Page 43 of Shot For Mercy

I take a step back, listening to her, and the man turns around and punches me. The blow to my jaw makes me stumble back a step from the surprise, but it will probably only bruise.

“You hit like a bitch.” I grin, taunting him.

“That’s enough,” The bar manager growls, holding the other man back. “You need to go,” he tells the man. “And you.” He points at me. “You’re going to wait for Emiliano’s driver. You’re wasted.”

Amy’s eyes widen, and then… she smirks. “Oh, this should be good.” She chuckles. “Let him believe I’m your girl.”

“He’ll kill us.”

“No, he won’t.” She rolls her eyes as I go to sit at the bar again. “I make him a lot of money.”

“Fine. He’ll killme,” I tell her through gritted teeth. “I like my life.”

“He’s going to be so jealous when he hears about this fight, baby bear.” She laughs. “He’s going to fuck you so hard.”

“You think so?” I ask with hope, and she laughs again. “I’m so easy,” I groan.

“Yeah, you are.”

My head suddenly spins, the alcohol catching up to me. “Oh, fuck, I don’t feel so good.”

“Don’t you dare puke on me.” She grins. “Let’s go to the bathroom.”

“Alright.”

Amy grabs hold of my arm, and I get off the barstool carefully, stumbling as she all but drags me to the bathroom. I thank all my lucky stars that I have her, even though I know I’m fucked. As soon as Emiliano hears about this, he’s going to flip out. If he hasn’t already.

And I’m looking forward to it.

It’s midnight, and neither Cole nor Matteo are home yet. Are they together? Did they go somewhere? Matteo texted me saying he would probably be home late or not at all tonight, but Cole hasn’t given me an update. No signs of life. Not that he’s required to; he doesn’t owe me anything. Logically, I know that. But the other part of me wants him to do those things. Wants him to care enough about me to give me something.Anything. I want him to tell me what he’s doing and who he’s doing it with. Not because I demand it but because I’m important enough to him to keep me in the loop. And that’s crazy. I’m living in some kind of fantasy land with rose-colored glasses and heart eyes. What the hell?

I still can’t get the conversation with my brothers out of my mind though. The way they reacted, clearly thinking it was a bad idea even though they agreed to support me. Logically, I know this will more than likely blow up in my face. That I could potentially lose my son and never get him back. That I could lose Cole because of someone trying to get back at me for something. That I could be seen as weak now. But none of those reasons seem to snap me out of this little infatuation I seem to have with Cole.

I care deeply for him, and I can’t seem to wrap my head around that fact. If someone would’ve told me this a month ago, I’d be laughing my ass off and telling them they’re insane. But here I am, not long since he’s been released from prison, pining and begging andlonging. For him, for anything he’ll give. It’s not purely sexual, even though I wish it were. It sure would make things easier for me. I wouldn’t have to come out to Matteo, and everything would be alright. We’d move on after it was over, and no one would know about it. But that’s not what’s happening here. Not even close.

Instead, I’m thinking of the future with him by my side. As my partner. My equal. Am I crazy for that? Seeing a future with him? I know how he feels about me, and I know I could reciprocate those feelings. It’s only a matter of time before I get there. I’m already feeling more, wanting more from him. It makes no sense, yet it does all the same. I just can’t seem to get enough of him or stay away.

My phone vibrates on top of the couch cushion right next to me, and I inhale sharply at the name across the screen. It’s the brothel. They only ever call me at this time for emergencies. I really don’t need this right now. I don’t want to have to leave the house to go put out a fire. I want to wait for Cole and get in bed with him. Hold him all night. Maybe fuck him a couple of times.

I sigh, answering the phone. “This is Emiliano.”

“Yes, Mr. Colombo.” The bar manager’s voice comes through, and I frown. “Cole is here waiting for you to come get him.”

I sit up quickly, making myself dizzy. “Why?” I ask with urgency. “What happened? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” the manager says, and I deflate, sitting back on the couch cushions once more. “He got into a fight with a client.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose tightly because of course he did. “Why?”

“It’ll be easier to watch than for me to explain.” He sighs, and I nod, even though he can’t see me. “I sent you the clips to your email.”

“Much appreciated,” I tell him. “I’ll send my car for him. Make sure he doesn’t go anywhere.”

“I don’t think he can,” the man tells me, and I frown. “He’sreallywasted.”

“Thanks again,” I tell him, then hang up.

I immediately go to my email, clicking on the clips from tonight. It shows Cole and Amy meeting up at the bar, hugging, then sitting together. I can’t hear what they’re talking about, but Cole looks really happy, and Amy looks fucking cozy with him. She keeps putting her hand on top of his, leaning over into him, and just making him laugh in general. I don’t like it one fucking bit.

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