Gun Moll (11 page)

Inside, Melina
could feel herself shaking, but she held the gun firm and refused to lower it.
Mac’s hand wrapped around hers and he eased the weapon from her grasp. He
nodded as if saying that everything was all right. She wanted to melt into his
arms, but she couldn’t. No matter what Mac was signaling, Melina wouldn’t be at
ease until she was out of this office.

“So, maybe she’s
not a rat,” Vin finally muttered.

“At this point,
I’m thinking not … Besides she did just kill a man,” Guido said. “As worthless
as that man was to me.”

“He was going to
kill Mac. I did what I had to,” Melina said, her throat thick and tight.

“Mac was never in
any real danger, sweetheart. I’ve seen him get out of worse situations than
this little tussle you witnessed.”

Melina raised an
eyebrow. “So what are you saying? You set me up?”

Her eyes shifted
briefly to Mac before they went back to his boss.

“Not
intentionally. I planned on testing you to see if you were a rat, but I had no
idea Tip would fly off the handle like he did, providing me an even better
chance. Thank you for getting rid of him, by the way. You saved me the
trouble.”

For the first time,
it dawned on Melina that she’d just killed someone. She’d taken a life without
a second thought. The weight of that reality hit her like a freight train. She
sagged against Mac, who held her tight. His lips pressed against her temple in
a soft kiss.

“If there’s
nothing else, Melina and I are going to go.”

“I don’t blame
you, Mac. I’d be eager to get your little gunslinger home and underneath me as
soon as possible, too, if I were you.”

Melina’s teeth
gritted as Mac held her. Guido was a chauvinistic pig and she hoped she never
had to see him again.

“We’ll see you
later, Guido,” Mac said.

Gently, Mac turned
Melina towards the door. He placed the gun she’d taken from Vin into the
waistband of his pants. Opening the door, he allowed her to step out first, but
he paused at the threshold.

“Vin, I’m sure
you’ll understand me not giving this back to you. I think by all rights it
belongs to Melina now. Later.”

He closed the door
securely behind them. Melina’s knees shook as she descended the stairs. Mac’s
hand remained at the small of her back. “Melina?”

“Yes?”

Behind her Mac
blew a loud breath. “Have you ever heard of a gun moll?”

“A
re you hungry?”

Melina continued
to stare at her clenched hands in her lap, like she hadn’t heard Mac’s
question. She had been like that ever since they departed from the club. Mac
didn’t need to ask why, he knew.

Killing somebody
was a killer.

It was even harder
to deal with when those around you didn’t act like you had done anything wrong.
Or worse, when they gave you the impression you had done something good and
right.

Killing was
killing, to Mac. It was just another part of the Cosa Nostra life he’d chose.
Melina, however, hadn’t chosen it.

It bothered him
that she was struggling. Mac wasn’t a fucking machine, despite what his Capo
liked to think about his
soldato
. He had feelings and right then, they
were thoroughly tangled up in the beautiful woman in his passenger seat with
nothing to say. She didn’t have to say anything. Her emotions might as well
have been bleeding out on her sleeve.

“Melina,” Mac
said, willing away the thickness in his voice.

Finally, she
glanced up at him. “Yeah?”

“Are you hungry,
doll?”

Mac expected a
retort from Melina for the pet name, but she surprised him.

“Not really,”
Melina said.

“That’s too bad.”

“Why?”

“Because I know
jail food is garbage, and you probably haven’t eaten all day. It’s almost six,
so you have got to be starving inside. Just because you don’t feel like eating
doesn’t mean you’re not hungry, Melina.” Mac waved at the building he’d parked
in front of and added, “We’re already at one of the best places in the Kitchen.
Let me buy you a meal, get you warm again, and see if your bark comes back.”

Melina passed the
restaurant a look that said she was just realizing Mac had parked the car. “If
the bark comes back, so does the bite.”

“I look forward to
it, doll.”

With that, Mac got
out of the car. He was around the front and at the passenger side before Melina
had even gathered her purse. Opening her door, he offered his hand to her.

She stared at it
warily.

“What are you?”
she asked.

Mac laughed.
“Pardon?”

“You, what are
you? You’re giving me whiplash. You’re cocky as shit, you fight like a pro,
you’ve got affiliations to the mob, and a dirty mouth. Yet, I’ve seen you take
your sister out, you came to get me out of jail when someone else wouldn’t have
done it, and you open a woman’s door. What are
you
?”

“The man my mother
raised,” Mac said quietly.

Melina blinked at
that answer. “Oh.”

“You forgot a few
other things, doll.”

“Like what?”

“I also like good
food, a hard fuck, and a Sunday morning prayer.”

Melina’s lips
popped open, but nothing came out.

“Hungry?” he
asked.

“Yes.”

“You don’t sound
so sure.”

Melina took his
hand he was still holding out. “I’m not sure of anything.”

Mac chuckled.
“Because of me?”

“Don’t flatter
yourself.”

“Too late.”

“Why do you keep
staring at me like that?” Melina asked.

Mac twisted his
fork around in the spaghetti pasta and kept one eye on Melina all the while.
“You’ve got me curious, doll.”

“You’re never
going to drop that, are you?”

“No. I like it.”

Melina pursed her
lips. “Fantastic.”

“About you,
though, you’ve made me wonder.”

“Wonder, what?”

“If all your tough
act is just a show,” Mac murmured. “Deep down, you’re bothered about what you
did in that office. You’re playing with your food and distracted by the people.
You keep looking over your shoulder and sometimes, you just stare at the wall.
All that bravado you had is … gone.”

Melina cocked a
brow and squared her shoulders. “It wasn’t bravado. Fear makes you do strange
things sometimes.”

“Yes it does. Will
talking help?”

Mac would let her
chat it out if she needed.

“No,” Melina said
simply, “it won’t.”

“Okay.” Mac tossed
her another look, noting the fire returning in her eyes. “Are you pissed at me
for something?”

“Maybe. I haven’t
decided yet.”

“It helps if a man
knows what he’s done, doll.” Mac chuckled, saying, “And the doll thing doesn’t
count, because you always turn stiff in the collar over that.”

“No, not that nonsense.
You led me on in that office, Mac.”

Mac straightened
in his chair. “I did not.”

“You did. You
could have gotten out of their hold, and I never would have …” Melina’s gaze
swept the neighboring tables before her voice lowered. “I never would have done
what I did. It was unnecessary and you know it.”

“I don’t know
anything of the sort. What I do know, however, is that two men were on me, I
couldn’t breathe, and you were scared. You were frightened enough that you felt
you had no other choice than to turn a gun on someone. You made that choice and
it was the right one for you at the time.”

“And you?” she
asked softly. “Was it the right choice for you?”

“As long as I make
it out alive, it is always the right choice.”

Melina sunk into
her chair. “None of that makes me feel better.”

“The mafia will do
that to you. Nothing about it feels particularly good, but once you step into
it, there’s no getting out and you’re in it for life. Then, it’s all about
making it work and doing so carefully.”

“I don’t
understand.”

Mac shrugged. “I
know.”

“What is it you do
exactly?”

“Whatever Guido
needs me to do,” Mac replied before shoving a bite of pasta into his mouth.

“So, there’s no
normal nine-to-five.”

Mac swallowed his
food before saying, “No. I do anything from managing a few men, running a
scheme on something, keeping care of his rackets with the construction
companies, or even being a middle man between Guido and his guys for … other
things.”

“Like what?”

“You ask a lot of
questions.”

Melina smiled
coldly. “You could answer some.”

“I’ve already said
enough. Do with it what you will,” Mac said quietly.

“Basically, you
make money.”

“Try to, yes.”

“For Guido.”

“For the family,”
Mac corrected. “Guido is just the Capo I work under. He, like everyone else in
this business, still has someone he has to answer to.”

“And who is that?”

Mac sighed
heavily. “Too many questions.”

“Is it Luca
Pivetti?” Melina asked.

“Could be.”

“He’s the boss for
the family you work with, right?” Melina tapped her nails on the table. “Inside
the room where the detectives took me, his picture was there with his title
under it. Luca is the boss, that’s what it said.”

Mac leaned back in
his chair, smiling at his companion. “You know, there are rules for this sort
of thing, doll.”

“Oh?”

“Yes.”

“Do tell,” Melina
said.

“The most
important one is that we never talk about business in public.”

Melina’s mouth
snapped shut.

Mac winked. “I
appreciate it.”

He went back to
eating without another word. Melina pushed around the food on her plate in
silence, too. After a few minutes passed, she glanced up at him with a bright
curiosity burning.

“What now?” Mac
asked.

“Will you ever
tell me more about it?”

Melina had earned
her stripes, as far as Mac was concerned. She had killed a man for him. The
woman was golden. She wasn’t out to hurt him or get him messed up with the
officials. But that didn’t mean she was ready for what his life entailed.

He didn’t know
that much about her.

Not enough for
that, anyway.

“Maybe,” Mac
finally said.

Melina laughed
under her breath. “Well, I guess we won’t have to worry about it.”

“Why is that?”

“After today, we
part ways. Right? We just had to convince—”

“Doll,” Mac said,
interrupting her before she could say anymore, “… things might change after
everything that happened. It might not be as easy as saying goodbye and going
on our merry little ways.”

Melina dropped her
gaze. “Why not?”

Mac passed a look
over her shoulder. “For one thing, because you took out a Pivetti enforcer and
others might not take it as well as Guido did.”

“And for two?”

“For two, there
are a couple of Guido’s guys sitting three tables behind us. They came in about
ten minutes after we did. They ordered coffee, sandwiches, and nothing else.
They followed us from the club. Chances are, they’re going to keep following
us.”

Melina shot an
inconspicuous look behind her and asked, “Should we be worried?”

“No,” Mac said,
scoffing. “Guido likely wants a report from them to confirm what he believes
and to make sure I’m on the up and up with it all.”

“But what does he
believe, Mac?”

“That you’re my
girl, Melina.”

“I knew that. I
just wanted to be sure.”

“Mmm,” Mac hummed.
“How do you feel about dancing?”

Melina’s eyes
widened. “You’re joking, right?”

“No. It seems
we’re expected to give our new babysitters a show. As it is, you’ve barely
touched your food and I’m finished. Dinner typically follows a date. You like
to dance, if the other night is any indication. I would like for you to go
dancing with me.”

“With you.”

“Yes,” Mac said,
flashing his signature smile.

“A date.”

“You’ve already
let me take you out to dinner, doll.”

Melina’s shoulders
stiffened. “On one condition.”

“What is that?”
Mac asked as he pulled out a few bills to leave on the table and pay for their
food.

“You drop that
word.”

“Not a chance.”

Melina gaped at
him like she couldn’t believe him. Mac simply grinned back at her as he stood
from the table, moved around the side, and held out his hand. Melina stared at
it, hesitance weighing her pretty features down.

“I know you’re
going to go with me,” Mac said.

Melina’s gaze
snapped up to his. “You don’t know anything.”

“Yes, I do. You
see, you might like to be the queen bitch in the room, but I get the feeling
that somewhere inside you, there’s a woman who would die to have an assertive
man take control.”