“I’m fine,” I say and seeing the doubt on her face, I say it again. “I’m fine.”
“What did he say?”
“He doesn’t know who made the hit, but he’s going to try and find out.”
I pull out my phone and send the two pictures to Riggs. I wait for them both to go through and then call him. “Riggs, I need an ID for the two pictures I just sent you.”
I can hear him typing on the computer. “Sure thing, give me a second.”
Kinsley is standing with her arms wrapped around her stomach, and I motion for her to come closer. I know we need to finish our talk, but I need to take care of this first. As soon as she gets close enough, I pull her against me and wrap an arm around her. She’s tense, and I hate to think what she’s feeling right now. I hold her tighter, and eventually she melts against me, her arms going around my waist.
“Yeah, I’m here,” I answer Riggs when he comes back on the line.
“First picture is a Richard Gallo. Goes by Dick. He works at Gallo Towing in Los Angeles. He has no record, but intel tells me that he is a hitman for the Gallo family. Second picture was harder to identify because you blew off the side of his face. But I still was able to find him. He’s Harry Malone. His family owns Malone Pawn Shop, and it’s also a front for contract killing.”
“Were you able to find anything on who made the hit? Who else has taken it up? Rogue says there’s four people.”
“No, I’m sorry, bro. You were able to find out more than I did. I’m not giving up, though. Whoever took it out doesn’t want to be found, but I’ll piece it together. I promise you that.”
“Thanks, Riggs. I’ll call you tomorrow. If we don’t find out anything I’m going to get Jax to bring us home.”
“You bringing Kinsley?”
Without even hesitating, I say, “Fuck yeah, I’m bringing Kinsley. Talk to you soon.”
I pocket my phone and wrap both arms around the woman that I’m in love with. How I walked away three years ago and thought I would be okay is beyond me because I haven’t been okay one day since then. I can’t screw this up again.
“Kins,” I say with my chin resting on the top of her head.
She shakes her head and pulls back. “No. I can’t do this again, Colt. Not now. I’m not going back to Tennessee. My life is here now.”
I blow out a breath like I’ve been punched in the gut. She doesn’t want me. That hits me straight in the heart, but no matter what she thinks, I’m not leaving her in danger. “Until I can put a stop to all this, you’re stuck with me, Kins. Whether we stay here or go back to Tennessee, I’ll be right next to you until I know you’re safe.”
She’s pacing back and forth and stops suddenly. “I’m going to get cleaned up and lie down.”
Instead of waiting for a response, she starts off out of the living room, and I follow behind her. “There’s probably clothes. Let me look.”
I go to the bedroom and flip on the light. I pull a T-shirt out of the closet and a pair of jogging pants. “Here. They’ll probably be too big, but better than sleeping in that suit.”
She nods and mutters, “Thanks” as I hand her the clothes.
She walks to the bathroom, and I follow behind her only to have the door shut in my face. While she’s in there, I go into the kitchen and throw together a quick sandwich, grab an apple, and head back to the bedroom.
Ten minutes goes by, and she’s walking out of the bathroom. She has on the T-shirt, and her face is clean and shiny. She’s adorable in the clothes that are way too big for her. She bends down and rolls up the bottom of her pant legs. When she rises, I shift in my sitting position, trying to hide the fact that I have a hard-on just watching her.
I point to the plate on the dresser. “There’s some food. I’m going to shower real quick.”
She nods, and I start to leave, but I stop myself. “Can I trust you not to leave?”
She rolls her eyes as she takes a bite of the sandwich. She moans, and my dick twitches again. “Yeah, I don’t have a death wish. I’ll be here when you get out.”
I nod, and with one last glance, I leave her to the bedroom and go for a quick shower. I’m in and out in five minutes. I know we’re in a safe house, but I still don’t like being away from her. Which brings me to the next problem.