Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,53

“Yeah, I caught a bullet there when I was overseas in the Middle East. Punctured my lung and almost killed me, but I survived.”

“I’m so glad you did,” she said demurely, and she was unspeakably grateful that it had happened in a combat zone and not as a result of conflict with gangsters. He spoke of that world as if he knew it very well. Certainly he had to, if he was mixed up with a Mafia don whom he was protecting. It made her just a little uneasy. She didn’t know much about organized crime. What she’d seen in movies and read in books was unlikely to be a mirror of the real thing. That word Mikey had used, omertà, she’d seen it in print somewhere. She couldn’t recall where. She was going to do a search on Google when she got home that night, just to see if she could find the connection. No need to tell Mikey. She looked at him with hungry eyes that she couldn’t help. He was becoming the most important thing in her life.

But what if Jessie was right? Mikey was rich and sophisticated. Yes, he liked going out with her and kissing her, but that wasn’t a future. She knew some gangsters married, but most of them seemed to just live together. Or so she thought. And she couldn’t do that.

It would break her heart if Mikey didn’t feel the same way she did. If he was only playing with her, she was going to die.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked. “You look tragic.”

She forced a smile. “It’s been a long morning, that’s all,” she said brightly. “Lots of people breaking the law. Of course, that’s not a bad thing for us.”

“Not at all.” He looked up and his dark eyes sparked.

Bernie followed his gaze and there was Jessie, just picking up a salad and coffee at the checkout. It was on a tray, which meant she wasn’t leaving.

“The bubonic plague has arrived,” Mikey muttered.

“Well, hi there, Bernie. I didn’t know you were coming here for lunch. And Mikey, how’s it going with you?” she added, almost purring.

He looked up at her with cold eyes and took a minute to answer. “We’re having a private conversation, if you don’t mind.”

Jessie shrugged. “Well, excuse me, I’m sure,” she drawled. She went to a table nearby, at the window, and put down her food.

Bernie was crestfallen. She’d hoped to have a nice quiet lunch with Mikey, but Jessie was already staring at them. Cooking up plots. Bernie was certain that the woman was searching for ways to split her from Mikey, because Mikey was rich and Jessie wanted him.

“Don’t look like that,” Mikey said, smiling at her. “She’s trying to upset you. Don’t let her.”

“She really likes you,” Bernie said, almost choking on the words.

“It isn’t mutual.”

The way he looked at her sent all her fears flying away. She smiled slowly. So did he. The rest of the world faded away until there were just the two of them.

They didn’t look in Jessie’s direction at all. She glared at both of them the whole time. She didn’t stop even when they were walking out of the café.

* * *

“If looks could kill,” Bernie said on a heavy sigh when they were back on the street.

“Why doesn’t Kemp fire her?” he asked abruptly.

“I think he’d like to, but he has to have a reason that will hold up in court.”

“Lawyers,” he muttered.

She laughed. “You sound like one of the men we prosecuted for theft. He was sure that lawyers were all bound for a fiery end.”

His hand caught hers. “I’ve gone my rounds with prosecutors,” he mused as they walked toward her office.

“You have?” she asked, curious.

He looked down at her solemnly. “We really are going to have to have a talk,” he told her. “There are things about me that you need to know.”

She drew in a long breath. “There are things about me you need to know, too.”

“Come over for lunch Sunday,” he invited. “Paulie said Sari was going to ask you, anyway. We can walk down through the woods and talk without people watching us all the time.”

“Would you be safe if we did that?” she worried. “I mean, snipers love deserted places, don’t they?”

He chuckled. “The one who’s watching me surely does,” he pointed out.

“Oh! I forgot.”

He grinned. “I’m glad. I don’t want you upset. I can take care of myself, honey. I’ve been in worse jams than this. I’ll tell you