Dion

When Santini dropped his little bombshell, I seriously struggled to keep my composure. My gut feeling told me he was bluffing. If he genuinely had those dogs GPS tracked, he'd have caught Amelia weeks ago. Or maybe it was part of his sick mind games, letting her think she had escaped when really, all along, he knew where she was. It would explain how Slim Jim knew where to track her to.

Still, trusting my gut, I decided to go along with the theory he was bluffing. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "Well if that's the case, then you know where she is, surely?"

Santini smiled. "Ah, the wonders of technology. They're not one hundred per cent reliable, you know? Sometimes the signal glitches. The last reliable location was not too far from here in a new housing development."

My stomach churned. "If it's glitchy then how do you know that was a reliable location?"

"Because I found Slim Jim in the backyard of one of the houses with his throat slit from ear to ear."

Bingo. The dogs weren't tracked at all. He'd simply gone to Slim Jim's last known location before his lack of communication. "Your wife took out Slim Jim?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "She managed to catch me off guard and nearly killed me. Unless you have any alternative explanations for the death of my employee?"

I shook my head. "No. I guess with two rottweilers to help her, taking any man down is going to be easy."

"Yes. I'm sure she's starting to feel the pressure by now. She won't stay out of my way for much longer."

I nodded and moved towards the door, wanting him out of here ASAP. He waited for me to open the door then breezed through it like he owned the place. I gritted my teeth together. Nothing would give me more pleasure than putting a bullet in this guy's skull.

Patience is a virtue, I kept telling myself. All good things come to those who wait.

His henchmen escorted him to the front door where they then waited for me to open it.

"I'll be in touch," Santini said.

I nodded and watched him walk across the front porch, down the steps, and over to his car. As soon as the engine started and the car started moving, I slammed the front door shut and ran back to my office.

To find Amelia in a dazed zombie state had been something I'd half expected. To see her breakdown in front of me was quite another. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms and soothe her worries away.

When she emerged from the hideaway into my office, she looked around her and found a fresh bout of tears. I couldn't hold back any longer.

"Hey," I said, keeping my voice low and calm. "Come here."

I held my arms open wide and allowed her the choice of accepting my embrace. When she all but ran into my chest, I curled my arms around her and held her tight. Her petite body quivered against mine as she cried her little heart out.

The dogs clambered out of the hideaway and sat watching us, their heads moving from side to side curiously every time Amelia sniffled.

"I'm tired," she whispered. "Can I go to bed please?"

I gave her a comforting squeeze and pulled back slightly so I could look at her. "Of course you can. You don't need to ask, sweetheart."

She nodded but said nothing more.

Releasing my hold on her, I took one of her hands and led her through the house and up the stairs. When we reached the guest bedroom door, she looked up at me and said, "Can I...can I stay with you? Please?"

Taken aback, I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

"Please," she said. "I really don't feel very safe right now."

Did that mean she felt safe being around me? "Of course you can," I said, licking my dry lips.

I moved along the corridor and opened my bedroom door. She shuffled along behind me, staring at the floor. I led her over to the bed and pulled back the covers.

"I'll get your things from the guest bedroom, alright?"

She nodded and sat down on the bed. I ran to the guest bedroom, grabbed her bag, and ran back. I handed her her bag and said, "I've got to tidy up downstairs. You make yourself comfortable and get some decent rest."

With her blue eyes glistening with tears, she said, "But you are coming back in here?"

I swallowed the ball of nerves in my throat and nodded. "Of course."

She gave me a small smile and then started rifling through her bag for a change of clothes. I took that as a sign to leave and quickly backed out of the room, closing the door behind me. When the door clicked shut, I let out a long breath.

Then, before I knew it, a big smile crossed my face. I felt like we'd turned a corner tonight. Sure, it wasn't under the best of circumstances, but however it had happened, it had still happened. I headed downstairs, eager to clean up and go back to my room.

***

I barely slept when I went back to my room. All I could do was sit in my mom's old rocking chair, watching Amelia in her peaceful slumber. Even though she was unconscious to the world, unable to express emotion, she looked relieved. She looked at peace, as if all her troubles had been swept away, even if only temporarily, and she could finally rest.

Maybe it was my own wishful thinking more than anything, but it still didn't stop me from wistfully staring at her as she slept. As dawn broke, and the bright colours of a new day streamed through the window, the rays of light danced across her skin, highlighting her pale beauty.

A small group of freckles spread over her nose before splaying out underneath her eyes. The same eyes haunted by dark bags of things I dreaded to even think about. I'd never been with a white woman, or even, as far as I remembered, found myself attracted to one.

But Amelia was different. She had a personality full of courage, fire, and the ability to fight against everything, even if it meant standing on her own. I'd seen grown men cry and piss themselves at the hands of Slim Jim Hughes, but all she did was welcome his presence. She laughed in his face and refused to give in to his perverted method of getting his kicks.

She intrigued me. Maybe that's all this was. Maybe I was misunderstanding my feelings of caring about her for something else; a simple case of needing, or wanting, to figure her out. After all, in what world would an interracial romance between an outlaw biker and a mob wife ever work? None, is the answer. Especially when that mob wife's husband was my boss.

It was as she slept, like a red-haired version of sleeping beauty, that I debated distancing myself from her. A cold shiver ran down my spine as the potential cost of us being together struck me. It would cost Amelia her life.

Maybe not now, maybe not for the next few years, but at some point in the future, if me and her ever had one, her life would be the price she would have to pay for being involved with me. That was a price I wouldn't let her pay and one I couldn't afford to pay. Anyone in a position of power can't afford to have weaknesses and God knows this woman would be mine.