Page 24 of Unwanted Marriage with the Mafia Boss

“Close your eyes,” he says. “If you open them before I tell you to, you’re not going anywhere.”

I do it. He moves so quietly that the chain attached to my cuff barely clinks. I just feel the pressure around my wrist disappearing. Trying something now would be pointless. I don’t have a weapon anymore, the element of surprise is gone, and Adriano is stronger than me and probably armed. I’ll have to come up with a different plan later. For now, I’m grateful that I’m still alive and breathing.

“Open your eyes.” Adriano lounges against the wall, his hand hovering over his gun. “The bathroom is right through that door across from you. Run for the wrong one, and you’ll regret it.”

I make my way to the bathroom, keeping an eye on him. As I shut the door behind me, I let out a sound that’s a mix of a cry and a sigh. I slump down to the floor, my back against the door.

The bathroom is so damn nice and modern, but I can’t stay in here forever. There aren’t any windows either, just a small vent. If I take too long, Adriano might come looking for me, and I don’t want that. I give myself a moment to let the tears run down my face, and then I get to my feet.

This isn’t over. I’ll find a way to get free. I have to. Despair has never helped anyone, and it won’t help me either. I’ve been through something like this before, except this is a whole new level of crazy. All I have to do is find my inner strength and let it guide me.

CHAPTER 13

Adriano

I watch the bathroom door.As I touch my cheek, I see a little bit of blood on my fingers. Who would’ve thought Chiara would try to kill me? I should have considered that possibility, especially because she had the pillow over her face.

Hell, only a blind idiot wouldn’t figure out that the knife was gone. One quick glance. It was all I needed to figure out her plan. But all I saw was Chiara’s unmoving body. At that moment, I only wanted to make sure she was still alive. Nothing else mattered.

My mistake could’ve been fatal. I don’t know why it’s so easy to lower my guard around her. Maybe I’m too used to her presence. Our situation has changed since Amore Bruciante, but it doesn’t feel that way to me.

When I had her pinned under me, I wanted to kiss her. I wanted to forget everything else and just take her right then and there. Satisfy the hunger inside me. Even now, my cock is still hard. Fuck.

Rocco was definitely right. She’s a distraction, and this isn’t going to be easy, but I like a challenge. If I can’t handle Chiara, then what the fuck am I even doing? I’ve always put business over pleasure, and I’m going to do so now.

As Chiara strolls out of the bathroom, her a-little-too-wide eyes meet mine. I want to go over to her and wrap her in my arms. Tell her everything’s going to be okay and that she’s safe with me.

But it would be a lie, wouldn’t it?

I dialParadossi’s number and it goes straight to voicemail. Just fucking great. Did he really turn off his phone? It’s still early, and he hasn’t heard from his daughter. Was I wrong and he actually doesn’t care about her? It’s too early to make any conclusions. It hasn’t been all that long since I took Chiara with me.

I try to call Chiara’s uncle since Rocco found his number too, but the line just rings and no one picks up. Maybe I should make a call from Chiara’s phone, in case the uncle doesn’t answer unknown numbers.

I call Rocco instead.

“No one’s picking up,” I say. “Do you have the number of Chiara’s mother?”

“Yeah, I’ll send it to you,” he says. “But the uncle apparently has a cabin in the mountains and the signal is spotty there.”

“Why the fuck would they go to the mountains?”

“For some peace and quiet, I guess.”

“Great,” I mutter.

They’ll have to go somewhere with a signal eventually, or they won’t hear from Chiara. I can’t imagine they wouldn’t call to make sure everything’s okay. I just have to be patient and wait for tomorrow. They’ll call her, or they’ll pick up the damn phone.

I adjustmy pillow and lie down on the sofa. A moment later, I groan in annoyance. It’s fucking uncomfortable. Too soft in certain places and too hard in others. I roll onto my side, but it doesn’t help.

With a sigh, I get to my feet. I grab the blanket and the pillow and toss them on the floor behind the sofa. It’s been a while since I slept on the floor, but at least I’m used to it and won’t be tossing and turning all night.

I sprawl on the blanket and stare at the ceiling. Is Chiara asleep? I opened the drapes so there’d be some light in the room, so she wouldn’t be too afraid to sleep. Gennaro would lock me up in the basement as punishment when I messed up, and I always hated the complete darkness around me. A sliver of light would’ve helped, but it was always pitch black.

Maybe I should have checked to make sure Chiara wouldn’t hurt herself too. It’s funny. She’s the one who tried to stab me with a knife, and I’m thinking about whether the cuff will hurt her arm or if she’ll be able to sleep.

But while she’s here, she’s my responsibility. I don’t want to hurt her. It’s not her fault she got caught up in the middle of all this.

Chiara watchesme with her doe eyes as her lips spread into a smile. She goes down on her knees in front of me and unzips my pants. Everything around us is hazy enough to let me know this is a dream, but I don’t want it to stop.

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