Page 30 of Mafia Handbook

“Woah there, pretty lady.”

“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t…” Her words died on her lips as she took in the two men standing before her. Orange ball caps, the color so bright they were nearly blinding, sat atop mops of messy hair, surrounding faces only a mother could love.

Dropping her gaze to the floor, Milena spun back around, Bash’s coffee forgotten as she hurried toward the register.

“Slate called in the team as a precaution. Hashtag and Einstein are on their way to your house to fix the security system. Slate and Boundaries will meet you at The Cliffs once we have everything secured.”

Bash hated the thought of everyone being called in, but Slate was a great leader, putting the safety of the team above any dollar amount they may lose. “Do me a favor, Wizard,” an errant thought entered his head as he watched two men approaching Milena from behind. “Gretchen Lewis, the chic Slate hired to purchase the office, will be stopping by. Let Einstein know if he doesn’t want a repeat of his ex-wife, to keep his dick in his pants. The bitch is a card-carrying gold digger.” Ending the call unceremoniously, Bash chucked the burner phone into the trash as he ran into the store.

“Anything else?” The elderly man behind the counter questioned, his bored tone making the hairs on the back of Milena’s neck stand up.

“Yeah, she forgot this.” A gruff voice sounded behind her as a six-pack of beer was slammed on the counter beside her. Milena recognized the label as the brand Gil brought when he’d come to dinner.

“And she’ll take a carton of those cigarettes beside you, on account she’s so sorry for stepping on my new boots.”

Remaining silent, Milena nodded in affirmation to the clerk, her body shaking with fear.

“Fifty even,” the clerk muttered, tossing her beef jerky and bottled water into a plastic bag.

Reaching into her pocket, Milena maneuvered her fingers around the cash Bash gave her, slipping off three twenties and handing them to the clerk, who pulled a ten from the register and slid it in her direction

“Not so fast, old man.”

A large hand slammed on the counter, covering the ten and causing Milena to jump and jerk her head up, catching the cold eyes of the man beside her. Milena was no stranger to the evils in this world, her father the author of more horrific stories than she cared to think of. The man staring down at her, however, had the devil reflected in his deep orbs, a callousness Frank would be envious of.

“Pretty lady here is going to give me her change, and all the cash she has tucked in her pocket.”

Opening her mouth to argue, “Where’s your sign, Broke Dick?” Bash’s voice sounded behind her a split-second before his arm wrapped around her and his unique scent chased her fear away.

“What the hell you mean, where’s my sign?” The man closest to Bash scoffed, sharing an amused look with his friend beside him.

“All the panhandlers I’ve seen have a sign in their hands. You leave yours on the underpass back there?” Bash goaded, tipping his head in the direction of the freeway.

“For one, City Boy, I ain’t no beggar. Two, this bitch damaged my brother’s property, and we aim to collect.”

Sandwiching Milena between the counter and his back, Bash scanned the brother from head to toe.

“What did she damage? Cause from where I’m standing everything on him screams Broke Dick, just like you.”

“She stepped on his boots, scuffed the hell out of them.”

Bash knew a lie when he heard one, add in the fact he recognized the smell coming off the pair and where they’d picked up the almost black mud caking their boots. “Bullshit, those boots haven't seen this side of clean since you pulled them out of the dumpster.”

“You callin’ me a liar?”

“Don’t forget thief, I definitely implied you were a thief.”

“You trying to be funny, City Boy?”

“Funny? No,” Bash shook his head. “What I’m trying to do is buy my girl a few snacks before I take her home, strip her naked and love her until she can’t remember her name. You are standing in my way of doing that, something I personally don't recommend.”

“And what is it you…” The man turned to his brother. “How’d he say it, Otis?”

“Personally recommend, I think is what he said, Clyde.”

“That’s it,” Clyde turned back to Bash. “What is it you personally recommend?” Sticking his finger in the center of Bash’s chest and giving him a shove.

Bash wanted to laugh at Clyde’s lame attempt at being a tough guy, but he needed to get Milena out of here and fast. “I recommend you turn around, get back in that hunk of metal you’re trying to pass off as a truck, and take your ass back home.”

“And if I don’t?”

Reaching into his pocket, Bash pulled out several bills, handing them to the cashier. “I’d say it’s time for your break, wouldn't you agree?” Leaning over the counter, Bash pretended to read the name tag of the clerk. In reality, he’d already made a mental note of everyone in the room and how many cars were in the parking lot. “Delbert?”

Milena watched as the clerk shifted his gaze between the brothers and Bash, nodding his head several times, before sliding the partition closed and disappearing through a door behind the counter.

“If you think—”

Bash didn't allow Clyde to finish his statement before gripping the back of his neck and slamming him into Otis. The pair hit the glass door and tumbled out into the gravel of the parking lot.

Snatching up the bag of supplies and the six pack of beer on the counter, Bash gripped Milena’s hand. “Come on, Sweetness. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

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