I crack a smile. “That sounds nice.”
“On Sundays we have our own family dinners in the servants’ quarters. And for Christmas she makes these amazing cookies. And Mateo was never stingy, so we always got to order presents for one another and decorate the house. I never got much for presents as a kid. My mom would buy these really cheap, generic things that would break before winter break was even over. Not that it’s about the gifts, but…” She looks up at me and shrugs. “It was home. If you wanted to be a part of it, I would’ve been fine with that, I would’ve offered you an invitation, but I didn’t want to leave it. Especially for just… nothing. I had no idea why I was leaving, I was so confused, and Mateo just expected me to understand, he didn’t explain it. And I know you hate that I liked Mateo, but it wasn’t really sexual, I just… I like the way he runs his family. I like the way he ran our home. He was like my boss, and yeah, I was fine with that. And yes, sure, I had a crush on him for a time, but who doesn’t? I didn’t have a lot of other options. You never expressed an interest in me, so I didn’t even put you in the same category once you stopped tutoring me.”
“You could’ve liked Alec, or Vince, or Joey.”
“Vince is too young,” she says, shaking her head. “Alec’s boring. Joey…” She rocks her head back and forth. “Joey was okay. I never really got to talk to him. I think Mateo warned him off.”
That surprises me. “Really? Why would he do that?”
Giving me a pointed look, she says, “Well, now I assume it’s because he knew you liked me. Joey’s a charmer. Not Mateo level, but…”
Yeah, I wouldn’t have enjoyed watching Joey flirt with Elise, that’s for damn sure.
“That Irish guy, now if he would’ve come around…”
My jaw falls open, and she gives me a devious little grin.
“I’m gonna kill that asshole one of these days,” I swear, shaking my head.
Elise laughs, taking a left as we come to a crosswalk. “I’m just teasing you.”
I feel a prickling on the back of my neck. The road I followed Elise down is quieter than the one we were just walking, but the man who’s been walking behind us turned, too. I assume it’s a man, anyway. I haven’t looked back, but judging by the footfall, it’s not a woman.
Probably nothing, but I eye up the next turn anyway. If he follows us again, there might be a problem.
Elise is still talking, but I’m no longer paying attention. I reclaim her hand, clasping it a little tighter. This would be no problem if she wasn’t with me, but the thought of something happening to her terrifies me. I care too much. There’s a certain level of emotional distance when I’m doing my job—there’s never terror. I’m never afraid. Lack of fear is why I’m good at it.
But right now, as I pick up the pace and he does, too, my heartbeat pounds in my throat. I don’t want Elise to see me kill someone, and I don’t want her to get hurt if this is an actual threat.
And then Elise steps out of her goddamn shoe.
“Oh,” she says on a laugh, stopping in the middle of the road, backing up a step to slide it back on.
And there it is. I can turn to look at the guy now, but when I do, he’s pointing a gun in my face.
Chapter Ten
The man’s large, rough hand closes around Elise’s tiny bicep. She gasps, looking back to see who’s touching her, and I go for my gun.
“Oh, my god,” she says, her voice shaking as he pulls her back against him, putting the gun to her head, then swinging it to point at me. This little fuck. He doesn’t even know where he wants to point the gun.
I relax a little. My fingers brush the butt of my gun, but I don’t pull it out. This guy’s gonna panic if I do.
Not one of Antonio’s guys. They’d know where they want to point the gun.
“Please don’t hurt me,” Elise says, her voice somehow smaller. I frown at her, but she’s not looking at me, she has those big blue eyes trained on her assailant. Does she really think I’d let him hurt her? Granted, she’s never seen me in action beyond launching Rick through a wall of shelves, but she knows what I do, what I’m capable of.
“Relax,” I say, keeping my tone calm. “I’m gonna grab my wallet.”
“No,” he says, the gun wobbling. This poor fucker’s shaking.
“You don’t want my wallet?”
“Yeah, no, I do. But nothing—nothing funny. Put your hands up, where I can see them. Both of them,” he says more adamantly, putting the shaky gun to Elise’s temple.