Page 28 of Kidnapped By the Mafia

It’s where deals are made, alliances forged, and enemies quietly eliminated—sometimes literally. The kind of place where the wealthy and powerful come to indulge their vices and plot their next move in the shadows. It’s where I belong, where I’ve always belonged.

But tonight, the usual comfort I find in this den of luxury feels muted, distant. My eyes are fixed on the dark, swirling liquid in my glass, but my mind is somewhere else—on her.

I’ve been keeping my distance from Emily since the wedding, even though every instinct I have screams to be near her.

She’s in my penthouse, probably pacing the marble floors like she has for the last week, cursing my name, wondering why I’ve been so cold to her since I made her my wife.

The thought should bring me some satisfaction—I’ve always enjoyed being the one in control, the one who decides how close or far people get to me. But with Emily, it’s different. It’s never been this hard to stay away from someone.

Across from me, Jake lounges in his chair, his sharp eyes watching me closely. He can read me like a book, but he’s smart enough not to mention the turmoil he’s probably seeing in me right now.

He clears his throat, breaking the silence between us. “Albrecht’s pissed that his business got shut down. Been making a few attacks over the last week.”

“Fuck him.”

“You won’t say that if we start taking some real damage.”

“I don’t give a shit about skirmishes.”

He shrugs. “How’s the marriage going? I hear she looked terrified during the ceremony. Threatened her roommate, did you?”

I let out a slow breath, swirling the amber liquid in my glass before taking a sip. The burn of the whiskey does little to distract me from the gnawing sense of unease I’ve been carrying around. “She wasn’t supposed to enjoy it,” I reply, keeping my voice even, detached. “The shock was necessary.”

He raises an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced by my nonchalance. “Necessary for what, exactly? Keeping her scared enough to stay? Or are you just afraid of what might happen if she sees the real you? The one that actually wants her?”

His words hit closer to the truth than I’m comfortable admitting, even to myself. I’ve kept Emily at arm’s length for a reason—because getting too close to her, letting her see the man beneath the cold exterior, is dangerous. Not just for her, but for me.

I can’t afford to have any weaknesses, especially not now when my enemies are circling like vultures, waiting for a chance to strike.

“I had to move fast because someone was trying to get to her,” I say, leaning back in my chair and fixing my gaze on Jake. “Some asshole snuck into her building. They wanted to take her, Jake. Kidnap her right from under my nose. I had to get her to safety.”

“What about Mia?”

“I’ve beefed up the security around the apartment, got a team watching twenty-four seven. Nothing will happen to her.”

“Empty threat to hurt her? Good. I thought you didn’t hurt women.”

“I don’t but I needed to get Emily here fast. She needed to think the threat was real.”

Jake’s expression darkens, and he nods slowly. “You think it was Albrecht who sent the kidnapper?”

“Who else?” I reply, my voice tinged with bitterness. “The bastard’s been trying to undermine me forever. Taking Emily would have been a perfect way to weaken me, to make me vulnerable. Bet even he wasn’t expecting me to marry her that quick. He sent two to her apartment the week before I snatched her, did you know that?”

“I gutted one of them, of course I know that.”

“I mean, did you know that the son of a bitch thinks she means something to me. He won’t stop until I fuck him up.”

The thought of losing her—of Albrecht getting his hands on her—makes my blood run cold. It’s why I’ve kept her locked away, why I’ve been treating her with such calculated indifference. I can’t let her see how much she’s gotten under my skin. Can’t risk my enemies seeing that.

He leans forward, his eyes narrowing. “You’re keeping your distance from her?”

“She’s pregnant,” I say, the words tasting foreign on my tongue.

“Congratulations. You work fast.”

“I keep her at arm’s length until I deal with Albrecht. Meanwhile, she’ll give me the heir I need to secure the future of my empire. That’s all that matters.”

But even as I say it, I know it’s a lie—at least, a half-truth. The baby she’s carrying is important, yes, but it’s more than that. There’s something about Emily, something that pulls at me in a way no one ever has. It’s unsettling, dangerous, and I hate that it makes me feel weak.

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