Tony was inside my apartment.
First time in three months.
The door closed behind us, and suddenly, the space felt too small and intimate.
He was standing there looking at me, and I had almost forgotten how sexy and dangerous he was.
Three months apart and nothing's changed. The pull between us, the connection, the chemistry. All was still there.
"You've been watching me," I said, it wasn't a question but a statement.
"Protecting you. There's a difference."
"Is there?"
"Yes." His voice was firm. "Hassan Patton was planning to kill you and Elliot. I stopped him."
I sat on the couch, my legs shaking. "He's the one who shot Elliot?"
"Yes. He was a former enforcer for my father. Held a grudge for twenty years over something that happened in the old days and was planning another attack on both of you."
"And you stopped him."
"That's what I do, Katherine. Protect the people I love."
The words hung between us - people I love. Present tense.
