, Shane mentioned that. Why is that?”

“Because I’m an introvert.” He swallows hard. “And I’m not good with people.”

“Well, I think you’re just fine. But I get it. People can suck. You should see some of the patients that come into our clinic. Annika and I run a medi-spa. She’s the doctor, and I’m the office manager. There are days that my eyes hurt from all the eye-rolls behind patients’ backs.”

His lips twitch. “Do you guys do nose jobs and stuff?”

“She can, but mostly we do botox, fillers, peels, that sort of thing. Annika is an amazing doctor. I think she should work in a reconstructive surgery practice. Help women who have lost their breasts to cancer or burn victims. She’s really good. But her family was old-fashioned and didn’t think she should do that.”

“So, they’re misogynistic, then.”

I blink rapidly, thinking it over. “I guess so, actually. Her father and her uncle love her to distraction, but she’s in a mafia family, and what they say goes. Not to mention, she’s sometimes on call to help them out when someone’s been hurt, and they don’t want to involve a hospital.”

Curt nods. “Yeah, the Martinellis have that, too. It’s an…interesting way of life.”

“I hate it,” I admit. “And I’m on the outside, looking in. Even though Annika’s family treats me like I’m one of theirs, I don’t have the same responsibilities that she does because I’m not blood. And I’m relieved. I had to do a lot for my father when I was young that no person should have to do. He wasn’t technically part of any mafia organization, but he was dangerous and mean. And I always swore that I’d never get involved with anyone like that again.”

“What happened?”

I glance at him, suddenly wondering how we turned the tables to questions about me.

“I met Annika in college. We didn’t know anything about each other at all. But one night, we got drunk in our dorm room. And Annika started telling me about how her uncle was a boss and detailing the whole damn family tree. I was so surprised because she is just a normal girl, with an abnormal family. So, I felt comfortable telling her about me. And when we were done and had sobered up a bit, we knew that we would be friends for life. Because of shared experiences, and because we can trust each other.”

“Honestly, that’s very similar to my friendship with Shane,” Curt says, surprising me. “We have shared experiences that most don’t have. The trust is rock solid, and I would do anything for him.”

I smile over at him. “See, this isn’t hard.”

“What?”

“Talking.”

“I’m not used to it. It’s outside my comfort zone.”

“Usually, the best things in life are those outside our comfort zones.”

Curt smirks and then glances down at his buzzing phone. “That’s Shane. He’s on his way back. Should be here in a couple of hours, at the most.”

“Cool. Okay, let’s go shoot some targets. I’m going to pretend they’re that asshole from yesterday and teach him a lesson.”

“You’re a little scary sometimes. You know that, right?”

“Me?” I laugh as we lock up the barn and get in the ATV to drive over to the shooting range. “Nah. I’m a pussy cat. But that guy pissed me off. He could have hurt one of you. Or killed you.”

“He didn’t.” Curt parks in front of the door in the side of the mountain, and we jump out. He places his hand on the palm plate, and once we’re inside, he locks us in as I open the vault.