I couldn’t let myself get distracted, and kissing Piper was the ultimate distraction. After the kiss, I went into my room to prep my weapon, but mostly to get my head right. I was going into a dangerous situation and I couldn’t have Piper on my mind. I needed to be sharp, or else risk my life and hers.

I sat in my car at a quarter to ten across the street from that Italian restaurant Tony told Pipes to go to. I’d been there for about an hour, and as far as I could tell it seemed like a normal place. Busy even, fairly popular. I didn’t catch sight of anything suspicious or shady going down.

But then again, that would be the whole point. If the place was a mob front then they’d keep any of the illegal stuff in the back of the restaurant. Still, I didn’t know what Tony’s plan was for Piper. It didn’t look like the kind of place he could just grab her and run away, but maybe I was misreading the situation.

Fucking hell. If this were Syria, or Iraq, or fucking Afghanistan, I’d know exactly what was going on. But this situation was different.

I took a deep breath and concentrated. It couldn’t be so different from what I’d been through that I couldn’t figure out what was happening around me. I just needed to concentrate and clear my head.

I watched for ten more minutes as people came and went. The street seemed pretty quiet, and I didn’t see many cars coming past. That was strange, since there seemed to be a lot of foot traffic coming and going from the building.

That was when it hit me. There was a parking lot two doors down which probably was where most people parked. I was willing to bet that Tony planned on grabbing Piper there, either before or after they met up.

I quickly got out of my car and moved silently across the street. I went down an alley and slowly snuck up to the lot from the back side.

It looked like any other lot, but I kept stationary and kept watching. Soon enough, I caught sight of two guys sitting in a car in the back corner of the lot. They didn’t look like they were doing much of anything, and the one guy kept searching around his car.

I slipped back into the shadows. Fucking hell. They really did want Piper. Everything she said was true.

Not that I ever really doubted her, but it was a pretty intense story. It was hard to imagine that a person could just witness a mob killing like that. But if she were dating a mobster in secret this whole time, it was totally possible.

I moved back toward the sidewalk and headed into the restaurant. I felt a stab of nervousness as I stepped inside the dimly lit building, since I knew that walking indoors when you were outnumbered was just about the worst thing possible. Still, I had to remind myself that they didn’t know me, and that I was highly trained.

“Can I help you?” the hostess asked.

I quickly scanned the place and spotted a bar. “I’ll sit at the bar,” I said to her.

“Sure. Help yourself.”

I nodded to her and headed over. The place was like a thousand other Italian places I’d seen: wine bottles, rustic décor, candlelight, and soft Frank Sinatra music playing in the background. The wait staff was finely dressed, and it seemed like a somewhat upscale place.

I sat down at the bar and ordered a whisky before scanning the room again. I didn’t see Tony anywhere, though I was only going off his Facebook picture. Still, I was reasonably sure I could identify him.

My drink came and I sipped it. I watched the flow of people coming and going, wondering briefly at the shape of their lives. A young couple was sitting in the back corner, smiling at each other. Two tables over, an older couple looked at each other the same way, smiling and excited. I wondered what their secret was.

I sipped my drink and concentrated again. I noticed a guy in a nice suit standing by the back kitchen door. I thought he worked there at first, but he wasn’t doing anything but standing there and watching the crowd. Nobody acknowledged him and he never spoke. As I stared, I noticed a slight bulge in his jacket, and I guessed that was a weapon.

So there were mobsters in this room. I shifted my weight, scanning for more guns. I found another guy eating at a table with an older woman wearing a similar suit with a similar bulge on the jacket.

So, at least two armed men. I didn’t know who the old woman was, but that didn’t matter.

Suddenly, I felt a motion to my left.

“I figured she wouldn’t show.”

I looked over and there he was. Tony smiled at me, this wicked and cold smile. I kept my cool and nodded at him. “You can understand why.”

“I wasn’t sure who she’d send, though. Thought it might be Greg.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s he have to do with any of this?”

“She called him. He sent her your number. Didn’t take a genius to figure shit out from there.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re tracking her phone.”

“Tapped it a while ago. I probably shouldn’t have told you, but, fuck, I do love to brag.”

I made a note to destroy her phone as soon as I could. “Why did you show up if you didn’t think she’d come?”

“I wanted to meet the guy she ran to.”

“You don’t want to meet me.”

“No? I guess not. You’re some hotshot Navy SEAL, right?”

“Something like that.”

“Well, Mister SEAL. Listen to me.” He leaned forward and grinned. “My guys are on their way to grab her right now.”

“What?”

“That’s right. We figured out where you lived. If she’s there, she’s ours.”

I stared at him, heart hammering. I knew he wasn’t lying. I didn’t sense any deceit in his words, and besides, I could tell that he was the type of man that needed validation. He needed me to know all about how plans and how smart he was. He couldn’t handle being a normal guy and winning a normal way.

I could see what had scared her so much. She saw past his mask and got a glimpse of the real terror that was Tony.

I’d met many guys like Tony in my time. Some of them even were on my side. They were cold, calculating, and fucking dangerous. I knew the kind of man he was, and that meant I knew the kind of man I had to be if I wanted to win.

I stood up. “Nice meeting you, Tony.”

He laughed. “Stay and drink. You’re too late to save her.”

“The next time I see you, I will kill you. Understand?”

Tony grinned huge at me. “You don’t disappoint, Gates.”

I turned and walked quickly out of the restaurant.

There was no time. I jogged across the street, jumped into my car, and started the engine. I peeled out, heading back to my apartment.

Tony definitely sent those guys in the parking lot. I didn’t see their car as I drove past. That meant they didn’t have that big of a head start. If I drove fast and they were overconfident, I could make it.

I clenched my jaw and broke every law imaginable as I sped back to my apartment. I couldn’t lose Piper, not now, not so soon. I couldn’t fucking let her down already.

Tony was a sick bastard, but I had underestimated him. That was my mistake. Next time, I wasn’t going to make that same mistake. I wasn’t lying when I said that I’d kill him if I ever saw him again. Part of me hoped it would come to that, because killing was something I did very, very well.

I turned onto my block, the Mustang’s wheels churning up gray smoke. I spotted that same car from the parking lot out front of my apartment building, the engine on, the doors open.

That meant they just got there and were in the process of grabbing her.

I stopped my car right in front of theirs, pulling back until my rear bumped hit their front. I jumped out of the car, drawing my weapon, and stormed inside.

I charged up the steps. My place was the third door on the left, and it was hanging slightly open. I heard muffled grunts and the sound of someone struggling. I slowly pushed the door open and slipped inside, silent and deadly.

The two guys were standing over Piper. She was being held down by the one man as the other wrapped rope around her, tying her up and immobilizing her.

“Hurry up,” the one guy said. “I left the car running.”

“I didn’t tell you to do that.”

“Fuck you, man. We gotta get out of here quick with this bitch.”

“People will notice either way. It doesn’t matter.”

“That’s what you always say, but it does fucking matter. I don’t need no more time on my record, you get it?”

“Don’t be such a pussy. Hold her tighter.”

“Bitch can really struggle.”

The men were distracted as I came in behind them. The man holding Piper down was younger, maybe in his thirties, with thin greasy hair. He was skinny, and his suit looked too big. The other guy was older, in his forties, with graying hair. He was wearing a tracksuit.

I stopped behind the skinny one. The older guy looked up at me just as I brought the butt of my weapon down onto the skinny guy’s skull. He collapsed forward with a grunt, the sound of my weapon against his head a wet thud.

“Fuck,” the older guy said, going for his gun.

I kicked him in the face. I felt his jaw crack and saw a tooth break free as he was knocked down to the floor. I followed that up with three more swift kicks to his skull, cleanly knocking him unconscious, or maybe killing him. I wasn’t sure, and didn’t care to find out.

I bent down and quickly untied Piper.

“Gates,” she groaned, throwing her arms around me.

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here.”

She hugged me tight and I pulled her against me, holding her. The men were bleeding and unmoving, which was exactly how I wanted the fucking bastards.

“Come on,” I said, standing and helping Piper to her feet.

“Where are we going?”

“We have to leave here. Grab your things.”

She stared at me. “How did they find me, Gates?”

“Tony tracked your phone. We’ll need to leave that here.”

She shook her head. “This is insane.”

I took her by the shoulders. “You’ve done great so far. Please, Pipes. Trust me. We have to go.”

She paused and then nodded. She turned and began to gather her few possessions.

I went into my room, grabbed my go-bag and another duffel. I had food, water, camping gear, an extra weapon with ammo, and other essentials pre-packed. I threw some toiletries, clothes, and a few other things into the other bag. I was ready in three minutes.

Piper was standing in the kitchen, staring at the two men. “What were they going to do to me?” she asked me softly.

“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “You’re with me now.”

She nodded and followed me out the door.

I wasn’t sure where we were going. But I knew that we couldn’t stay at my apartment anymore. Greg and Lauren were in danger, which was my next concern.

But for now, I needed to get the two of us far, far away as fast as I could.