Risking it All (22 page)

drove back toward Bensonhurst, reality

intruding with every mile, he wanted to

whip the car around and go back to

Coney Island. He wanted to stay there in

the sunshine with Sera playing stupid

games and riding kiddie rides they were

way too old to ride. For this one too-

brief day, he’d been someone else.

Someone better. But as soon as the

streets became familiar again, passing

along the outside of his window, he

turned back into his father, heir to the

criminal throne. A throne of garbage and

barbed wire. One he didn’t want, but

didn’t know how to separate from.

As they pulled up in front of his

building, his cell phone buzzed in the

cupholder. He checked the screen and

cursed. Wayne. The last person he

wanted to talk to with Sera sitting beside

him, head lolling against the seat

drowsily. Trusting him to get her home

safe. All day long, they’d been a normal

couple, but answering this call would

end that with a quickness. Still, Wayne

never let himself be avoided for long,

and speaking to him over the phone was

better than in person.

He pressed the talk button with a sigh.

“Yeah?”

Loud music and voices greeted him

before the older man spoke. “Now, that

ain’t no way to answer the phone.”

Bowen ignored the pinch of irritation.

He’d stopped taking Wayne’s bullshit

last time they spoke, and he couldn’t take

a step back now. “Hell, I probably use

the wrong fork in restaurants, too,

Wayne. Is this a fucking etiquette lesson?

I’m busy.”

An extended silence passed. “Busy

doing what?”

“Practicing my origami.” He closed

his

eyes

when

Sera

shifted

uncomfortably in the passenger seat, the

perfect ease between them ruined.

“What’s it to you?”

Wayne’s humorous chuckle reached

down the phone, sounding like a

warning. “I’m down at Marco’s with

some of the boys. You’ve got to show

your face once in a while, kid. They

need a leader. When they don’t have

one, they get restless and start acting on

their own. You know what I’m saying?”

Bowen knew all too well what Wayne

meant. The local guys who’d first been

employed by his father, and now him,

needed babysitting around the clock.

They didn’t have jobs to keep them

occupied, and spending time with their

families didn’t exactly appear to be a

priority. No, they weren’t the type to sit

tight and wait for a call about a job.

They felt the constant need to prove

themselves. Bowen was ashamed to

admit he might have felt that at one time

in his life, when he’d been too young to

know better. Not now.

He had two options. Leave Sera here

and hope Connor wasn’t watching,

waiting for Bowen to leave her alone so

he could potentially carry out Hogan’s

orders. Or he could bring her along with

him to Marco’s.

Fuck, he hated either option.

Painfully aware of Wayne waiting on

the line, he looked over at Sera. She

gave him a steady half smile that

warmed him immediately. Dammit, he

couldn’t leave her alone. The entire time

he was gone, he’d be going out of his

mind worrying about her. Worried he

might come home and find her hurt. Or

worse.

No, that wouldn’t work.

“Be there in a while,” he snapped into

the phone, hanging it up before Wayne

could reply. Sera laid her hand on top of

his and it suddenly occurred to him she

would want this. If given the choice, she

would want to come tonight and absorb

as much as she could. About him, his

associates.

“Bowen?” Her soft voice soothed him

even in the midst of his chaotic thoughts.

“What’s wrong?”

He stared out the windshield. “Will

you go somewhere with me?”

“Is it going to be as fun as the beach?”

“No, Ladybug.”

She nodded, as if she’d already known

the answer. “Yeah, I’ll go.”

They drove in silence the ten blocks to

Marco’s and he parked in his usual spot.

Without asking her, she waited until he

came around to the passenger door to

help her out. Sera was smart. She had to

know the kind of danger she was in. Not

for the first time, he wished he hadn’t

agreed to keep his involvement from her.

He hated having anything between them.

With a few words, he could ensure she

trusted him without question. The relief

that would bring was tempting as hell,

especially when they were walking into

the dragon’s den.

But the commissioner’s words echoed

in his head.
She’s got nothing to lose.

No care for her own well-being.
Bowen

didn’t necessarily believe she’d be

reckless, but the horror of Sera being in

danger kept the truth sealed tight.

Anything to keep her from being hurt.

He took her hand and led her into

dark, boisterous Marco’s. The place had

been a restaurant at one time, with a

connected

lounge

and

bar

area.

Residents of the neighborhood who had

been patronizing the eatery since they

were children had stopped coming in for

dinner eventually, turned off by the rough

crowd that now frequented the bar and

lounge. If a night went by where a fight

didn’t break out, the owners chalked it

up to a full moon. At one time, before

he’d even reached the legal drinking age,

he’d been the instigator of most of those

fights.

Several men puffed on lit cigarettes

and cigars at the bar, clearly not giving a

fuck about the law. Why would they

when they broke more serious ones on a

weekly basis? The smoke hanging in the

air, the vile words being shouted, they

never usually fazed him. With Sera

walking beside him, holding his hand,

they made him sick. These disgusting

people would infect her. Hell, he would,

too. Wasn’t he the reason she was here

tonight in the first place?

Heads turned at their entrance;

conversations quieted. The reaction he

typically received, but tonight it was

more out of curiosity than respect. They

were looking at Sera. Not blatantly

checking her out—they knew better than

that. He knew what they were thinking,

though. Since when does Bowen Driscol

walk into Marco’s holding some girl’s

hand? Since when does he
begin
the

night with a chick, instead of his usual

process of picking one to leave with?

“Bowen.” A hand slapped down on

his shoulder. The gold ring winking up at

him would have told him it was Wayne

if the voice hadn’t tipped him off.

Automatically, he jerked Sera into his

side, mentally cursing when Wayne

raised an eyebrow at the action. “You

going to introduce me?”

Sera reached out to shake his hand.

“I’m Sera.”

Bowen’s skin crawled as Wayne

wrapped his hand around hers. “Not

your usual type, is she, kid?”

“Is there a reason you’re talking about

her like she’s not standing there?”

“I was getting to it,” Wayne returned

smoothly. “Where do you come from,

Sera?”

“Lancaster,

Pennsylvania,”

she

answered casually. “Moved here a few

months back.”

He appeared to weigh her answer.

“Can’t say I don’t find it odd that you

chose this section of Brooklyn to

relocate.” His eye twitched. “But who

am I to judge?”

Bowen’s jaw felt ready to shatter. “I

was wondering the same thing.”

Wayne ignored him. “It’s a pleasure,

young lady. Sort of feels like we already

know each other. After all, I’ve held

your panties in my hand.”

A blast of pure rage catapulted

through Bowen’s body. Knowing every

eye in the room was trained on him, he

repositioned his body so only Wayne

could see his face. “This is your last

warning, old man. If you disrespect her

again, I’ll forget all about your

relationship with my father. To be

honest, my memory is already pretty

goddamn foggy. Watch. Yourself.”

Irritation

flared

in

Wayne’s

expression. “Feels like I’m having déjà

vu. I remember when your whore mother

showed up and Lenny went soft. Took

years to pull his head out of his ass. By

then, we had to start from fucking

scratch. All over some pussy,” he spat.

It didn’t matter Bowen had a non-

relationship with his mother—the insult

made him livid. Worse, it had been an

implied insult toward Sera. His hands

curled into fists and his vision dulled

with red haze. Somewhere in the back of

his mind, he knew Wayne was provoking

him on purpose, though. Why? The wild

card was the only thing holding him

back. No chances. He couldn’t take any

chances when he had Sera with him.

Instead, he concentrated on the feeling of

her fingers twining with his, the way she

squeezed him as if she knew what an

effort it cost him not to go for Wayne’s

throat.

“Did you call me down here to relive

your glory days? I’m not feeling all that

nostalgic.”

Wayne

looked

surprised

over

Bowen’s restraint. “No, actually. We got

something to discuss. Privately.”

“Not happening tonight.”

“S’gotta be tonight.” His lips curled

into a smile as he glanced at Sera. “You

don’t mind. Do you, sweet thing?”

Calm down. He wants you to snap.

Wants to remind you who you are, that

you’ll never be normal. That you’ll

never be anything but a violent temper

on legs.
With Sera beside him, though,

he felt like more than that. He was her

protector. Still, if he blew Wayne off

now, it would come back to bite him in

the ass. With everyone watching their

every move, he couldn’t blow off

business for a girl. Word would spread

he’d gone soft and it would only be a

matter of time before someone tried to

create a new job opportunity for himself

by eliminating the competition. Him.

Bowen leaned down to talk in Sera’s

ear. “Can you sit at the bar for a few

minutes? I won’t be long.”

She nodded, reassurance in her brown

eyes. “I’ll be fine. Go ahead.”

“Great.” Wayne snorted. “Now we’ve

got permission.”

Ignoring the comment, Bowen led Sera

to the bar and boosted her onto a seat.

The bartender came over immediately. A

dirty martini. It had to be the last drink

he would expect her to order, but that

contradiction somehow made complete

sense. An angel sitting at a bar full of

scum, trying to blend in. God, he wanted

to take her home.

“Don’t go anywhere, okay? No one

will bother you if you stay put.”

She traced a circle on the bar. “Why

won’t they bother me?”

Why was she asking when she already

knew? Did she need to be reassured or

was she asking because she wasn’t

supposed to know? “They’ve seen you

with me. They know what will happen if

I come back and someone has made the

mistake of talking to you.”

“Just someone talking to me would

bother you?”

“Sera, I’m wishing they were all

fucking blind right now.” Underneath the

bar, he laid a hand on her bare knee. “If I

didn’t think seeing the sexy way you kiss

would interest them more, I would take

your mouth right now. I’d fuck it with

mine, to remind them who you’re with.”

He grazed her ear with his stubbled

cheek. “But once they see the way that

mouth moves, I’ll have to fight them off,

won’t I, baby?”

He watched the pulse flutter at her

neck. “No fighting, please. Not for me.”

Bowen pulled back to study her

adamant expression. She didn’t like the