Page 35 of Taking Care of the Target

Cassie had seen the Jeep, too, so he was going to come off looking like a jealous boyfriend. Honestly, he felt like one. That hug lasted way too long, and if the pig put his hands on her one more time… He gritted his teeth, hating this out of control, helpless anger.

She’s turning me into a lunatic.But if any of Carlo’s guys saw her with a cop, Carlo would give the order to take her out.I should’ve come up with a good reason to keep her from meeting with him, no matter what it took.

He’d tried, but he’d had his hands full with smothering the urge to carry her into her bedroom and rip off her clothes.

Don’t think about that, either. Just sit here and stare at the pig who’s going to get her killed.

Vince looked up the guy this morning, found out his old man was a retired cop, and recognized the picture. He’d been in the back of the senior Duffy’s squad car before. Twice, actually. Once for stealing a couple of forties from a convenience store. He wouldn’t have gotten caught if Bobby didn’t also have to grab one, only to drop the bottle two steps from the exit. The cop took them down to the station and gave them a stern lecture he’d barely listened to, and then Carlo had picked them up.

Yesterday Cassie asked if he’d met a lot of lawyers. The answer was only one—Carlo’s balding lawyer who had come to the police station after ride number two. Vince had hotwired a car and taken a joyride, mostly because he wanted to drive a Mustang. He’d only been borrowing it and fully intended to return it, only he got a little too drunk and ended up staying all night at the party, where the police had spotted the “stolen” car.

That offense earned him more than a lecture from the senior Officer Duffy. In the end, he received a fine and several hours of community service. Being under eighteen had helped. Being Carlo Rossi’s nephew and having him pull strings had helped even more.

When Cassie first mentioned law school, for a brief moment he thought he could spin that career to his advantage. Convince the guys it’d be good to have her in their corner, and then he wouldn’t have to let her go.

That bubble of hope popped when she declared she could never defend criminals. Which of course he would’ve realized if he’d been thinking about it logically instead of selfishly. He even liked that about her. It was part of what made her different from other women he’d been with, but it was also what made him so wrong for her.

His phone buzzed, and he glanced at it.

Cassie:WTH are you doing?

He grinned. Even with abbreviations, she went for the less-vulgar, sweeter version.

Vince:Just enjoying the view, sweetheart

Cassie:This is straight up crazy. I can’t focus with you there. Go away.

Vince:I will as soon as I see you safely to work. Unless he puts his hands on you.Then you’ll see me a little sooner

Through the window, he saw her glance down at her phone and shake her head. Surveillance just got more interesting. Another car would’ve been more discreet when it came to Cassie noticing, but if any of Carlo’s boys passed by, they’d recognize his Jeep and move on. So like it or not, she got his stalker personality.

He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel for a moment and then lifted his phone and thumbed another text.

Vince: You look hot by the way

He stared at his screen, nearly giving up on a reply when it chimed.

Cassie:You and I are in a fight.

Vince:This all could’ve been avoided if you’d just canceled

Cassie:FIGHT!!!!

“Ah, shit.” Vince leaned back in his seat. He still wasn’t moving. The pig gestured with his arms, his sandwich in one hand, and Vince wished he could hear what he was saying. What could possibly be so important that it was worth getting her put back on the mafia hit list? Of course, she didn’t know that was a risk.

Possibly the pig didn’t either. From the looks of things, he was just interested in Cassie.

She’s probably going to be pretty pissed I didn’t leave.If she had any idea how much he was holding back the urge to march in there, tell that fucking cop she belonged to him before throwing her over his shoulder and carrying her out, she’d congratulate him on his restraint.

***

Cassie thought about bringing up the drive-by. She supposed she should’ve thought of calling Tom that night, but everything had happened so quickly.

It’s probably not his department anyway.

“So,” she said, trying to ignore Vince’s hulking presence. Crazy how she could sense him so strongly even though she couldn’tseehim. “I’ve enjoyed catching up, but when you called, I got the feeling there was something you weren’t saying. About my accident?”

Tom shuttered his eyes, a quick change from how open they’d been only a moment ago. “Nothing big. Just follow-up questions about your memories. Like, do you remember anything right before the accident? Possibly why you were in such a hurry that you didn’t see a huge truck? Has anything come back at all?”

---