I might be back to hating Hans.
“Look,” he starts with a placating tone that doesn’t do anything to lift my annoyance. “If I had the time to drive to Chicago and dump the body onto Dom’s private elevator, I’d do that. But I’m kind of in a hurry. And I thought maybe we could be friends.”
Not missing the way he casually mentioned that he knows how Dom’s penthouse is set up, I let out a loud groan and make it last for several seconds before I reply. “Fine, dick. But if you want me to call you tomorrow with information, you’ll need to send me your fucking number.”
I hang up before he has a chance to try and recite his number to me. This isn’t a fucking spy movie. If he does that, I won’t remember shit, and he’ll never get what he wants.
And neither will we.
I heave out a breath and dial another number.
“What?” Dom answers on the third ring.
“Get your ass to Minnesota.”
CHAPTER 71
Cassie
I absently trace my thumbs back and forth on Hans’s hand.
I can accept that I have no idea what’s going on, but clearly, I’ve found myself in the middle of something.
Everything I’ve overheard rolls around in my mind as we quickly drive toward the faint lights of downtown Minneapolis off in the distance.
I couldn’t find my way back to where we just were if I tried. But considering Hans called it a kill house, and that Karmine woman basically told Hans to get away from it quickly, that’s probably for the best.
I also think about Karmine’s comment about Hans being back home.
I decide to just ask. “That was you in Mexico, right?”
I look up and watch Hans work his jaw for a moment before he sighs. “That was me.”
“And you just so happened to be there? In the same city as me. Right behind our bus. Even though you made no mention of going on such a trip when you dropped me off at the airport?”
His fingers flex around mine. “Yeah, well, I told you to be careful.”
“Me?!” Indignation fills my chest. “How much more careful could I have been? I was sitting on a bus.”
“Sitting on a bus in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.”
I toss my hands up. “That was for—”
“Don’t,” Hans snaps.
I think he’s yelling at me for arguing with him, but his hand darts up to grab mine. Then he forcefully presses my palm into his thigh. Making me touch him.
His don’t was because I let go of his hand.
God, he really is crazy.
I squeeze his thigh.
Maybe I’m a little bit crazy too.
“That was for work,” I try again, saying it calmly.
“You shouldn’t have gone.” He still sounds so upset.
“I didn’t have a choice. It was a mandatory meeting.”
“There’s always a choice, Cassandra.”
“Oh?” I try to cross my arms, but Hans still has my hand closest to him trapped against his thigh. “And what was your choice? You killed those guys on that bus pretty easily.”
“You’re already at two. Don’t push me.”
Heat blooms in my core as I remember him dragging me across the seat earlier.
His punishments are not punishments. So I keep pushing.
“You have your own body bags. That’s not normal, Hans.”
“I never pretended to be normal.”
I slide a look up at him. “You told my parents you were a health inspector.”
Hans glances at me. “Health inspectors aren’t normal.”
I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “Did you just make a joke?”
“I’m deadly serious.”
The click of the blinker fills the car as Hans merges onto another highway. We’re back around actual traffic now, with Minneapolis looming in front of us.
Hans squeezes my hand, then lets it go. “Will you grab the backpacks from the back seat?”
I have to release my seat belt to turn and reach them. And as soon as it clicks open, Hans hooks his arm around my waist. Like if we got into an accident now, he’d keep me in place just through sheer will.
The backpacks look nearly identical. The only difference is that one has a small orange tag attached to the top handle.
I set them both on the seat next to me, and he points to the one without the tag.
Instead of handing it to him, I unzip it. “What do you need?”
“My shirt.”
I look back at him and the black T-shirt he’s wearing, noticing the shoulder holster with two guns I’d somehow forgotten about.