Free Unexpected Consequences by Mia Catherine

briefly to the door Kelsey had just entered.
    “A little target practice. What else would I be doing?”
    “Are you following me?”
    “Do I need to be?”
    “Don’t play with me,” Nick said, gritting his teeth. “You stay away from me.”
    “I’m just here for recreation, Jensen. I’m not sure what the problem is.” The pleasant nature of his tone was obviously intended to unnerve. Nick said nothing, but continued to stare the man down. Anthony Portella’s reputation as a cold-hearted killer was well known. There was nothing the man wouldn’t do, especially if he thought it would get him ahead.
    “I bet you’ll get your job done. You know what’s involved if you don’t,” Anthony said as he began to walk away. “Oh, and I’m sure the young lady you’re with won’t mind if you need to leave her. I know you wouldn’t allow her to get in the way.”
    A cold chill travelled down Nick’s spine. ”I know what I’m doing,” he said calmly, not allowing the bastard to read anything in his reaction.
    “Then I’ll leave you to it.”
    After Anthony had disappeared down the hall, Nick took a few deep breaths. There was no way in hell he’d allow her to become involved in this. He was left with no other choice.

Chapter Nine
    “What are we doing here?” Kelsey asked as Nick parked his bike in front of the restaurant across the street from The Rusty Spoke.
    “We needed to get your car anyway, so I figured we could grab some lunch. Since this place is right across the street, it seemed convenient.”
    “I thought we were going to go back to my place,” she whispered in his ear while leaning against him, her voice a mixture of disappointment and seduction.
    He wanted more than anything to stay with her, but it was best he didn’t. He just wasn’t sure how to explain it to her. Instead, he turned slightly, allowing himself to pull away from her embrace. “Lunch is my treat. After all, you did buy dinner last night.”
    “Okay,” she said as the smile left her face, “if that’s what you want to do.”
    They each dismounted the bike and walked towards the restaurant. Her smile returned when he reached over and held her hand in his.
    “Ever been in this place before, Bright Eyes?” Nick asked as he held open the door, allowing her to enter first.
    “No, I haven’t had the pleasure. I hadn’t been to The Rusty Spoke until last night, either, but I used to hear about it from my brother. He liked going there.”
    “Looks like I picked the right time and place to hustle some pool.”
    They sat in the dimly lit restaurant and surveyed the menu—classic American-type food such as burgers, chicken, pork, salads and pasta. He was curious to see what she’d pick. Did she go for what she really wanted or would she go the girly route and just order a salad?
    “Hey, folks, what can I get you?” the young waitress asked as she approached their cosy booth in the corner.
    Kelsey perked up and began to order her lunch. She began with a side salad, causing Nick to grin, but his mouth slacked when she went on to order a full rack of baby back ribs, corn, fries and coleslaw, and finished up by adding a cold, frosty beer.
    She laughed when she looked his way. His expression must have shown his awe. “What? You know I like to eat.”
    “You’re always full of surprises, baby. I’ll have the same,” he said to the young girl and handed her his menu.
    She reached across the table, sliding her hand into his. “So have you been here before?”
    “A few times when I’ve passed through town.”
    “So, is that what you’re doing now? Just passing through?”
    Nick had no idea how to answer her. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t tell her his real reason for being in town. “I hadn’t decided…”
    “Oh.” Her disappointment was clear.
    “Let me finish.” He squeezed her hand. “I hadn’t decided until now. I think I just may stick around for a little while.”
    “How long is a