Page 234 of A Lick and A Promise

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“But I’ve made promises,” he carried on. “I got deliveries that are already gonna be late. My kids know because I taught them, business comes first. Knox has been gone awhile, but I reckon he remembers this too.”

Oh, he remembered.

I waited.

“You aren’t calling,” he prompted.

“I didn’t know whether to ask for a notepad so I can write it all down if you had more,” I returned.

He smiled, and damn, it sucked he was handsome. He even had that subtle cleft in his chin that Knox had.

But it figured.

Knox didn’t look at all like his mom, so he had to get it from somewhere.

It still sucked.

“I knew I’d like you.”

I didn’t want him to like me.

I wanted to get out of here and do it without anyone I cared about getting hurt.

Because there was one thing I knew about those men, especially my man.

They’d get hurt before I got hurt.

I bent to my phone, trying to figure out how I could code my language so Knox knew what they were dealing with when they stormed this place.

Because they were going to storm this place.

I hadn’t figured that out by the time I hit his contact and put the phone to my ear.

“Luna?” he answered, and yeah, I could tell in those two syllables they were gonna storm this place.

“It’s me,” I said.

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes. I’m fine,” I replied. “Listen, your dad has a message.”

“You on speaker?”

“No. I’m unhurt.”

“We’re outside.”

Of course they were.

“Okay. Honestly, I really am fine,” I said.

Knox said nothing, but I could practically feel him listening.

“Nine,” I blurted, because yeah…I was just that smooth. Then quickly, “Your dad wants his product back. And your brothers and Rocco. In twenty-four hours. Or I might not be fine.”

“Nine men with you?”

“Yes, your dad said that.”

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