Page 63 of Dirty Deeds

She doesn’t want me to leave any more than I want to and a million words go unsaid as I pull back and stare into her eyes.

“Lock up behind me,” I rasp. It takes everything in me to pull away from her and drag my ass out the door. I listen as the locks slide into place, then I start down the walkway. I lift my head and that’s when I spot Brent’s Mercedes parked across the street. The windows are tinted so I can’t make out who is in the car, but it’s running.

Anger rushes through me and I start charging down the walkway. I don’t stop until I reach the curb, then common sense settles in. I remind myself that if I go anywhere near that motherfucker, I’ll be done.

Glaring at the tinted windows, I clench my fists. My adrenaline spikes and my pulse thrums loudly in my ears. I turn around, stalking up the walkway and pound my fist against Danica’s door. I gotta get her out of here.

Even if he didn’t see me leaving her house, he was still sitting outside, stalking her in the middle of the night. It’s not fucking safe, and I’ll roll over and die before I take any chances where she’s concerned.

She opens the door, her brows drawing together as she stares back at me. “Did you forget something?” I push past her and slam the door shit. “Enzo—”

Turning around to face her, I cut her off.

“Brent is outside.”

Those words seem to wake her the fuck up. She moves toward the window, but I throw out my arm, tagging her at the waist.

“Don’t,” I clip. “He’s right across the street in his Mercedes.”

“He saw you?”

“There’s no way he didn’t.”

Panic flashes across her face and she pulls away from me. Pushing her fingers through her matted hair, she starts to pace.

“This is bad… this is so fucking bad.” She pauses mid stride and abruptly spins around to stare at me wide-eyed. “What are we going to do? He’s a spiteful bastard, Enzo. There’s no way he won’t use this to his advantage.”

I don’t doubt any of that, but here we’re like we’re two sitting ducks.

Stepping toward her, I smooth my hands down her arms and level her with a look. Any minute now her anxiety is going to kick in and then we’ll really be fucked.

“Listen to me, baby. I want you to go pack a bag. Grab some clothes, a toothbrush, your laptop—whatever you need to get by for a couple of days.”

“What? No, we can’t leave. You said yourself, he’s right outside. He could’ve called the cops for all we know.”

“Danica, I gotta get out of here and I’m not leaving you here. My truck is parked three blocks away on a dead-end street. There’s no way he found it which means he was here looking for you. Now, pack a fucking bag. You’re coming with me.”

“Where are we going to go?”

Jesus fuck with the questions.

“To the moon, Danica. We’re gonna go to the moon.”

She pulls out of my arms and fixes me with a glare. “Alright, Ralph Kramden, calm down.” Without another word, she marches down the hallway. I walk to the window, carefully moving the curtains aside to peer across the street. The fucking Mercedes is still there, and the driver’s side window is cracked open. Suddenly the headlights turn on. I release the curtain and step away from the window. The car peels away from the curb, the tires skidding and screeching over the asphalt.

Danica emerges from the bedroom fully dressed, a giant duffel bag slung over her shoulder. I take the bag from her and grab her keys from the hook next to the door. I don’t trust that Brent isn’t lurking around somewhere, so walking three blocks to my truck is out of the question.

Once we’re in her car and off her block, she turns to me. “Where are we going?”

I consider our options. I don’t know what the protocol is for when one violates their bail. If Brent calls the cops do they automatically send someone to my house? If that’s the case, Danica can’t be there.

Keeping that in mind, I decide the best place for us to go is Big Nose Kate’s. We can camp out upstairs until I figure this out and even if Brent finds out that’s where I took her, he won’t get anywhere near her. Not with all the Knights coming and going on the regular. Plus, I plan on calling my father as soon as we get settled. He’ll provide Danica with protection and maybe he’ll throw me a bone and tell me what the fuck I’m supposed to do next.

It takes me fifteen minutes to get to the other side of the island. I park behind the bar and quickly grab Danica’s bag. Luckily I still have the key Nico gave me over the weekend. I let us in through the back door and we go straight up to the apartment. Once we’re situated, Danica disappears into the bathroom, and I pull out my phone to call my dad. He answers on the third ring.

“If you’re calling from a jail—”

I cut him off.

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