Mine by Mary Calmes Read Free Book Online Page A

way his eyes always slid over me, the sound of his breath when he leaned close, how often he teased me about sucking his dick. I knew. I wasn’t stupid.
    “And if you need a piece, you call me. I’ll get you something untraceable, like the others.”
    But Gabriel had already told me to ask Conrad, and I would have gone that route anyway. Francesco, regardless of what he said or tried to imply, was not my friend. He could not be counted on like the man who might one day, accidentally or purposely, kill me.
    “I’m sorry Benji’s dead. I’m sorry about all of them. Make sure you call his folks, okay?”
    I was startled and watched him as he left, jogging down the hall after Gabe and Ira.
    “Mr. Bean?”
    When I turned, there was a doctor, and he wanted to know how to get in touch with Benji’s family. I told him I needed my friend’s phone.
    “I better get you some coffee,” Conrad said softly , appearing quietly at my shoulder, “’cause you’re gonna be up for a while.”
    And of course he was right. He was always right.

Chapter 3

    I CALLED Landry and told him what had happened, and it took everything in me plus Conrad getting on the phone to keep him from coming to the hospital. Landry was scared that whoever had killed the other runners was coming after me, but I reminded him of who exactly my guardian angel was and that Gabriel had told me that as long as I stayed out of sight, all would be well. Kady and his guys weren’t actively looking for me. They would just find me if I was hanging out in my usual haunts. No one was hunting me; it was more a question of opportunity, and even then, even if they found me, there was still Conrad to consider.
    Landry didn’t understand, but he had met Conrad, so when the man said I was safe, he believed him.
    My friend had excused himself at the hospital for a while, and when he returned, he reiterated Gabriel’s words to me and told me to lie low, steer clear of all the casinos and my regular clients. He promised that I would be fine as long as I didn’t try to conduct business as usual. It was a clash beyond my scope; I did not need to be involved. They had killed the runners to interrupt Adrian’s cash flow and that was it. As horrible as it was, if I stayed out of sight, no one was coming after me.
    “Won’t the cops be all over this?” I asked Conrad. “I mean, he was murdered. Won’t there be an investigation?”
    He shook his head. “You watch too much TV where everybody works and takes any death seriously. You have to realize, in the real world, with the way bodies pile up in any big city, no one is killing themselves to find out what happened to Benji.”
    I nodded.
    “If anything, they might go question Adrian if they can make the connection, but he’s careful, right? I mean, if anyone checks, you guys all work at his health club or some bullshit like that, right?”
    “Yeah. Right.”
    “So,” he shrugged. “Even if there is an investigation, you’ll never know.”
    “I guess,” I said, then dropped it.
    Talking to Benji’s father was exhausting, and when I finally got to put the nurse on the phone with him, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief. I did not want to be the one to coordinate with the morgue or to figure out how Benji’s body would get back to Atlanta. It couldn’t be me, and I was relieved that it didn’t have to be.
    “Kady should pay,” I told Conrad in the car as he drove me to my mother’s work later that day. I had to see her before she left for her trip; I wanted to give her some money. I had planned to stop at the bank, but Gabriel’s gift made that unnecessary. I had all the cash I needed on me. “He shouldn’t get away with torturing Benji.”
    “No, he shouldn’t,” Conrad agreed. “But from what you told me, Gabriel was on his way to see Kady already. My guess is that whatever revenge you’re planning, Gabe’s gonna try.”
    I looked out the window at the gray sky, the drizzle already beginning.