Riding Dirty: Luciotti Crime Family (A Bad Boy Mafia Romance) - Kara Hart Page 0,12

and definitely no more great Seattle coffee shops. No, we traded all that for a new life.

Monroe, Michigan. It was a small town, but it was the best we could do for ourselves. Small shops, tourists, two highways in and out of the city. That's what we left for. No one passed through Monroe because there was very little reason to. It was perfect, really.

I tried my best to make the transition okay for her. I really did. We went to Lake Michigan and sat on the beach, enjoying the endless blue view. Jennifer was in her little pink bathing suit, flopping around in the shallow shore of cold water.

We took a few day trips to Detroit and Ann Arbor too. Anything to pass the time. Anything to make her forget her horrible father and the hard life he gave us. And it worked too. At least, for the most part. Those memories would be with both of us forever, engrained in our very being. Because I would never forget. How could i?

Despite the fact we left and found safety, every single day was rife with panic attacks and fear. A guy like Lucas didn't scare me one bit. He seemed a little messed up in the head, a little too brutish for his own good, but he didn't seem as twisted as Cade. Every night I laid awake, praying for the best for little Jennifer.

I had a sickening taste in my mouth and my stomach churned. He would find us someday. And when he did, it wouldn't be good. Truth was, I had no protection. I had fucking Carmelo, an old man from an underdeveloped area of the western world. I couldn't rely on him, no matter how many times he told me I could.

“I know a thing or two about dealing with thugs. Remember, I'm from the ‘old country’,” he’d brag to me and jokingly flex his arms. In reality, he was just a lonely baker who had a shit life in a shit village. He was just like me, only he would never admit it.

I needed real help though. If Cade ever found us, I would need some deadly ammo, like a bodyguard or something. Lucas. The name flashed in my head. He sure was some deadly ammo. And that's not all he was.

I fell into my thoughts. His strong body, tough as a tank with the strength of at least ten men. Those deep eyes, the broad jaw, and his massive chest and chiseled abs. He was built for protection, but carried the threat of redemption. I got the feeling he wouldn't mind taking Cade out back and showing him a thing or two.

I had to shake off this crazy idea. It wasn't good to bring any kind of violence into our lives. Was I really thinking that barbarian could save me? What was I thinking?

But I kept having heavy images flash through my mind. His towering body, looming over me. His strong hands slowly tying rope over my wrists. His mouth around my aching core. Eating me. Devouring me. He had the appetite of a wolf.

He was appalling, disgusting, and way too assuming and self-righteous for a woman like me. Yet, I couldn't stop thinking about his arms wrapped around my waist as I pushed my lips against his tongue.

I stood against the counter, squeezing my legs together, hoping the feeling would go away. The day I met him, when he stood in front of me, bare chested, knuckles bloody, and working on that engine. Those thoughts sent pulsating waves throughout my body, prickling my skin, pulling on my hairs like static electricity. It had been so long since I even felt those feelings. I didn't know they were still possible.

It was those images that I tried to dismiss. Because I knew all that good would only come with a lot of bad. A woman like me couldn't handle that bad. Not anymore.

4

Lucas

“You’re joking. Four days? This car’s a classic, boss,” I said, looking at the piece of junk that was currently raised high up in the air. I’d had this car forever, since before I was a made man, even.

“Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you’ll just have to walk for a few days. It’s going to be a little bit longer than we planned. It’s a small town, though. You shouldn’t have any trouble getting around out here.”

I groaned, running through all the possibilities in my head. There