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Holy shit!

He pulls himself back up and slams the door shut. “Good girl.” The enemy car crashes into the concrete divider as we pull away unscathed.

“Dude!”My mouth hangs open in a disbelieving smile, watching the smoking car shrink in the distance. We’re actually going to survive this. I exhale in disbelief, one hand on my chest. That heat I felt when Trino descended the J. Witt steps…woo,it returns tenfold.

He looks so freakin’ hot reloading his pistol when he just outmaneuvered two hitmen – all to save me.

A very small, wet part of me wants to jump his bones, let him put his fingers wherever he wants this time.

Then, as if someone’s playing with the dial of my emotions, reality dawns on me. If imports are after me… if the entire mafia wants me in their custody…

My life is over.

The horny adrenaline quickly wears down, and tears well up to take its place.

Partner track by twenty-eight. Partner by thirty. Making a real difference by thirty-one. Find a nice man when I’m a heroine of the planet, and have Dad walk me down the aisle. And when my special day is over, I get to sail the sunset looking formore oil-spillers to put away, with a newborn on each breast. Yes. I wanted twins!

I burst into tears, using my hands to cover my face.

“The fuck?” Trino frowns, disgusted at me.

“I—”

“What?” he growls.

“I wanted to save the world!” Word vomit comes out of me like a spewing volcano. I don’t know why. And I sure as hell can’t control it. So there it is.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Trino shakes his head. “Pop, you’re a real asshole, you know that?” He looks at the roof of the car.

“Shut up!”I slap his arm. My ugly cry is in full force – I can tell by the disgust on his face. “I know!”

“You know what? I didn’t say anything.” He inches away from me.

“I know how I look when I cry!”

“It’s pretty awful,” he growls.

“Ahh!”I turn away.

“I don’t know what you’re crying about. I’m the one who lost a Supra.”

Chapter 9

Tristano

This woman is a handful.

I run a hand through my hair while watching my beautiful car get stripped in a grungy garage. Drives me crazy that I had to call my cousin Castor from our Queens crew to fix this. The prick is richer than God, and contacting him means a point against me in our rivalry.

Standing there on hold, eyeing Capri sitting in a waiting room chair with her legs pulled to her chest, makes me feel like I have a fucking prisoner. Now what am I supposed to do with her? I can’t send her to work anymore. And Jesus, dragging such a prissy thing into my businesses would be like bringing fresh chum to a shark tank.

“Knots. Ace tells me you’re in need of a car?”Castor’s voice comes through on the other end.

“Yeah.”

“Must be a dire situation if you’re ringing me. Everything alright?”

“It’s on a need to know, Bull.” I call him by his street name since he gave me the same disrespect. He’s Castor – Bullion – DeMatteo. Known for his gold pawn shop empire and for taking some heavy business risks.