“So I was young, I had just taken the position of enforcer with Sergio. I was training under one of his men. Traveling with him to other places, making sure that smaller divisions were following the rules and that other families didn’t have any problems. It was a position of honor.”
He took a deep breath, and she took his free hand. Letting her thumb rub back and forth along the scars across his knuckles. She bent her head and kissed them, before laying her head back on his shoulder. A spot that she was quickly coming to realize was her comfort spot.
He turned his head kissing her hair and she sighed, peace settling around her. Filling the cab of the truck.
“So we were headed out to a hit and we got pulled over. Just a stupid taillight, but the driver mouthed off to the cops. Stupid.” He shook his head slightly. “Sergio and I were sitting in the back of the car, and the cops made us all get out. When we went to get out, I knew Sergio was carrying so I took his gun and put it in my holster. I knew the cops would find it, but it was better me than Sergio. But it was a runner gun.”
“A what?”
“A runner gun. It’s a ghost gun that others have used and then dumped. The next person uses it then tosses it. It makes it really hard for the cops to pin down something on a person, if they have alibis for half the things the gun was used for.”
“Oh okay. That’s really smart.”
“Christ,” he muttered.
“What?” She twisted to look up at him.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this shit.” His brow furrowed, and she let her thumb go back to rubbing circles against his knuckles.
“Why? I wanted to know.”
“I don’t want you tainted with this crap.”
“Well, that’s too bad. You’re my Mark. If it has something to do with you, then I want to know.” She sat up straight, and lifted her chin.
“Your Mark?” he asked softly in a tone that she couldn’t decipher as he glanced at her.
“Yes. You’re my Mark.” It took everything in her to not back down from the intensity of his gaze. What seemed like minutes later, but was only seconds, he turned his eyes back to the road.
“Christ,” he muttered again, shaking his head slightly, a look on his face.
She laid her head back on his shoulder, soaking in his heat.
“So, you got caught with a gun?” She nudged him to finish his story.
“Um …” He cleared his throat, and grasped her hand with his again. “Um, yes. So anyways. It was a first offense, but I got some hot shot new judge that was trying to make a name for himself about coming down tough on crime. So even with Sergio’s lawyers backing me, I still got six months.”
“God.” She shuddered. Couldn’t even imagine her Mark in a place like that.
“It wasn’t too bad. I obviously had connections on the inside. But yeah, it was six months of my life that was wasted. But I would have done it again for Sergio.”
“Do you miss them?”
“Sergio?”
“No. Well yes. But I meant Dominic and everyone. I hate that you gave it all up for me.” He was silent for a moment.
The longer he didn’t say anything the longer she worried that he was regretting taking her to meet them.
“I don’t regret anything,” he replied, as if he knew her own thoughts. “I would do it all again. But I miss the way we used to act. Like we were a family. Hasn’t been that way in a long while though. Long before you came along.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Dominic has Alice. Rick has Christine. They both had trouble and I was there. I don’t even know what he was on about, but I know that it wasn’t a two-way street when I needed it.” His hand left hers to run through his hair.
“Anyways, I’m done with this. Okay, little bird?” He spoke in an easy way as if the topic was an everyday occurrence, but she could feel the tension in his body.
So she let it go.
