Gun Moll by Bethany-Kris, Erin Ashley Tanner Page A

at
Melina, but she lifted her chin in defiance.
    “She has her own
particular charm. It’s one of many reasons being with her is never dull,” Mac
said.
    He lifted her hand
to his lips and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. As he winked at her, Melina
couldn’t help but smile back. She could do this. There was nothing to worry
about.
    Just a bunch of
men, trying to measure who had the biggest cock.
    Nothing new.
    “I’m not buying
it.”
    Mac’s arm slid
around Melina’s waist, and he held her close as he turned his attention to the
man that had been sitting quietly on a chair in the corner. Melina swallowed as
recognition dawned on her face.
    Her other dance
partner.
    Vincent Carracci.
    Enforcer.
    “And why is that,
Vin? Because you tried to push up on my girl and got shut down?”
    Mac smirked. His
hand drifted casually up and down Melina’s waist in a firm mark of possession.
Deciding to play along, she leaned her head on Mac’s shoulder as they waited
for Vin to respond.
    “Hardly. Pretty
girls are a dime a dozen. I just find it suspect that your girl tries to
hook up with me and then is taken away by the cops. I don’t believe in
coincidences.”
    “Vincent does have
a point. The last thing I need is cops snooping around my business.”
    Melina shifted so
that she was facing Guido again.
    “Then let me put
your mind at ease. I’m no fan of the cops, and with the business I work in, I
don’t need them focusing on me either.”
    Guido lifted his
hands. “But how do I know this? How do I know they didn’t let you go with the
intention to use you as an informant?”
    “She’s on the
level, Skip,” Mac said.
    “I know you want
to believe that, my boy—especially from the way she looks—but it might be
better for all of us if she wasn’t a part of the picture. If you get my drift.”
    Cold fear stabbed
through Melina like a sharp sword. She wasn’t dense. She understood perfectly
what they were saying.
    She needed to die.
    “Wow. I didn’t
realize the mob was frightened of women. Interesting.”
    “We’re not scared
of anything. Least of all a piece of pussy,” Tip said as his face twisted into
a snarl.
    “Who said anything
about the mob?” Vin asked, sneering.
    Melina’s gaze
flitted to Mac instantly, searching for a direction to go.
    “I’ve had about
all the disrespect I’m going to take from you two. I brought Melina here out of
respect to Guido. Now, if either of you would like to keep running your mouth
about my woman, perhaps we need to leave this office and handle it in a
different fashion.”
    Mac’s eyes were
hard, like stones. A muscle moved in his neck. She could feel the tension
radiating from his body.
    “Is that right,
little man?”
    Tip moved from his
spot next to Guido behind the desk, and came around to face Mac. Though Mac was
not a short man by any means, Tip still had a good few inches on him. Melina
opened her mouth to say something when Mac eased her behind him. Against her
better judgement, she kept quiet. Things looked like they were primed to
explode at any minute, and she had no desire to add fuel to the fire.
    Mac laughed.
“That’s right, asshole. I protect what’s mine.”
    Melina watched the
exchange between the two men, all the while, keeping an eye on Vincent in his
chair. An amused smirk tilted the corners of his mouth. She itched to wipe the
smirk off his face.
    “Who’s going to
protect you?” Tip asked.
    Everything
happened in a blur. Melina was propelled away from Mac, and had to catch
herself to keep from falling. Mac and Tip locked up and Vincent moved from his
seat. Guido sat, silent and amused, watching the events with nary a word coming
from his lips. Melina’s breath froze painfully in her lungs. She knew that Mac
could handle himself. She’d seen him fight, but that was a different story when
two men were coming for him at the same time.
    The sound of
punches landing was sickening. It looked as if Mac might be gaining the upper
hand