Beautiful Bounty(20)

“Ronnie. Please look at me.” When she looked at him, eyes shining, he lost a little bit of his heart and the words just came to him. “I’m sorry. I know you must be going through a roller coaster of emotions with what you’re facing. I shouldn’t have done that. But Ronnie,” he took her chin in his hand so she couldn’t look away. He wanted her to hear him, really hear him. “There is something between us. Ever since last summer, and you and I both know it. This something is definitely unfinished between us, and it needs to be.” When she started to shake her head to deny it, he used his thumb on her cheek to caress it, and added. “I’ll give you space. The last thing you need right now is some lecherous fool like me making advances every time you accidentally brush up against me, or vice versa. I want to help you get through this, Ronnie. I will help you if you’ll let me. Then, when we get your name cleared, and we will, then maybe we can see what this is between us, see what it really is. Okay?” His eyes searched hers looking for something.

What else could she say? The man was persistent. She doubted there would be a follow through, but right now more than anything, she just wanted to get home. “Okay.” The word came out shaky, but it was enough for him for now. He kissed her softly on the cheek, stood up and shut her door.

When he got in, he noticed she her hand on the cheek he kissed. It took his breath away. When he hesitated to start the car, she looked at him. He noticed she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. “Seatbelt?” he asked.

“Oh, that,” she laughed nervously, and reached behind her to tug on the strap, and it stuck again.

“Want some help?” he asked leaning over carefully.

“Um, no . . . thank-you,” she said as she tugged even harder in vain. Stupid seatbelt, she thought. She didn’t think she could deal with another close encounter with Nikko.

He hid the grin that threatened to spread across his face. He reminded himself not to fix that seatbelt for the second time that day. But being sensitive to her needs, he was careful when he reached over to assist her. Cautious not to brush against her, he pushed her hand out of the way gently, and smoothly he pulled the belt loose of its mooring. It slid effortlessly across her chest. Lucky belt. He clicked it into place, and then straightened and did up his own seatbelt. Both he and Ronnie let out a soft frustrated sigh as he started the engine. They were on their way.





The black Escalade skimmed down the highway going precisely nine miles over the speed limit and a very angry Andreas Marino was at the wheel.

“Anything yet?” he snapped, clenching his jaw in frustration.

“Nothing,” Giovanni replied from the shotgun position, putting his phone back in his phone case and clipping it onto his belt. He was nervous as hell. Nearly four hours ago their brother picked up the girl to bring her home. It should have been an hour’s drive tops. His hand reached up to push a stray lock of dark hair out of his face. His brother Andreas was angry. He was worried.

“You?” Andreas asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at his younger brother, practically a mirror image of himself, only seven years younger at twenty-eight years of age.

“Nope. Not a thing. His cell is dead or off,” answered Blaze yawning in the back seat, trying to get comfortable in the cramped quarters for someone six foot tall. All the brothers were six foot, or more.

“Hell. I knew something was up. He offered to handle this a bit too quickly. It’s not like him to volunteer for the hearings. You sure nothing went on between him and the girl last summer?” Andreas was pissed. Nikko, his youngest brother by nearly nine years, was the most reckless, the one who had to be reined in at times. This case was just too big, too important. Fuck! He should have handled it himself. But when Nikko offered, it had taken him by surprise. He thought the talk he had with him a week ago, might have sunk in. That he was willing to learn all the avenues of the business, and not just what he considered the exciting stuff.

“Calm down, biggie,” Blaze rumbled from the back seat. “He and Ronnie never. He told me so.” Blaze was the serious one in the family, the one who never exaggerated. He was closest to Nikko, being not quite two years apart in age. He was also the peacekeeper in the family when the brothers became over heated. He was the one who could be counted on to get Nikko to toe the line when it was needed, and usually settled the disputes between them all.

“The police sergeant I spoke with said they left the station around one o’clock, but he wasn’t sure because he saw Nikko talking to someone for a while. They may have stopped to get something, gas up, eat, who knows. He’ll get her there.”