Page 63 of Captive Mafia Wife

The man seems jittery, bouncing the girl on his hip as he stares at the crowd of us waiting opposite him. His eyes are steady and calculating. He spots something, seemingly just behind me.

His face drains of color. I snap my head over my shoulder to see what he’s looking at, but it’s only a crowd of faces. I turn back to him to find his face filled with fear.

I want a better look. I perch my sunglasses on top of my head. His gaze lands on mine.

My heart lurches into my throat. His eyes are pale blue. Ice blue. Too light. Only then do I see the dark vine tattoo creeping up the side of his neck.

The man from the club.

Fredrick stands beside me, unaware of any of this, grumbling something to himself about crowds.

“It’s him.” My voice comes out in a whisper. I tug Fredrick’s hand, raising my voice. “The man from Level Z.”

He instantly focuses. “Where?”

“There, across the street. The one with the light blue eyes and the vine tattoo on his neck. The one the bartender took away.”

He pushes a button at his ear, informing the guards of what I’ve seen, saying a name I’ve never heard: Ross Macdonald. He waits for a beat, listening for their instructions, then says, “They say move forward. They’ve spotted two members of the Hoax just behind us. They don’t think they have any idea we’re here. They think they are here for Ross.”

Fredrick’s hand presses protectively against my lower back. I think of that night when he tried to speak to me, and the bartender whisked him away. What did he want to tell me?

Now, the crowd is pushing against us, an unstoppable flow of migrating pack animals heading straight to him.

I feel safe with Fredrick and his team, his arm wrapping around my shoulders as we move. I don’t take my eyes off the man. Ross Macdonald only stops staring at me long enough to whisper down to the baby, kissing her head before focusing back on me.

He’s almost upon us. The way he’s staring at me with such intention, I can’t imagine what he wants from me. What do I do? “Do we just keep walking?”

“Yes. We must act relaxed and continue on our path to avoidbringing attention to ourselves. The guards have us covered.”

I wait for the man to pass me, but instead, so quickly neither Fredrick nor I can react, the man presses his heat and weight against me, then is gone from our sight.

And in my arms…

A dark-haired baby stares up at me, confusion in her island sky-blue eyes. Holding her light, warm weight against my chest, I realize she’s smaller and younger than I first thought.

Fredrick’s voice echoes around me. “What on Earth? Where has he gone?”

I can’t stop in the middle of the street, so I keep moving.

In my shock, my body reacts on its own. I wrap my arms tighter around the child, shifting her weight to hold her as securely as possible. I smooth her hair, whispering to her, “It’s okay. Everything is going to be okay.”

“What in the world?” Fredrick says again. We’re on the sidewalk now, our guards surrounding us. The men quickly usher us off the sidewalk and back to the road, where there’s a waiting Escalade.

They start to usher me and the baby into the back seat. I hover outside the door to glance around. “Wait! Where’s her father?”

Fredrick puts a hand on my shoulder, wanting me to get in the SUV. “He’s being pursued by two men we identified as members of the Hoax.”

“Should we help him?” I stare down at the beauty in my arms. “He is her father.”

“No. Absolutely not. I will not put you in danger.” His eyes shift to the street. “We haven’t even decided if we should take the girl.”

She chooses this moment to stare up at me, giving me a tiny smile. So young. A wee bit older than a year?

“Not take her with us? I’m still trying to figure out how to save her father.”

“We need to do what security deems best for you.” He hovers around me, one hand on me, the other on top of the car’s door, creating a protective cocoon around me and the baby while he waits for confirmation.

“We’re absolutely taking her with us.” Acting as her armor, I curve my body around her tiny one, sliding us into the safety of the back seat of the Escalade. Without arguing, Fredrick scans the road around us, then follows suit, sitting beside me.

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