Page 51 of Finding Denver

He nods. “We’re working on that, but it’s hard when most of a restaurant saw a redhead shoot him.”

“But surely they don’t even know I’m in New York?”

He smiles. “Everyone knows you’re here.”

Well, that’s unsettling.

Finn continues, “We’ll deal with it and keep you safe, but we also need to discuss Spider.” My spine stiffens further. “He hasn’t made any direct threats, but he was last spotted just outside the city, and I’m not taking any chances. While you’re here, I’ll keep an eye on you. You’re under my protection until you go home.”

My cheeks warm. “I appreciate that, but I can hire my own men.”

Finn shakes his head. “You’re in my city, which makes you my responsibility.”

Irritation prickles across my skin, but he likely means well, so I wet my lips and keep my voice low, respectful. “With all due respect, the Rosalia isn’t even in your territory.”

“No. It’s in mine,” Colt says.

I look at him. “And I don’t need your men, either.”

Helena chuckles quietly beside me, and Colt looks like he’s fighting a smile, too.

“This isn’t negotiable, Denver,” Finn says, and although he says it gently, it’s the words I focus on. “Why wouldn’t you want to ensure your safety?”

“It isn’t about my safety.”

“Then what is it about?”

“I didn’t leave the control of one man to be placed under the control of another,” I bite back, my temper slithering through my words. Helena flexes her fingers as if she wants to reach for me, but I don’t want pity, especially when it comes to my marriage—or what’s left of it.

Colt says, “Then we’ll go a different route. I can give you the details of a private security firm in the city, one Finn and I trust. Charlie’s a good guy. If you don’t feel it’s a right fit, he can give you other names. How about that?”

It’s pissing me off that he’s being so … reasonable. Which is childish of me, but I can’t shake the overwhelming urge to still refuse. But if my safety is in question, I need the extra help. Lewis can’t protect me against the Italians or Spider, not on his own. We don’t even have many weapons with us.

I nod. “I can accept that.”

“Good. Now that’s agreed, let’s eat,” Helena says.

Once our meals have arrived, the atmosphere relaxes. Helena tells me endless stories about her and my mom, things that have me choking on my pasta and dying to hear more. She tells me about getting into clubs with fake IDs and how my mom once stole a car.

“She didn’t,” I say, my eyes wide, my dessert spoon paused at my lips.

“She did!” Helena has twisted in her chair to face me, her coffee forgotten. “Your grandfather was a moody fucker, and when he heard she was still dating Nico, he took her car, but she’d already made plans to see Nico, so she stole a car to meet him.”

“Didn’t think about ditching it, though,” Finn says. “She parked it, spent the entire day with us, and when we were heading back to the parking lot, the police were there.”

“What happened?”

“They saw a McEwan and a DeLuca. What do you think happened?” Finn asks, and I laugh. “They arrested us and left the girls alone.”

Colt laughs from beside me, and Helena cackles. “Finn had pissed me off that day, so I wasn’t exactly sad to see him go.”

“I was notflirtingwith the Tilt-A-Whirl girl,” he insists.

“You don’t need to flirt! You give them the eyes and they know what it means!” she hisses at him.

The afternoon is strangely normal. But despite how much I laugh, and the stories that make my cheeks hurt from smiling, there’s a small, furious voice at the back of my mind that tells me I’m betraying Ranger.

But didn’t he lie? He told me Finn never offered a hand,but Colt said otherwise. Ranger’s pride stood between him and accepting help, not Finn’s heartlessness.