The doors started closing, Luke looked over his shoulder at us and, for some, bizarre, unhinged, insane reason I mouthed, “I owe you.”
I just caught his sexy half-grin and the so ultra-warm it was hot look in his eyes before the doors closed.
Hell and damnation.
Now I was screwing myself!
* * * * *
“Are you mad at me?” Sissy asked.
I looked at Hector. He was standing three feet away talking to Hank. We were at the police station and Sissy had just ID’d a bad guy.
On the way over I told Sissy about what she was up against with Uncle Vito. I told her Luke would keep her safe if she didn’t want to “disappear”. I also told her that I wanted her to take Luke up on his offer. Then I told her I really wanted her to take Luke up on his offer and I didn’t even care if it meant I owed him.
Sissy nodded but she didn’t say anything. We rolled into the police station, it took forever for them to sort out the line up and Sissy had ID’d the bad guy.
Then she turned to Hector and said, “Take me to Dom.”
I sucked in breath and wished there was something to bang my head on, a wall, a floor, a very hard rock.
Sissy took my hand. “I know you think I’m crazy but there are times when you aren’t there when he can be really sweet. A lot of times, Ava.”
I just stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “I know, you’ve told me that before.” And she had.
“He’s not perfect.”
She could say that again. I kept my lips zipped.
“I love him,” she said quietly.
Shit.
“Don’t be mad at me,” she went on.
I unzipped my lips. “He kissed me,” I reminded her.
She looked away.
“In your kitchen,” I continued.
She sighed.
“While you were in the house.” I kept at it.
She looked back at me but she didn’t reply.
I went for the killer diller. “Sissy, his crazy shit got Big Bobby put in a coma.”
She moved, just slightly but I caught it, like a flinch.
Then she said, ultra quiet, “Ava, honey, you don’t get it. I’m never gonna find my Luke. Some hot guy who calls me a knockout, chases me like I’m the greatest thing since sliced bread and shields me from bullets with his body.”
I didn’t want to say anything but that last part wasn’t exactly fun.
She kept going. “Dom’s the closest thing I’m going to get. I’m twenty-nine and going to be divorced. That’s just sad, I’m just sad.”
“Shut up,” I broke in, beginning to get pissed. “You’re not sad.”