Page 8 of The Mobster’s Daughter (Massachusetts Mafia #2)

Caitlin

C aitlin sat on the couch where Grady had dumped her, staring at the bathroom door.

She waited a few minutes, but when he didn’t come out, she got to her feet, went into the bedroom, and quietly closed the door.

The room was half the size of the living room and boring as hell.

Obviously, no thought had gone into decorating it.

The head of the four-poster, full-sized bed was shoved up against one wall with matching end tables on either side.

The room’s walls were white, the carpet was an ugly beige, and the lamps were black with cream-colored shades.

Sage green curtains covered the one window in the room.

On the bed were clean bed sheets and a pile of blankets. Caitlin quickly made it, crawled in, laid on her back, and pulled the blankets up to her chin. Maybe she could fall asleep and stop thinking about what happened in her apartment.

That didn’t happen. As soon as her eyes slipped shut, the sound of a gunshot echoed in her ears, and she saw the blood splattered all over the floor, the furniture, the carpet, and Bobby’s empty eyes staring at the ceiling, with blood pooled under him. The coppery scent still filled her head.

Caitlin sat up, pressed the blanket against her mouth to muffle her sobs, and let the tears fall. Aside from her breakdown in the alley, she’d done her best to hold them back. Now she let loose, crying until her chest and head hurt, and her nose was so plugged with snot she couldn’ t breathe.

Once the tears tapered off, she closed her eyes, hoping she could sleep.

She tossed and turned, still fighting the horrific images in her head.

After a few minutes, she gave up, sat up, and ran her hand through her hair.

Sleep wasn’t happening anytime soon, if at all. She got out of bed and opened the door.

Grady was on the couch with a bottle of water in his hand. He glanced over at her when she came out and grimaced. Not exactly the reception she’d hoped for from the man she’d had a crush on for the last two years.

“I thought you’d be asleep,” he said without looki ng at her.

“I can’t fall asleep,” Caitlin mumbled. “I can’t stop thinking about what happened.

” She eased into the chair across from him, pulled her knees up, and wrapped her arms around them.

What she really wanted to do was sit beside Grady so he could put his arms around her and comfort her.

She stared at him for almost a full minute, willing him to call her over, but he ignored her.

Apparently, it was up to her to break th e silence.

She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly before she spoke. “So, now what?”

“What do you mean, now what?” he grumbled.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “I mean, do we just hang out here and wait?”

He nodded. “Yep, that is exactly what we are going to do. At least until I hear from you r father.”

She looked around the small cabin, then back at Grady. “So, this is it? A great room, a bedroom, and a bathroom?”

“Yes.”

Why did Grady have to be a man of few words? Getting information out of him was like pulling teeth out of a rabid lion. She took a deep breath and reminded herself not to roll her eyes. “It’s kind of close quarters, don’t y ou think?”

Grady shrugged, but he didn’t a nswer her.

Caitlin sighed. “The two of us stuck in one room for God knows how long? You don’t think that’s a recipe for disaster?”

“No,” h e replied.

Of course he didn’t. It probably didn’t faze him at all, while she felt like she was going to crawl out of her skin. She crossed her arms over her chest and glare d at him.

“Jesus Christ, you’re frustrating,” sh e mumbled.

Grady opened his eyes and smirked at her. “Now you know how I feel when I’m with you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” she retorted.

“You’re not the easiest person to get along with, Caitlin,” he explained. “You take frustrating to a whole n ew level.”

“Whatever,” she muttered. She looked around the room, a thought dawning on her as she took in their accommodations. “Hey, where are you going to sleep?”

He pointed at the couch as he got to his feet. “Right here, on th e couch.”

“That doesn’t sound very comfortable,” Cai tlin said.

“I’m not concerned about comfort,” he snapped. “I’m worried about protec ting you.”

She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. Did he have to sound like keeping her safe was such a chore? It wasn’t her fault her ex-boyfriend had been murdered in her apartment.

She clenched her fists in her lap and did her best not to scream. This conversation was not going as she’d hoped. “Don’t you … don’t you think we’ll drive each other crazy?” she asked.

Grady shook his head. “No, I think we can stay out of each other’s way for a few days.”

Fat chance of that happening, especially in such close quarters.

“Does the TV work?” she asked as he walked past her.

Grady stopped, glanced at the television, then back at her. “I think so. It’s satellite. The remote is in the drawer of the coff ee table.”

“Okay,” she said, though she didn’t move. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. The raw anger running through his body made him even sexier than usual. It was like a fire burned in his eyes, and she couldn’t look away.

He ran a hand through his gray hair and stared at the ceiling for a full thirty seconds before he asked, “Are yo u hungry?”

“Yes,” she murmured.

“I’ll make us some food, ” he said.

After Grady went into the kitchen, Caitlin got up and opened the drawer on the coffee table. The remote was there, next to a handgun. She took out the remote, sat down, and scrolled through the channels, looking for something mindless to watch. She settled on reruns o f Friends .

It wasn’t long before the smell of eggs and toast wafted her way, making her salivate.

She got to her feet and went to the kitchen.

There was a plate on the table, along with a full glass of orange juice.

Grady sat on the other side of the table, shoveling food into his mouth. He didn’t even glan ce at her.

Caitlin eased into the chair across from him and picked up her fork.

She was hungry, but she didn’t realize how much until the first bite of food hit her tongue.

Hunger took over. She polished off everything on the plate, plus two more pieces of toast and two glasses of orange juice.

She stifled a burp with the back of her hand.

When she was done, Caitlin got up, gathered their dirty dishes, and took them to the sink. She filled it with hot, soapy water and washed everything. After she finished, she turned around and leaned against the counter. Grady was still at the table, wat ching her.

“What?”

“I didn’t know you could do dishes,” he said wit h a smirk.

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “I know how to clean. I’m not helpless.”

“I didn’t say you were,” he replied. “But I’ve never seen you clean, well, anything.”

She flipped him off, pivoted, and went into the living room.

As she walked, she yanked her hair out of the bun and put the ponytail holder on her wrist. Caitlin considered sitting on the chair and watching TV, but instead she went into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her.

She climbed into bed and immediately fe ll asleep.

Caitlin awoke to a dark room. She sat up, groggy, confused, and unsure what time it was.

For a second, the thought flitted through her head that maybe everything that happened had been a dream.

A horrible, impossible dream. But then she heard Grady talking in the other room and realized it was all real.

She got out of bed and opened the door. He wasn’t in the living room, though she could still hear his voice. Caitlin glanced into the kitchen and saw him leaning against the counter with his cell phone pressed to his ear. She slipped into the bathroom and quietly shut the door.

She washed her face and hands, then she brushed her teeth.

Her hair stood up all over her head like she’d slept standing on it, so Caitlin pulled it up into the bun like she’d had it earlier.

She didn’t know what time it was or how long she’d been asleep; everything was upside down.

A knock on the door made her jump a nd squeal.

“Caitlin? Are y ou okay?”

It was Grady, of course. It wouldn’t be an yone else.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her heart was in her throat, but she was fine.

“I need to talk to you, ” he said.

“Okay, give me a minute,” she yelled. She looked in the mirror one more time, but there was nothing she could do to combat the puffy eyes or her pale, washed-out face.

Not that it mattered. She could look like a runway-ready supermodel, and Grady wouldn’t blink twice in her direction.

She was his boss’s daughter. Shit, she was the mob boss’s daughter. The mobster’s daughter. O ff-limits.

With a sigh, Caitlin yanked open the door and saw Grady was on the couch. She crossed the room and dropped into the chair. “What ti me is it?”

“Almost seven. You slept most of the day away. Do you want somethin g to eat?”

She shook her head. “No. You wanted to talk to me? W hat’s up?”

“I spoke to your father, ” he said.

“Great,” she muttered. “And what did dear old Dad hav e to say?”

He snarled. “Knock it off, Caitlin.”

She crossed her arms and stared at the floor. He was right, of course. She had a tendency to treat her father unfairly. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “What di d he say?”

Grady sighed. “He wants us to stay here until further notice. He’s setting up a meeting with Moretti.”

Her head came up. “What? Why is my father going to talk to the man who thinks I killed his son? What if something happen s to him?”

“Your father has people to protect him,” he said. “He’s trying to protect you by meeting with Moretti.”

Caitlin exhaled. “Okay. So, how long do we have to stay here?” she asked.

“Why?” Grady grumbled. “Are you eager to get back to your blood-splattered a partment?”

He might as well have punched her in the chest. “That’s not fair,” she whispered.

He sat forward, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together tightly. “I know it isn’t fair. But I don’t think you understand the severity of this situation. Your life is i n danger.”

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “I know.”

He growled in frustration and jumped to his feet. “God damn it. Quit rolling your fucking eyes. I swear to God, you are so damn immature sometimes. This shit is for real; this isn’t a game. Someone wants you dead. Dead . Do you understand what I’ m saying?”

“Of course I understand,” she retorted. “I’m not stupid.

I am scared. Shit, I’m not just scared; I’m terrified, Grady.

I know you think I’m not taking this seriously, but how the hell could I not?

I’m in a cabin in the middle of the woods with a man who can barely tolerate being in the same room as me.

I’m scared, lonely, and I want to go home.

Not home as in my apartment, but home . With Mom and Dad and Olivia.

I want all of this to be over so I can move on with my goddamn life.

And the last thing I need is a fucking lecture from you.

Please stop treating me like I’m some insolent brat and treat me with a little respect. ”

“Then stop acting like an insolent brat,” Grady countered. He grabbed his gun from the table, tucked it into his waistband, then he stormed past Caitlin and out the back door.

“Fuck,” she muttered. She pushed a hand through her hair, swung around, and went back into th e bedroom.