“My dad is gone,” she said softly after a moment of silence. “I thought coming here I’d be able to figure out where he went. I thought someone would know something. They said he owed some gambling debts to Dom’s dad—”
“What was your old man’s name?” I took a deep drink from my beer.
“Nathan Walker. He was an accountant.”
I shook my head. “Never heard of him. Trust me, I would’ve too since me and the guys are who Matteo sends out to rough up people who owe money. In fact, pretty sure that’s what Vincent and Dom are doing right now.”
She grimaced at my words.
“Do you guys. . . kill people?”
“Sometimes,” I grunted. “Just how shit goes.”
“You’re so young—”
“Youth doesn’t determine the ability to take a life. I was twelve when I killed my first person. A man. Didn’t even know his name or what he’d done. My father took me and Stefan down to the docks. He made Stefan shoot one guy and me the other. Said it would build character.” I swallowed hard at the memory of the man on his knees, weeping. “He begged me. A grown ass man begged a twelve-year-old for his life. And you know what I did?” I locked gazes with her.
She shook her head, her lips parted.
“I pulled the trigger.”
She flinched as I made a finger gun and pulled the imaginary trigger as I aimed it at her forehead.
“I had to shoot him twice. First shot hit his shoulder because I was so fucking scared. It was either kill him or get my ass kicked. I knew which I’d prefer.”
I froze as she reached out and squeezed my hand.
“I’m sorry, Levin.”
I stared back at her, hating that she kept apologizing to me for shit she had no control over. “Don’t say my name like that.”
“Like what?”
I squeezed her hand back. “Like you can fucking save me. You can’t, bumblebee. Don’t even try.”
“Bumblebee?” She cocked her head at me, her brows crinkled.
“I don’t know. Dom calls you a wasp. But I think of you more like a bumbl
ebee, spreading your shit around. It’s whatever. I’m drunk and high. They have cutesy fucking names for you. Figured I should have one too.”
Her lips quirked into a tiny smile. “I don’t have one for you.”
“You don’t need one.”
She slid closer to me and twined her fingers through mine. “Levin… Hmm… love monkey?”
“The fuck. . .”
She laughed. “Mm, no? How about. . .Sugar Puss?”
I shook my head at her.
“Boo Bear?”
“Don’t you ever call me that.”
“Boo Bear. I like it.” She snuggled closer to me and rested her head on my shoulder, her hand still clutching mine. “You’re just a big, old teddy bear, aren’t you?”