Page 40 of Blood on Ice

I rolled my eyes. “You coerced me into inviting you up here today, then you….”

“Sucked you off until you were begging for more?”

“Yes, but this is all too much, too fast. I didn’t agree to live with you.”

“You need protection. I told you I would do that for you.”

“I didn’t think you meant?—”

He placed a finger over my lips. “I’m staying here to protect you. Everything else can go at whatever pace it needs to. I’ll wait as long as I need to, but you will be mine.”

“You’re crazy.”

“You’ve got to stop saying that, baby. You’re going along with it all. Does that mean you’re crazy too?”

“I’m a fuckup.”

He cupped my head and made me look at him. “No, you’re not. You’re a talented hockey player. You’ve worked your way up to get what you wanted. You’ve made some mistakes. We all have. We’re going to fix those, and you’re going to be able to do everything you’ve ever wanted.”

“Why are you so sure about that?”

“Because I believe in you.”

“Why? You know how badly I fucked up.”

“I don’t need to know anything other than what I know already. I know how hard you’re trying. You deserve help. You deserve someone to take care of you.”

“So, you’ve decided to be that person, and I don’t get a choice.”

He stroked his thumb over my cheekbone. “Do you really want a choice?”

I tried to remember how to breathe as I looked into his eyes. I couldn’t do anything but shake my head. “No.”

“That’s what I thought,” he kissed me softly, said goodbye to Six, then left. I sat there awkwardly, staring at the man who was apparently going to be sitting in my living room with me until Vito came back.

15

VITO

Inodded to Muffin as I exited the building. He and Six were exactly who I would have chosen for this job. I’d told Val I needed our best guys, and he’d come through for me. It didn’t matter that there had been tension between us for the last few months. It didn’t matter that I’d been feeling neglected by him. When it counted the most, Val knew what I needed, and he took care of it. I was lucky to have my family behind me. We might fight and argue, we might threaten to kill each other, but I loved them, and I knew they loved me. I wondered if Zeke had ever had that kind of security.

As soon as I was back in my SUV, I called Val. I didn’t even have a chance to say hello before he was yelling at me.

“Vito, I told you to stay away from him.”

“You knew that wasn’t going to happen. Those men would’ve hurt him, maybe killed him. If I hadn’t been there, he would’ve walked right into their trap.”

“And why are they after him?”

“He owes money to some guys in Vegas.”

“What guys in Vegas?”

“He didn’t get names, but Loony and Benito were there. Zeke recognized Benito, even from a distance.”

“Why the fuck would anyone hire that psycho for a simple debt collection?”

I nearly rear-ended a taxi that slammed on its brakes. I needed to focus on driving at least a little. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Something doesn’t add up, and we need to get to the bottom of it. Zeke’s life is on the line. My first priority is his safety, but we also need to know what Benito’s up to. He shouldn’t be in Boston at all.”

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