Page 13 of Dutch

I laughed. "Old man, is that all you got?" I looked at Makari, looking like she was ready to fight.

"I had this under control," Makari hissed.

"Yes, you did, sweetheart. I'm just helping."

The taller goon lunged at me with a wild haymaker. Fucking amateur, I sidestepped him, grabbed his arm, using his momentum to push him headfirst into a dumpster.

"This is your last opportunity to walk away, or I'm going to use your knife to send a message to your boss."

He hesitated, but the fear in his eyes had him second-guessing himself.

"Fuck this. Jahlil will hear 'bout this. Count on it!" He scrambled off along with his buddies.

"Do you want to tell me what you were thinking?" I demanded.

I looked Makari over from head to toe to ensure she hadn't been harmed. But she was defiant as ever, standing tall. I was angry but tried to aim it at the situation more than her.

"You don't have to be my hero, Dutch. I'm fine," she snapped.

I laughed harshly. "I get it. You were taking an evening stroll with some of Jahlil's teenage goons."

My mind replayed the scene and how close she came… I couldn't finish the thought. I was pissed. "Makari, do you have any idea what almost happened here?"

She opened her mouth, but I cut her short.

"No, this is no longer about just you. There are eyes everywhere, and you're out here alone. That's like handing Jahlil an invitation to dinner."

I ran a hand down my face. The pull I was feeling to her was messing with my head. I was furious, but instead of laying down the law, I wanted to lay this pipe deep inside her.

"Look, I'm not your keeper, but I am keeping you alive. Your life means something to me even if it doesn't to you."

"You think I don't understand the risks? I was living this life long before you."

"It's about being smart. You can't outrun those niggas."

Makari moved closer to me. "I'm tired of looking over my shoulder. Maybe I didn't want to run. What about that?" she asked.

My jaw clenched. "You're telling me your grand plan was to walk into the lion's den?"

"Better to have a plan than hiding out waiting for them to take us out," she snapped.

Now we were toe to toe. We were so close I could see the fire in her eyes. It was taking all of me not to shake some sense into her ass.

"I was working to keep you safe, but I can't do that if you're going to play Russian roulette with your life." I growled.

Before I could process my thoughts, something between us shifted, and my lips hungrily covered hers. Makari seemed tooshocked to respond at first, but then instinct kicked in, and she kissed me with everything she had.

Fear and desire rolled up together. My hands found her waist and pulled her closer as if I could keep her safe through sheer desire. Her fingers tangled in my shirt, and her heart raced against my chest. When we broke apart, we were both breathless. We stared at each other, trying to make sense of what happened, stunned.

I stepped back. My heart now pounded harder than me, fighting off three goons. This kiss wasn't a momentary thing. No, it was the opening of a door I'd thought we had shut long ago.

"Makari…" I said, but the words died in my mouth, not knowing what I was going to say.

She watched me with her dark eyes, and I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Don't find a way to explain this away," she said, her voice raspy.

I ran a hand over my facial stubble. "Wow, this complicates things," I said to myself more than to her.

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