Defending Pacer, стр. 30

“Okay, I’d better go.” She grabs her bag and sunglasses and stands at the front door.

“I’d really prefer it if you didn’t walk. Get a cab to your friends.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “It’s seriously just around the corner. I’ll be fine. They can take as many pictures as they want. Mick and Larry will love the attention. Don might have the shits though. He’s not much of a morning person. This could actually be pretty amusing.” She chuckles.

I’d be lying if I said the mention of these guys’ names didn’t make me a little possessive.

“Who are these guys? How do you know them?”

Her eyes narrow slightly as she smiles. “Pacer Fratelli, you sound jealous.”

My smile is hard to hide. I lean in and kiss her one last time. Slapping her on the ass as she leaves, I have one final playful stab. “Go. Enjoy your boyfriends.”

She giggles as she shuts the front door. I watch through a gap in the drawn curtain. Two photographers race to her, and she takes it all in her stride, talking and smiling as she walks. Watching her makes me less worried about how she’s going to be this morning. The last time I saw her with a face full of cameras I was in a fit of rage, so perhaps I underestimated her ability to handle all of this.

Checking for any looming paparazzi, I successfully make a quick exit out through the back garage.

***

Waiting at an old abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city, I finish my cigar and watch the container ships load their cargo across the water through the gaps in the wall. A bang at the rear of the building turns my attention towards the sound.

Franco, Big Jim and Pete from the family flank Reed as he walks through the graffiti-covered space.

“What’s this all about, Fratelli? We had a deal.” His defiance is endless.

“Yes. We did have a deal, which you broke. Sit.” I point to the chair in front of me.

Now he starts to look concerned. “I have people on standby you know, Fratelli. The moment I go missing, they’ll come after you. Then you’ll feel the full force of the law. Everything will be exposed.”

Interesting. “Everything?”

Reed sinks into the seat, his eyes flicking between the three big guys that surround him.

I grab his throat and squeeze. Coming inches from his face, I speak. “I’m not going to kill you today, Reed. But if you stay in town, I will. Take some time off work and disappear. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to get your shit and leave town … for good.”

“You can’t threaten me like that.” His voice strains.

“I just did.” I watch his face turn red as I squeeze him tighter.

He holds onto my gloved hand, and his breathing splutters. I let go and step back.

He coughs and gasps. “I know every person you’ve knocked off. You’re a piece of shit, Fratelli. The whole city knows that. Have you seen your girlfriend’s old man yet? Word on the street is that he wants your trial brought forward so that you’re away from his daughter. A man like him won’t stop until you’re behind bars.”

I grab his throat again. This time I can’t control my anger and squeeze tighter. “You leave Chelsea and her family out of this. You hear me? I will fucking cut you into pieces if you so much as breathe a word to her.” His eyes begin to bulge. It excites me. “Get out of town, Reed. Or I will come after you.”

I force myself to let go just as his eyes glaze over and his consciousness slips.

“Take him back now, boys.” Big Jim and Pete pick him up and drag him out of the warehouse.

“Why don’t you just get rid of him now?” Franco hangs back to ask.

I shake my head. “I can’t. He would have the dogs after me the moment he goes missing. He needs to make his own way out of the city.” I shake my head. “Don’t worry. Once I’ve found all those missing documents, he’ll be gone.”

“What about Chelsea?”

I spin around and feel my temper flaring again. “What about Chelsea?”

My reaction to her name being mentioned makes Franco step back. “She may be able to get those documents for you. Then he can be gone.”

He just doesn’t get it. “She is not getting involved, Franco. Now drop it.”

“It was just a thought,” he says as he walks off to join the others.

It was just a thought—a thought that I keep asking myself about, over and over. But I don’t want to risk her getting involved. She’s a good girl. She comes from a different world, and doesn’t need my shit to cloud her judgement.

Once I find these documents that Reed has on me, he’ll be a dead man walking.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Logan waits for me in her black Mercedes SUV at the front of my office building. Another day and another round of media stories that show Pacer and I … in love.

This can’t be front-page news, surely?

A dozen cameras and a few journalists follow me all the way to Logan’s car as I walk.

A reporter holds her microphone out at my face. “Chelsea, can you confirm that you and Pacer Fratelli are involved?”

I laugh. “Yeah, we’re involved … I’m his barrister and he’s my client.”

I get into the car and the moment I close the door, Logan slips into traffic and around the corner. Today Logan is more he with his ripped skinny jeans and blue floral shirt, buttoned all the way up, and nude lips.

“Oh this is cute. It’s like hipster, twink,” I tease.

“Hi honey. How have you been?” he says as he weaves in and out of the traffic like a pro.

He Logan definitely shines through when I need rescuing. Another reason why two Logans are better than one.

“How do you think?” I glance at him. “How’s Mum and Dad? Has Dad calmed down yet?”

He shrugs. “Uncle John wasn’t in the best mood yesterday when I saw him. I picked Mum and Aunt Tilly up from the hairdressers’ today and Aunt Tilly seemed fine. She said she calmed your Dad down, but they still want to see you in person. I think they’re just really worried about you.”

I scoff. “There’s nothing to worry about. Pacer’s not such a bad guy.”

“He’s a criminal, Chels. Are you sure you haven’t lost your mind a little?”

Watching out the window, I answer, “He’s a good criminal.”

Logan laughs. “Yeah, that’s not convincing me. You had better come up with something better than that for Aunt Tilly and Uncle John. Uncle John will lose his mind if you say that.”

“I’d never say that to him,” I agree.

Logan’s right; I need to get my speech prepared. This is worse than a closing statement in court.

My phone dings with another message. The machine that was my enemy yesterday has been my saving grace today. Pacer’s messages have been getting me through the day. He’s far cleverer than I gave him credit for. Forty-eight hours into our romance, and I am pretty certain I’m in love with him.

PACER: If you put on red shoes you can dance the blues?

I smile. After our conversation about David Bowie this morning in the shower, I told Pacer that Bowie makes more sense than anything else in this world, and he took that advice like a champion. His texts messages started with ‘The world according to Bowie’ and continued with quotes from all my favourite songs, and questions about why.

CHELSEA: See! Isn’t Bowie brilliant!

PACER: But why the protein pills and helmet?

CHELSEA: Because, space. Plus we know Major Tom’s a junkie.

PACER: Fascinating

I laugh and feel Logan’s eyes on me. “Man you’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”

“Is it really such a bad thing to fall in love?”

Logan shrugs. “Sure. But remember the rules—someone like you isn’t meant to fall for someone like Pacer.”

“Who am I mean to fall in love with? You can’t force love, just like you can’t stop it. Sometimes it’s unexpected, you know. Plus I wasn’t looking for love; it just found me. Trust me, we have the right love, just not the right timing.”