Page 312 of Bad for Me

ALESSIO

Hadley opensthe door of the yoga studio and slips out onto the street. Her gray crop top is clinging to her chest, and as she turns to the right, I catch how fucking good her ass looks as it swallows the purple fabric stuck to her legs.

Did she wake up and shower? Clean me off of her? Did she grind her pussy into the mattress when I left? Is my cum still melted into the buttery flesh of her ass?

All questions I’ll never have an answer for, because she’ll never know about what I’ve done.

Benny is tailing the boyfriend, gathering information while I keep a protective eye on her. Her next shift at the club is in three hours, and I wonder about what her routine is. Will she head home and shower? Go grocery shopping? I step into the stride of the crowd in the streets, using the hustle and bustle to blend in.

She’s about fifteen feet ahead of me, and she takes a hard left down another street. We head this way for a few blocks before she crosses onto another block again. Then we’re in Rittenhouse Square Park. She makes herself comfortable against a tree, pulls out a laptop from her bag, and settles it into her lap.

I settle on a bench across from her and wait. She’s content. Settled into her new life with a new identity. I don’t like that she works in a nightclub where Made Men frequent, and I fucking hate that she’s sleeping with someone else. I despise how tiny her apartment is, and how her clothes seem to be second-hand.

But she’s not miserable.

In the months leading up to her disappearance, she’d seemed so unhappy. I just assumed it was because she was grieving the loss of her father, of the brother who pushed her to the side and didn’t care for her. But now I see she wasn’t thriving in that environment.

She needed to be let out of that gilded cage. She needed to be free.

My phone buzzes, and I pull it out to check the notifications.

“He’s the son of a Cappo here. They know who she is,” Benny rushes out before I can even greet him.

“What do you mean they know who she is?”

He lets out a huff. “I cornered their housekeeper. Offered her some money and she told me that the Alberos ran a background check on her when she applied for the job at the club. They’ve known the entire time she’s Irish Mafia.”

“What the fuck?” I say into the phone. “How?”

“I don’t know.” Benny’s breathing picks up. He’s walking fast or maybe even running. “It’s time to take her the fuck home, Less.”

“Meet me at the hotel in twenty minutes,” I say. “Have the car ready.”

“Got it, boss,” Benny says as I disconnect the call and slide it back into my pocket.

I stand from the bench and stuff my hands into the pantsuit pockets before striding toward her. She’s so lost in her own world, headphones in, head in her work. She doesn’t even see me coming. Not until I come to a full stop over her. My body blocks the sun, illuminating her in darkness.

“You can run, little deer. But I will always catch you,” I say.

She stiffens before gaining the courage to peer up at me. When she finally does, her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of me. I know the second she recognizes me, the moment her pupils dilate with her shock, and her look of curiosity turns to one of a scared little deer.

“I’ve found you,cara mia,” I say. “Now, it’s time to come home.”

Hadley shakes her head frantically as she stands, then, she takes off in the opposite direction. I let out a chuckle. I’ve always loved a good chase, and though we’re on a time crunch, I pick at my nails as I give her a ten-second head start.

3

HADLEY

My mouth is dry.My chest is tight as I try to take in oxygen. I’m tired. I workout at the gym, and go for runs a few times a week, but this is different. Running when being chased, the adrenaline coursing through my veins, the sheer fear of what he’ll do to me if he catches me.

Alessio found me.

Luckily I’ve lived in Philly long enough that I know the shortcuts. I can tell which streets will lead to a dead-end alley, or open up to a new block.

“Hadley,” Alessio calls from behind me. His voice is calm, without any trace of panted breaths.

He’s running after me just fine. Meanwhile, I feel as though my heart is pounding so fast that it’ll explode right out of my chest. I need to take a break, but I can’t. The second I slow down or look back, he will gain on me.

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