Page 62 of Run

“Oh, I’m bad for you, Ellie Blue.” His smile turned her into a puddle on the mattress. “I said I’m in, all the way, no more needing to use the C-word.”

Laughter, hope, relief bubbled up inside of her, which wasn’t reassuring. When it came to David Knight, she was so freaking easy. “No more mixed messages? No more teasing? No more stupid macho crap?”

His lips twitched, and she would bet his dark eyes were sparkling. “I can’t promise there won’t be any more stupid macho crap or the good kind of teasing. But I can stop giving out mixed signals.”

“This is your last chance.” Her heart couldn’t take any more confusion. She’d built so much of her life on the insecurity of not knowing where she stood.

David leaned into her, closing the scant gap between them. “I’m sorry I hurt you, Ellie Blue,” he whispered against her lips.

The whisper turned to gentle teasing, then tasting, and Elle found herself sinking into him. The world faded away as David gently kissed her, his hand cupping her cheek.

Don’t break my heart. Don’t break my heart. Don’t break my heart…

The chanting in her head faded to nothing as David’s lips silenced her always busy mind.

“If you two start going at it on that bed,” Abasi drawled, “I’m gonna shoot you both.”

“Amen to that,” Ryan grumbled.

“I’m with the criminal,” Callum said. “Knock it off. We all need sleep.”

“Come on, Ellie Blue.” David snuggled closer until her head nestled in the crook of his neck. “The guys are right.”

She breathed deep, taking his ocean scent inside of her, making him a part of her in some small way. All the while wondering how many pieces she’d end up in if he walked away.

The silence and the warm strength of David’s embrace lulled her to sleep.

At least until the moaning started in the adjoining room.

As Callum exploded, Elle pressed her face into David’s shoulder and laughed until she ached.

24

James Family Home

North London

Tommy James sat at the head of his mahogany dining table, sipping brandy while he waited for his son to arrive. On the table in front of him were the remains of the late-night snack his chef had prepared, and to his right sat Cutter. Unlike Tommy, he’d only ordered coffee from the kitchen.

“He’s finishing up with the Albanians, right?” Tommy said.

“Yeah.” Cutter’s eyes went to the two men who stood guard at the entrance to the room. They were soldiers on the rise, big men who’d proven their loyalty time and again. “You sure you want to talk with ears in the room?”

“Those boys don’t hear anything unless I tell them to, ain’t that right?” he asked the men.

“Yes, sir,” they said without breaking expression or moving position. They knew their job, constantly scanning the large room for threats while pretending to be invisible. They also knew that if either of them ever uttered a word about Tommy or his business, it would be the last thing they ever did.

“We did two hits on each gang,” Cutter continued. “Woulda done more, but your boy was adamant we needed to get the message across without going overboard.”

Tommy didn’t like that at all. “How’re they supposed to learn their lesson if we go easy on them?”

Cutter shrugged. “Exactly what I said, but Marcus overruled me. Said they had to get the message without us attracting the cops’ attention too.”

He hated to admit it, but Marcus had a point. “I can see that.” He placed his brandy glass on the table. “Any fallout from the attacks?”

“Not yet, but we’re prepared if they decide to take it further.” Cutter’s smile was slow and hard. “I made sure our message to the MCs was hard to miss—by slicing it into the little shit’s chest. Marcus said it was overkill.” His eyes narrowed. “You ever wonder if he’s going soft?”

“He’s a different generation,” Tommy said. “Wants to be smart about what we do. He tells me that technology and surveillance make it harder for families like ours to carry out the bigger statements. I gotta trust he knows what we’re dealing with. Times have changed, Cutter. Not for the better, either.”