Page 19 of Ruthless Mafia Heir

A gathering of the best and brightest.

Like a society. A secret society? That could be what I’m looking at here. Places like this, they always have something going on under the surface, I know that much. But this... what exactly is this?

Whatever it is, it’s been here for decades, likely longer. And Blake is carrying a pin that’s connected to it, even now. He has to be involved with it. Hell, knowing Blake, he’s probably at the head of it.

And as that thought crosses my mind, a shiver races down my spine. Blake is powerful. That much, I know. Everywhere I go, he seems to be there, calling the shots, choosing exactly how things are going to unfold. That can’t be a coincidence. How much power does he have? And how much of it is aimed at me, controlling me, bending me to his will? Who knows what else he enjoys doing with it?

I shove the invitation into my pocket and hurry to put the book back on the shelf. I glance around, making sure nobody has seen me, but it feels too late for that now. It’s like I’ve uncovered knowledge that I shouldn’t have gotten my hands on, as though I should know better than to let my mind stray down this path.

I scoop everything into my bag and take off back toward my dorm room. Outside, the cool night air bites at my skin. The quad is almost eerily quiet. I pause for a moment, feeling eyes on me, but brush the thought off quickly.

Whatever this Silencio society is, I get the feeling that I haven’t heard the last of them. And I might have made a dumb-as-hell move, stealing from one of their members.

Guess I’ll find out the next time I see Blake.

Chapter Twelve—Blake

I stalk back and forth behind the restaurant, my chest flaming with anger. If he thinks I’m going to let him spend the night flirting with my girl without any payback, he’s got another thing coming.

I know coming out here was a mistake. I should be at Silencio’s social gathering to welcome in some legacy members who will be joining us in the new semester. I’m the damn head of the place, and if I’m not there, everyone will notice. But I’ve been feeling this inexplicable pull toward Sophia from the moment I woke up, as though my addiction to her can’t be sated by anything other than indulging in her presence.

I know she’s working tonight. I keep an eye on the schedule here, whether or not I plan to visit. I want to know where she’s going, who she’s with, at all times. After that kiss, I know it’s only a matter of time until we make the final move to be with each other, and I’m not about to let anyone get in the way of that.

Especially not this little creep. I’ve been drinking at my usual spot all evening and watching Sophia serve a group of guys at another table. One of them—Tommy, I heard her call him—seems too friendly with her, chatting with her like he knows her, getting her to laugh at his jokes. I overheard him making some comment about driving her home later, and I’ll be damned if I let that happen.

There’s only one guy I want her to be riding with tonight.

I keep pacing in the back alleyway, where I know she comes when she’s finished her shift. I’ve picked up on every little detail about her, everything I can about how she functions here, and I know where she goes, right down to the exit she uses and the shoes she changes into when she’s finished.

Not long now.

She’ll finish her shift in just a few moments, and if everything goes to plan, she should be coming out right about...

Now.

She steps out of the back exit, glancing over her shoulder and laughing at something Tommy is saying to her. But when she walks straight into me, she jumps and stops dead in her tracks.

"Blake?” she blurts out. "What are you doing here?"

I ignore her, my eyes skimming over to Tommy. The smile he had on is swiftly falling from his face.

"You know who I am?" I take a step toward him as I speak, challenging him. He draws back from me, clearly not looking for a fight.

"Uh, I guess," he replies.

"You guess?" I snarl back, and I grab his jaw, forcing him to look up at me. Anger consumes me for a moment, a red mist dropping down in front of my eyes when I think of all the attention he has kept from me tonight. I want to beat his face into a bloody pulp, right here and now, get the servers at this place to clean it up.

"Hey, man, what the fuck are you doing?" he protests. I feel Sophia’s small hand on my shoulder, tugging me back.

"Blake, just leave him alone—"

"You said you were driving her home," I say, my voice dropping low. "Is that true?"

"He’s been giving me lifts back to campus after work because his girlfriend lives close to me," she argues, trying to pull me away again. Tommy is staring back up at me, total terror written all over his face. He knows who I am, he knows what I’m capable of, and he knows what I can do, given the chance.

What I will do to him, if he’s not careful.

"You’ve got nothing to worry about tonight," I growl. "I’ll take care of her. You hear me?"

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