Gun Moll (10 page)

“Yes.”

“Don’t sound too
excited now.”

Melina smirked.
“I’m not used to a man saving me.”

“I’m not used to
being a hero.”

“Put the damn
shoes on me, Mac.”

“Your wish, my
command, doll.”

Melina didn’t say
a word that time.

“The mob isn’t
dead.”

The words had been
spoken so quietly beside him that Mac almost missed Melina’s statement. Without
responding, Mac found the closest turnoff point he could that was safe to do so
on the busy street and turned his car off.

“No,” Mac
admitted, “It’s very much alive and as active as it always was in New York.”

Melina frowned.
“They have … oh, my God, they have rooms dedicated to you guys.”

“Rooms?”

“With boards and
pictures … everything. Under each one is bullet points of info.” Melina rubbed
at her temples with the pads of her fingers. “They paraded me through the
rooms, past the info and pictures, like they were trying to get me to say
something. It’s like they thought I was in with it all or something. They
thought I knew what I was looking at—they believed that crap.”

“When was this?”
Mac asked.

“Before they took
me to the jail and charged me.”

Mac blew out a
slow breath. “Do you remember anything specific about—”

“Jesus, if it’s
not them, it’s you,” Melina cut in angrily. “What, do you want to know the info
I got from the cops, too? Not very much, Mac, considering they figured I knew
everything there was to know anyway.”

“All right, chill,
woman.”

“Sorry. It just …
that was a lot to take in. I didn’t expect to get out of there anytime soon. I
had no access to money and no one to call.”

Yeah, she’d
mentioned that at the jail, too.

“What about
family?” he asked.

“Dead.”

Ouch.

Melina’s tone offered
no room for discussion. Mac dropped that topic. “Your boss, doll?”

Melina scoffed,
avoiding his stare by glancing out the window. “You have a pretty good idea of
what I do for a living, don’t you?”

“You’re an
escort.”

“Exactly. I’m sure
my boss would love to find out I ended up in jail on solicitation charges. That
would go over just perfectly fine. She probably would have paid my bail the
very first second she could.”

“Nice use of
sarcasm,” Mac noted.

Melina shrugged
like it didn’t make a difference. “It is what it is.”

This girl was so
bitter, it practically radiated off her. Someone or something had done her
terribly wrong and she likely believed everyone else was out to mess her up in
some way, too.

“I think you’ve
been stuck getting fucked over by a lot of different things and instead of
going out and getting something better for yourself, you’ve just been demanding
the wrongs of the world should start doing you right for once. That’s not how
it works,
bella
.”

Melina cocked a
brow as she regarded him again. “Italian, right?”

Mac grinned.
“Yes.”

“Beautiful.”

“
Bellissima
.”

Melina wet her
lips. “The
most
beautiful.”

“Bang on, doll.”

“I don’t expect
the world to hand me anything,” Melina said quietly, “but I haven’t been in the
right place to do anything about what I’ve been given, either. Not lately.”

“You’ll get there.
Give it time.”

If there was
anything Mac knew about life, it was that the damn thing kept moving forward.

“Maybe.”

“About your boss,”
Mac said as he turned the car on and pulled back onto the road.

“What about her?”

“You should know
you won’t be able to go back to that job.”

Melina’s lips
thinned. “Excuse me?”

“Right now, the
cops believe you’re somehow involved with whatever schemes my Capo—”

“Guido Vasari.”

Mac shot her a sly
smile. “So, you do remember some of what you saw on those boards, huh?”

Melina shrugged.
“A bit.”

“Good to know.”

“They’re not
really sure what you are or where you stand, I think.”

Mac chuckled.
“Fuck, girl, me either.”

“Kind of crappy
work, if you don’t even have a title, isn’t it?”

“I’m looking for a
button, not just a title. Any man can have a title—
soldato
,
Capo
,
stolto
.”

Melina’s nose
crinkled in her confusion. “
Stolto
?”

“Fool.”

“Ah.”

“Every man in the
mafia is some other man’s fool. It’s knowing which one you’re willing to be a
fool for and who thinks you’re his. Trust me when I say, knowing the two makes
all the difference.”

“I’ll take your
word for it.”

Mac smiled as he
took a corner smoothly, his Challenger’s wheels not even skipping once on the
wet pavement. “Like I was saying, the cops believe you’re somehow involved with
the Pivetti Cosa Nostra and that your profession as an escort ties into it. By
the way they talked, I think we can safely assume there’s a taskforce that
already had your name pinned down under whoever you’re working for.”

Melina swallowed
hard. “Yeah?”

“Seemed like it.”

“Damn.”

“Don’t worry about
it,” Mac said, seeing the concern flicker in Melina’s hard gaze.

“That’s hard to do
when my one job just became a choice between income and risking jail.”

“I think that’s an
easy choice.”

“It is,” she
muttered, “but it still leaves me screwed.”

“Not really. The
police think you’re with me, anyway, so you’ll be sticking close to me for a
while until their mess blows over. Just to be safe,” Mac added quickly when
Melina opened her mouth with an obvious rebuttal right on the tip of her
tongue. Before she could get in a word edgewise, he continued with, “And they
are not the only ones you have to worry about. The cops should be the very
least of your fucking worries right now, Melina.”

“I beg your
pardon?”

“You caught more
attention the other night than just mine,” Mac admitted.

Melina stiffened
in the seat. “What?”

“My Capo took note
of the fact that the woman who caused a ruckus between two of his guys also
happened to draw the attention of cops outside his club. That doesn’t look good
on Guido and he’s quick to cull any person who draws any sort of attention to
his business, you see. Especially the official side of things. No person in the
mob wants that mess around.”

“But I was just—”

“An innocent
patron enjoying a night out, I know.” Mac sighed, taking another corner sharply
as he said, “I’d already got Vin off your back by making a statement about who
you belonged to. That was for your own good, but the idiot took the info back
to Guido. I kept it going so Guido would leave you alone on the basis that the
cops were just trying to mess around with his guys in a new way. It wouldn’t be
a stretch.”

Melina finally
seemed to take note of where they were as Mac pulled into an underground
parking garage. Throb’s parking garage was empty but for a few vehicles and a
couple of soldiers, who Guido liked to make watch his car when he wasn’t inside
it.

“What are we doing
here?” she asked.

Mac turned the car
off and faced her. “You have to trust me.”

“To do what?”

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“Doll, I’m not
even sure yet.”

“Great,” Melina
mumbled.

Mac drummed his
fingers to the steering wheel. “My boss let me know I should bring my girl
around to properly meet him once I got her out of jail.”

“But I’m not your
girl.”

“But he believes
you are.”

Melina rubbed at
her forehead again. “So what now?”

“Now, you make a
good show for him and make him believe the cops didn’t infect you with a desire
to turn rat. You’ve got no place here, Melina, and trust me when I say you want
Guido to let you go on your merry little way.”

“Will you let me
go on my way after, too?”

“For the most
part,” Mac said. “Once everything is clear with the cops.”

“Is it really that
serious?” she asked quietly.

Because Mac opened
his mouth to make a claim on her just to keep a fool away and Guido decided to
get involved, yeah, it kind of was serious.

“This isn’t a life
for games,” Mac murmured.

“Playing pretend
is a pretty serious game.”

“Good thing you’re
the kind of woman who doesn’t seem to like to lose, doll.”

M
elina couldn’t
believe the difference in Throb
.
Where it had been a wild and crazy
scene when she’d left a couple of nights before, now it was a ghost town. For a
moment, her steps started to falter. Mac stopped walking and looked at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“What if I screw
up?” she asked.

His eyes, usually
so expressive, held not a hint of warmth. “You can’t afford to. Not with a guy
like Guido. Not when it comes to the mob. There are no second chances.”

Melina exhaled
slowly. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

“It’s not meant
to. You should know by now that I’m not one for bullshit. I’m not going to
sugarcoat this shit.”

Melina looked
down.

Mac placed his
finger under her chin, forcing her to stare up at him. “Whatever happens, I’m
right here with you. You’re not in this alone.”

“I’m always alone,
Mac. This time isn’t any different.”

Straightening her
spine, Melina marched away, leaving Mac to catch up with her. It didn’t matter
what he said. If she wanted to make it out of this situation without a bullet
in her head, then she had no one to depend on but herself. Mac’s loyalty was to
his boss, not her. As she opened the door and stepped inside the quiet
establishment, Mac grabbed her arm and whirled her around to face him.

“Listen to me. Now
is not the time for you to go off half-cocked. I know you don’t trust anyone,
but today I’m asking you to trust me. Please, Melina? At least until I get us
out of this.”

She stared at him
hard. His eyes shifted back and forth, watching her intently. Melina felt
unnerved under the force of his gaze.
Get it together, girl.

She nodded. “Okay.”

He offered her a
lazy smile. “Good. Now go in there, and be the ball-breaking doll I know and
like.”

Melina arched a
brow. “And here I thought soft and sweet was your type.”

“Hardly. I like a
woman who can give it as good as she gets it. Keep that in mind.”

Winking at Melina,
he grabbed her hand and walked her through the empty floor and to the right
wall of the club. When he stopped, she waited to see what he would do next. She
could barely believe it when Mac swung the panel open, exposing a staircase
that led up to a hallway shrouded in darkness.

“What in the
hell?”

Mac laughed. “You
aren’t scared, are you?”

“Yes, but I can’t
let that stop me.”

Without a second
thought, Melina took the stairs two at a time up to the hallway. Behind her,
she could barely hear Mac’s footsteps. When his hand slid around her waist, she
tried not to be startled.

“Told you. I’m
right here with you.”

His lips were
pressed to the shell of her ear. She could smell his cologne, and for a minute,
she forgot that she was about to be interrogated by a Cosa Nostra Capo. All she
could think about was their close proximity, and the way it made her body feel.

“Doll, if you
don’t get moving, I’m not going to be responsible for what people might see if
they decide to come out into this hallway.”

Melina shook her
head, offering him a half smile. “You don’t know when to quit, do you?”

“It’s part of my
charm.”

“Charm? Yeah,
right. How much further?”

“Just up and
around the corner. Let me make the introductions and just go with the flow.
Remember, we’re together.”

The hand holding
her waist suddenly felt too warm. Too intimate. Especially with his lips still
brushing her ear.

“I got it.”

His hand slid from
her waist to grip her hand again. Melina allowed him to lead her down the dark
hallway until they reached another door with light filtering out underneath it.
She could hear men’s voices raised in boisterous laughter. She didn’t say a
word as Mac opened the door and ushered her into the room. For a moment, she
was blindsided by the light as they stepped out from the darkness.

When her eyes
finally focused, she surveyed the men in the room. Sitting behind a desk was a
heavyset man with dark eyes. His black hair was thinning on the top. He wore a
bright gold chain that nestled into the wiry hair that was bared beneath the
two buttons left open at the top of his shirt. The dark suit he wore definitely
hadn’t come off the rack. She could spot the expert tailoring a mile away.

Yes, this man was
important. She’d bet her life that he was Mac’s boss.

“Skip, this is
Melina Morgan, my girlfriend.”

“Ah. Mac, you’ve
done well for yourself. She’s a real looker.”

A looker? Who in
the hell still talked like that?
Melina bit the inside of her cheek
to keep from saying anything. Now was not the time for her to let her mouth
write a check she had no way of cashing.

“Thank you, Guido.
Sometimes you luck up and land a good one.”

Mac turned his
eyes on Melina and she saw the softness in them before it was quickly replaced.

“If landing a
prostitute is good, that is.”

Melina’s eyes
focused on the hulking man that stood next to Guido. Visibly corded veins stood
out on his gigantic neck and forearms.
So, Mr. Steroid King wants to talk
shit.
Melina smiled and ignored Mac visibly tensing beside her. When he
made a step to move forward, she placed her hand lightly on his arm, meeting
his gaze briefly, before turning back to the asshole standing in front of her.

“Trust me, a guy
like Mac doesn’t have to pay for it. You, on the other hand … I’m not sure
there’s enough money that makes taking you to bed worth it.”

Guido laughed,
slapping his hand on the desk in front of him. “Damn, Tip. I think this girl
just cut your balls off with that one.”

Tip glowered at
Melina, but she lifted her chin in defiance.

“She has her own
particular charm. It’s one of many reasons being with her is never dull,” Mac
said.

He lifted her hand
to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. As he winked at her, Melina
couldn’t help but smile back. She could do this. There was nothing to worry
about.

Just a bunch of
men, trying to measure who had the biggest cock.

Nothing new.

“I’m not buying
it.”

Mac’s arm slid
around Melina’s waist, and he held her close as he turned his attention to the
man that had been sitting quietly on a chair in the corner. Melina swallowed as
recognition dawned on her face.

Her other dance
partner.

Vincent Carracci.

Enforcer.

“And why is that,
Vin? Because you tried to push up on my girl and got shut down?”

Mac smirked. His
hand drifted casually up and down Melina’s waist in a firm mark of possession.
Deciding to play along, she leaned her head on Mac’s shoulder as they waited
for Vin to respond.

“Hardly. Pretty
girls are a dime a dozen. I just find it suspect that
your girl
tries to
hook up with me and then is taken away by the cops. I don’t believe in
coincidences.”

“Vincent does have
a point. The last thing I need is cops snooping around my business.”

Melina shifted so
that she was facing Guido again.

“Then let me put
your mind at ease. I’m no fan of the cops, and with the business I work in, I
don’t need them focusing on me either.”

Guido lifted his
hands. “But how do I know this? How do I know they didn’t let you go with the
intention to use you as an informant?”

“She’s on the
level, Skip,” Mac said.

“I know you want
to believe that, my boy—especially from the way she looks—but it might be
better for all of us if she wasn’t a part of the picture. If you get my drift.”

Cold fear stabbed
through Melina like a sharp sword. She wasn’t dense. She understood perfectly
what they were saying.

She needed to die.

“Wow. I didn’t
realize the mob was frightened of women. Interesting.”

“We’re not scared
of anything. Least of all a piece of pussy,” Tip said as his face twisted into
a snarl.

“Who said anything
about the mob?” Vin asked, sneering.

Melina’s gaze
flitted to Mac instantly, searching for a direction to go.

“I’ve had about
all the disrespect I’m going to take from you two. I brought Melina here out of
respect to Guido. Now, if either of you would like to keep running your mouth
about my woman, perhaps we need to leave this office and handle it in a
different fashion.”

Mac’s eyes were
hard, like stones. A muscle moved in his neck. She could feel the tension
radiating from his body.

“Is that right,
little man?”

Tip moved from his
spot next to Guido behind the desk, and came around to face Mac. Though Mac was
not a short man by any means, Tip still had a good few inches on him. Melina
opened her mouth to say something when Mac eased her behind him. Against her
better judgement, she kept quiet. Things looked like they were primed to
explode at any minute, and she had no desire to add fuel to the fire.

Mac laughed.
“That’s right, asshole. I protect what’s mine.”

Melina watched the
exchange between the two men, all the while, keeping an eye on Vincent in his
chair. An amused smirk tilted the corners of his mouth. She itched to wipe the
smirk off his face.

“Who’s going to
protect you?” Tip asked.

Everything
happened in a blur. Melina was propelled away from Mac, and had to catch
herself to keep from falling. Mac and Tip locked up and Vincent moved from his
seat. Guido sat, silent and amused, watching the events with nary a word coming
from his lips. Melina’s breath froze painfully in her lungs. She knew that Mac
could handle himself. She’d seen him fight, but that was a different story when
two men were coming for him at the same time.

The sound of
punches landing was sickening. It looked as if Mac might be gaining the upper
hand against Tip, when a blow to his kidneys from Vincent nearly sent him to
his knees. Tip took the chance to envelope Mac in his massive arms in an
attempt to crush his windpipe. Melina’s eyes widened as she noted Mac’s face
turning red. Standing in front of Tip, who was holding him, Vincent kicked Mac
in the stomach.

“Stop!” Melina
yelled.

“Shut up, bitch.
You’ll get yours next,” Tip said.

Pushing herself up
from the floor, Melina’s eyes darted left and right. She had to do something.
They were likely going to kill Mac and then come for her. She wasn’t ready to
die today.

Then she found salvation.

Grabbing the black
nine-millimeter casually tucked into Vincent’s gun holster, she aimed and
fired.

Tip released Mac
and fell to the floor. A bullet hole poured blood from between his eyes. He was
dead before he even hit the floor.

“What the fuck?”
Vin asked, stumbling slightly back from Mac.

He wasn’t far
enough away yet. Melina turned the gun on him. He stared at her, eyes open wide
with shock.

“Back up.” Her
voice shook and she could feel moisture forming on her palms.

Raising his hands
up in the air in surrender, Vincent moved further away from Mac. He took his
position sitting in the chair he’d earlier vacated.

“See. We’re all
good here. Give me the gun, girlie.”

“So you can shoot
me? No. I don’t think so.”

Vin glowered at
her as he sat, but Melina didn’t give a fuck. Keeping one eye on Vincent, she almost
accidently squeezed off another round when the sound of clapping startled her.
Mac stared at her as he rolled his neck and flexed his shoulders. Behind him,
Guido clapped.

“Well, well. Mac,
you’ve really got yourself something with her. I’m fucking impressed.”

“So am I. Every
time I look at her.” Mac’s voice was soft as he breached the distance between
them.