I drove through the night back to my small apartment on the other side of town. Leaving Rosa alone was one of the hardest things I’d ever done, but Kane had contacted me. He’d made it into town earlier than expected, and if I was going to keep Rosa safe, I needed to get a plan together. When I pulled up to my apartment building and saw the slender man, I couldn’t help but smile. Kane always was a character.

“Well, you are a sight for sore eyes,” I said as we shook hands.

“Same to you, old friend. Nice digs. You want to tell me what I’m doing here?”

I looked around and ushered him into my first-floor apartment. “I found her.”

His face went pale. “You mean Brandi?”

Nodding my head, I locked the door and told him everything I knew about Rosa. He listened quietly as I told him the entire story, including the part about us having sex on more than one occasion. His eyes lit up as I finished.

“Wow, you must really care about her.”

“I do. I don’t know the kind of person she was before, but I know who she is now, and she wouldn’t hurt a fly. She is wild and wonderful. You see why I needed your help?”

“Yeah, you’ve managed to get yourself into a pickle. Any idea if he’s sent more men down yet?”

“I can’t be sure, but I think so. I remember Rosa telling me about a couple of Irish men who came into the store and freaked her out a few days ago. I don’t know why anyone would pass through here from our neck of the woods unless they were looking for someone.”

“Any idea who it was?”

I shook my head. “I wasn’t there and I didn’t want to press her too much and raise her suspicions. Were you able to find anything out in the city?”

“Well, you were right. Collins has sent others down here, but I don’t much more than you do at this point. I’m happy to help in any way that I can though. You said he told you Shannon was still alive?”

Nodding my head, I thought about Shannon. I was taking a gamble by bringing in Kane—or anyone, for that matter. I didn’t have many other options in the situation. I couldn’t ask for the help of the elders. They would side with Collins to protect their own skin unless I had evidence against him, which I had nothing. Even then, it would have to be something far worse than wanting a woman dead before they would step in.

If things didn’t go as planned with the elders, assuming I even spoke to them, then I would be dead and Rosa would too. I was backed into a corner, but no one realized what kind of wild animal I became when I was in that situation. I was a fighter, and not just for the mafia. I grew up on the streets. I leaned to fight as a kid before I even started school. If Collins wanted a war, I would give him one.

“There might be another way,” I muttered to him. “You work for the elders, right? What kind of thing does it have to be for them to consider eliminating someone?”

Kane snorted. “If they knew half the shit that Collins did—if they had proof of it—he would be six feet under in a heartbeat. No one goes against Collins, though, because he’s always had the backing of the elders.”

“Yeah, because they think that he’s working with their best interest in mind, but what happens if he isn’t?”

Kane shrugged. “Then we’d better find some proof.”

“I don’t even know where to start, and I can’t leave Rosa,” I muttered.

“I can do some digging for you. I know that he has secrets he doesn’t want the elders to know about.”

“We have to be quick. He’s given me three days to get results, and I don’t know what’s going to happen to Shannon.”

Kane shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “Peyton, about Shannon.”

I held up my hand. “I don’t want to think about whether he’s lying. It’s a little bit of hope that I want to hold onto.”

“So, what do you want to do about the two goons that he sent down here? I can get rid of them for you.”

I sighed. It was going to be harder than I thought to get my friend to see the big picture. Two brutes were nothing, but when four came, then maybe six, or possibly the entire clan that followed Collins, it would be a different story. I needed to make Kane understand what the endgame was—a life of peace away from the Irish mafia altogether, and not just for me, but for him and both women too.

“What’s the point? If we take them out, he will just send more. There’s always going to be more. Then what happens when I’m not around to protect her or she learns the truth and runs?”

“Yeah,” he muttered. “I didn’t think about that. So, we have to cut the head off the snake then?”

“It looks that way, but he’s always guarded. I’m fine with bringing down Collins, but not the entire crew. Most of those guys have families too. They haven’t done anything but follow orders.”

“You really are a good man, do you know that?” he said.

I snorted. “Nah, I just don’t want to see more people get killed than needed. I want to be done with this life. I want a fresh start.”

“So, Collins knows where Shannon is. Okay, so let’s talk about Brandi.”

“You mean Rosa?” I offered. “There is nothing to talk about. I don’t want either of their death on my hands.”

“Listen, I get it. Even if it wasn’t true love, she’s still an innocent woman who shouldn’t be killed because of one psychopath. But you’ve been hot and heavy with her for a few weeks now. Are you sure that she’s innocent and it’s not just good sex?’

I glared at him and he took a step back. “Do you know why I was brought into the organization? It was because I could read people. Rosa is a good person. You’d do well to remember that.”

“Hey,” he said, raising his hands. “Don’t shoot me, man. I just want to make sure I’m not going to risk my life just for your dick. Can you blame me? The last time I saw Brandi, she was just as wild as Shannon.”

I glared at him a second time. “Are you going to help me or not?”

“Of course I am, Peyton. I know where to put my bet in a dog fight. Give me a day, maybe less, to see what I can dig up, and I’ll meet you back here.”

“Thanks,” I muttered as he left.

“Hey, Peyton?” he said before leaving. “We will figure this out together, okay? We will save them both, one way or another. I’ve got your back.”

“That means a lot. Be safe out there, okay?”

“Be safe here. Women are fickle.”

I laughed at him. “You haven’t met Rosa. She’s as sweet as chocolate syrup.”

Kane laughed and left me alone. I slumped down on the black leather sofa in my living room and held my head in my hands. Rosa would no doubt be awake and pissed that I was gone again. Maybe Kane was right. Maybe I needed to take a few days off from Rosa and clear my head. I was wild about her in so many ways. Sure, the sex was out of this world, but that wasn’t all. She was becoming something more, and it was a little terrifying.

Maybe I could just tell her I had a business trip and needed to skip town. It would be better than trying to dive into everything again. She had trusted me with her darkest secret, but I wasn’t ready to trust her yet with mine. I wanted to make sure that if she left me forever, she could do so safely. No matter what the end of our romance held, she had a right to live her life without looking over her shoulder for all eternity.

I looked down at my phone and hoped to see a message from Rosa. When her name appeared on my message list, my heart started to race. She was my world. The moment I read the message, a sinking pit in my stomach set in. Something was wrong. I quickly grabbed my jacket and headed out to my car. I knew Rosa. She wouldn’t send a message like that unless there was a problem. Everything had been fine when I left last night, but now, something had changed and I didn’t like that.

Don’t come over tonight. I don’t want to see you anymore.