page5 (1/2)

"What's wrong?" Ti I've never seen you frown before Not even when you're dealing with a crazy custoun out and shoot them for you"

Evangeline supposed she should be grateful he wanted to shoot soet in over her head with the criminal element in her beloved new home

"I appreciate that you don't," she said softly and then found herself laughing What else could she do? She was never going to ask Alonzo to stay away "What brings you in so early? Can't live without your macaroons?"

"Alonzo wanted me to come in and talk to you" His eyes were hard Flat and cold, very similar to Alonzo's Too silacier blue As if deep inside both men were mountains of ice that could never be thawed That was how she thought of Alonzo Timur wasdifficult He didn't like her He especially didn't like Alonzo anywhere near her

"Talk tofor it, glancing over her shoulder as she asked the question

"He wants s to you before he comes in"

There was a definite warning in his voice She turned back to hiloves in order to pick up the cookies he preferred "Why would he have to explain anything to me?"

"Exactly" His voice was clipped His eyes bored into her Not like Alonzo, not with interest, more with annoyance and speculation "Why the hell can't I find out any information about you? You don't exist You have this bakery and a driver's license, but that's it I can't even find a birth certificate for you"

Her stomach htly against her belly in an effort to ease the ache She'd known Tiate her He didn't want anyone near his boss, not unless he knew everything about them

The bell over the door rang and that started the steady strea custo pastries, tea and coffee, s but the ti his coffee and eating his cookies while reading Not one person so ly absorbed in his book Evangeline knew better He saw every single person and probably could tell her all sorts of things about them

It took a good hour and forty-five h the first wave of custoin to restock the cases with her baked pastries Her ha with her mushroom-spinach quiche She'd learned that most of the early risers didn't eat breakfast at home so when she'd introduced those fluffy pastries, they'd been a big earlyhit

The moment the door had closed on the last customer, Timur materialized in front of her "You didn't answer me"

"Why would Alonzo have you investigate me?" She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice, and that bothered her It was giving too much away to this man She shouldn't care about Alonzo They didn't have any kind of a relationship, nor could they She had left that world behind and she didn't want to go back to it Still, Alonzo was the only ht about Ever dreamed about Fantasized over

"He gave ate you"

Her gaze juhtly in her chest "Then why are you askin' me?"

"Because I don't like anything out of the ordinary, and you're out of the ordinary"

There was no apology in his voice None whatsoever His gaze was so hard and cold she shivered as she filled the last spot in the case and glanced at the time Another fiveto be alone with Timur She didn't trust him or herself She didn't want to blurt out her own questions in retaliation Questions such as why Alonzo was pretending to be Italian when it was so clear he was Russian and Tiet her killed

"I'm no threat to your boss," she said

"Don't kid yourself, honey," he snapped, all but slalare at her "You're the biggest threat to him there is"

She didn't knohat to say to that To do with it "Just tell et out She was beginning to shake She wasn't going to let Timur intimidate her

"There's a bigtoday and it is to take place here We didn't call it Alonzo couldn't protest, not without putting you in jeopardy When we come in, he won't talk to you He wants you to know it isn't personal"

She fought the inclination to roll her eyes and shrugged instead "He never talks to me How is this any different? I don't take it personal"

He sighed "It's more about the way you look at him"

Her breath caught in her lungs "Oh My God I'm not supposed to even look at him? Why are you holdin' your meetin' in my bakery? Pick somewhere else" Was it so obvious to everyone that she was attracted to Alonzo? She didn't even know his real name

"The 's set Just don't look at him the way you do"

She could feel her color rising How totally e "You knohat, just tell him not to come back here Seriously I don' want hi deal" Her accent was thicker than ever and she didn't care Didn't care if he knew she was frorandfather was a horrible man, feared by everyone around him, so much so that her own faone I mean it Just tell him to stay away, and then no one will have to worry about how I look at him or don' look at him" Tears burned behind her eyes, and that was even

"Stop" He said the word softly A co to stop co cry He'll put a bullet in my head"

"He won't know I'm not about to tell him and neither are you"

"He'll know" He pushed his latteat her "Make me another one"

"What part of 'I want you out' didn' you understand?"

"The part where you're acting crazy Just make me a latte and do what I tell you to do and don't cry Don't even look like you're about to cry"

That stopped her She turned back to hi to him Why shouldn't she look as if she were about to cry? There was an undertone to Timur's voice, as if he were just a little nervous Very slowly she lifted her gaze to the higher walls of her bakery and took a long look around She couldn't see anything but the smooth walls Still

"Did you put cameras in here?"

He tapped the latte eline"

"Seriously, Ti hiuard Maybe even a hit man

She was crazy to challenge him She should just shut up and do what he said That wasn't exactly in her nature She didn't want to ever do what anyone said again She'd made herself that promise, but then she'd promised she'd never be around criminals She'd work hard and find a really nicejob and he'd coht She wouldn't have to worry about hi on her because he'd be so crazy about her

"Evangeline" Timur's voice was sharp