Page 23 of Touch Her and Die
TEN
parks
The lookI exchanged with my brother didn’t tell me the half of it. Still, he’d done everything he was supposed to.
“Thanks, Nate. I’ll take her from here.”
It didn’t take me long to find her. The thud against the floor told me she was up to something dumb. I flexed my neck, ready for whatever might happen.
“She’s awake then?”
My brother nodded.
“Awake and feisty as hell. You’ve never asked for anything ever. Which makes me think this one was different. She doesn’t seem to have a clue though.”
I ran my hands through my hair like I’d been doing a lot lately.
“Be glad you don’t hold the Rossi name.”
The heat of his hand against my shoulder was oddly comforting. I would have told him to remove the fucking thing, except he was the one thing that grounded me before her. She got me in a way my brother never could.
“She’s my goddam sanity.”
He shifted, and I watched his eyes sparkle with something—interesting.
“You’re more fucked than I thought, if that girl is your sanity. I don’t think she even knows what that is. In fact, she’s trying to get away right now.”
We shifted together, turning to the side, and sure enough, through the hallway into the family room, she was dragging her ass away.
“She’s also my newest stress and reason for wanting to murder everything in my way.”
Damn it, she could drive me wild and somehow push all my fucking buttons at the same time. I’d lost days, not hours, on her. I’d lost sleep, and I probably had gray hairs because of her. And yet, here I was. I couldn’t turn away.
We stood there just watching her wiggle away, and then I realized you could see her ass.
“Turn your fucking eyes away.”
This time he laughed, and she moved a little faster, or as fast as her drug-hangover state would let her.
“She’s all yours, brother. Let me know if you need help with anything. Car’s downstairs. Here are the keys.”
I took a quick glance at the woman I wanted. The one that made my blood boil and the one that could make my cock ache all at the same time. Love truly was the downfall of man.
“Thanks. Thanks for aways being there. I promise to keep you out of it. For mom’s sake. If anyone comes to you and says I’m engaged? Well, just know it’s not by choice and I will be fixing that issue soon.”
He gave me a glance that was short of understanding but also unsurprised. I’d done everything to keep him so far from the Rossi family that he was close to a ghost in my world. And he was the closest to normal I could get for myself and the only thing I could keep from my family. Except for my mom.
“Sure, Parks. Whatever you need to do. I’m here. Let me know if I need to move some funds around in the coming days.”
I looked between him and the woman that my dark and twisted soul needed. Fuck, I needed her more than I needed common sense it would seem. My brother wandered off, and maybe that was the best option for now.
I turned back to Halle. “What the hell are you doing?” She didn’t answer so I walked towards her wiggling body. I paused and called back to my brother. What if every next move took me closer to disaster? Yeah, that’s why I had backup plans and Nate was my biggest plan of them all.
“Thanks, Nate. You’re the best accountant I could ask for. Oh, and here.” I handed him a box. A new gun. He didn’t ask, he just knew. Whenever I came calling, I was here to make sure he was protected. I was here to make sure he knew how to protect himself. The cemetery had pushed me to use him beyond what seemed right.
“Now, stand back while I handle the love of my life.”
I know he laughed, but I only had eyes for her.
