The Enforcer - Kelli Callahan Page 0,40

getting out that I have a soft heart.”

“Oh, of course,” she says with a laugh. “God forbid someone sees you as, I don’t know, decent.”

“Now you’re getting the idea,” I chuckle.

“If I told anyone back home that you and I were together, I don’t think anyone would have believed me. They certainly wouldn’t have supported it. That would be a shock for everyone,” she laughs.

I feel my blood run cold. Tell everyone? I’m not the kind of guy who has relationships. I didn’t want to get this far with her just because I knew that she’d want one. I don’t know what I’m going to do now. “I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” I say, pressing my face against her hair. Utterly conflicted and rubbing my fingers up and down her arm, I listen as her breathing slowly changes and she falls asleep in my arms.

On the one hand, I do like her. I actually really care about her, but on the other hand, I don’t think I can make her happy. I certainly don’t deserve her. And then, how would we fit into each other’s worlds? Me, a high-ranking criminal. And her, the ex-wife of the mayor. I’m not the kind of guy that will spend my afternoons at the club playing golf any more than she is the kind of girl who will jump on the back of my Harley. Maybe that’s a wrong assumption to make, but I don’t know. I feel so mixed up inside. I just want to keep her safe; can’t I just focus on that right now?

Chapter Fourteen

Jake

I’m walking through the hotel parking lot when I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I don’t know how to say it, but something just doesn’t feel right today. Something else is going on, and I need to get a handle on it. All I know is we can’t stay here anymore. She’s still asleep upstairs in the hotel room while I’m down here, throwing the luggage back into the car.

My phone rings: “Hello,” I say, answering the burner phone that Noah gave me.

“Hey, I got some news for you.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“Bad news, I’m afraid. Remember me saying that I would keep an eye on things?”

“Of course,” I nod.

“Well, I think I might have been followed.”

“What?” I say, my voice and my body feeling weak.

“That’s a possibility, yeah. I think I was followed. Because I got back to the shop and one of my new hires wasn’t there. He was there when I left, but when I got back, well, he didn’t show up for a shift.”

“What if he’s just late, man? You know how it is. Young kids don’t feel the need to show up for work as often as everybody else does,” I say, walking back upstairs, walking back into the hotel lobby, and headed toward my room.

“I don’t know,” Noah sighs, trailing off. “I didn’t run through a background check on him this time. He just came into town saying he was looking for work a couple of weeks ago. Seemed like a nice enough kid. I didn’t bother checking any of his background information. All that really matters to me is that you know how to use a wrench, change a tire, yada, yada,” Noah says, and I stare at the ceiling. Noah doesn’t usually bother with background checks anyway, just because he assumes that everyone has a past.

“So, what you’re telling me is you think the new guy might be the one who’s after Dianna?” I asked.

“I don’t know. It’s a possibility, but it hasn’t sat right with me. I went by his apartment to see why he didn’t come into work, and when I got there, he was gone. So...” Noah trails off.

“Alright, well we’re moving out anyway. Something doesn’t feel right.”

“Glad you feel it too,” Noah says. “I’m sorry if I put you guys at risk.”

“It’s okay,” I say. “You didn’t know any better.”

I hear it in the distance. A clatter and a muffled cry. No! “I gotta go,” I say, bolting down the hallway and shoving my hotel key into the door, irritated as the handle doesn’t immediately give way. “Diana!” I shout. “Diana! Are you in there? What’s going on?” I demand, forcing myself to slowly insert the hotel key, then pull it out quickly. Then, I yank the handle down and shove it open, and I see someone on top of her with his hands