Page 23 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

I’m not sure how long I spend underneath the showerhead, icy-cold water blasting down on me. When I finally step out about fifteen minutes later, she’s gone. I growl deep in my throat as I step out of the room, looking for traces of her in the living room, but there’s nothing. All her clothes, her bag, everything’s gone.

Anger pulses through me.It’s five in the fucking morning. Where the hell did she go?

I head back into my bedroom to get dressed, pulling on my boxer briefs and a shirt. Which is when my gaze falls on a bright pink sticky note attached to my nightstand. Her handwriting is horrendous, but I’m able to make out the barely legible words she scribbled on it.

You’re probably going to be mad. I’m sorry, but I had to leave. I had a lot of fun, though. Thank you again for saving me earlier. Goodbye, Dominic. Hopefully we never run into each other again. Sincerely, your one-night stand, Madelyn.

I scoff, crunching the paper in my hand before dropping it back onto the table.

My fists clench as I storm across my apartment toward the locked door to my security room. I punch in the code and the door opens to reveal several monitors all displaying various important feeds. Most of the cameras are placed in strategic places so I can watch over members of the mafia. There’s one in front of the Don’s house and other important members of the table, as well.

I head over to the closest one and, with the click of a couple of keys, I’m able to hack into all the security cameras between here and Madelyn’s home. I watch as she calls a cab in front of my apartment building. She’s smoothed out her hair and put on all her clothes but I can still make out a slight limp as she walks into the cab.

My attention is fixed on the screens, watching to make sure she arrives at her home. She does so in under thirty minutes, and once I’ve ascertained that she’s safely inside, I get to my feet and walk out of the room.

She thinks she can away from me? She’s sorely mistaken.

Sincerely, my one-night stand?

My lips curve up in a smirk. She has no idea what she’s gotten herself into. I warned her, though. I told her she was going to regret it. And I plan on fulfilling that promise.

CHAPTER 6

Madelyn

Ibreak out of the water with a sharp gasp, the chill pressing against my skin like an old friend. The water is cold enough to sting, but I barely notice it. I take a deep breath, let it fill my lungs, and then push off the edge of the pool. My arms slice through the water in perfect rhythm, one stroke after another, until I reach the other side.

For a moment, I stay submerged, hovering just beneath the surface. The world up there doesn’t exist right now. None of my problems exist. And a certain gray-eyed man who wrecked my entire world two days ago also doesn’t exist. It’s quiet down here, peaceful. My happy place.

The muffled stillness wraps around me like a blanket, silencing the noise that constantly hums in my brain. I resurface slowly, taking a deep breath, and lean against the pool’s edge. The second-floor windows are fogged up from the heat inside clashing with the chill outside, but I can still make out the glow of streetlights from below. The city is only just waking up. The clock on the wall of the pool area read 6:24 a.m. I’ve been here for thirty minutes.

I can hear the faint hum of treadmills starting up downstairs, which means gym members are starting to arrive. That’s my cueto leave. My teeth chatter slightly as I climb out of the pool. Swimming with winter fast approaching is an activity many people might avoid, but it’s comforting to me. A sort of coping mechanism. Is it unhealthy? Sure. But it works.

I grab the towel I’d laid out on the patio chair, tilting my head back to run it through my wet hair. I close my eyes for a second. My muscles are loose now, tired in that good way that only swimming brings. My breathing steadies, matching the rhythm of the faint ripples in the water. I feel lighter.

The sound of the pool door opening pulls me out of my thoughts.

“Hey, Maddie. Are you done?”

I turn to look at Thomas, the middle-aged owner of the building. I flash him a smile of gratitude. Most people wouldn’t let me into the pool this early but Thomas makes an exception for me.

“Yes, thanks, Tom.”

“How you swim in this temperature is beyond me,” he states, crossing his arms around his chest.

His blue eyes trail down, resting on my breasts for a moment before moving to my legs. I’m not sure what he’s even looking at, considering I’m all covered up today. I had to wear a swimsuit instead of a bikini like I would usually wear thanks to the fact that there’s still a handprint visible on my ass. Dominic’s handprint. The past two days have been filled with him constantly occupying space in my head. I can still feel him inside of me and it aches a little when I move.

The effect he’s had on me is staggeringly ridiculous.Get a grip, Madelyn.

“You know me, Tom,” I say in reply. “I’ll swim in any weather. Anyway, I’ve got to get to work. Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome,” he says on a nod, offering me a smile that I return.

He’s kind of a perv but a harmless one. Look at me all you want, but once you touch, it becomes a problem. I offer him a short wave as I make my way to the changing room.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m walking out of the building. It’s three stories with a gym, a pool, and a spa. I’ve been coming here since I moved to the neighborhood five years ago. And while I use the pool religiously, I’ve never been to the gym and I went to the spa only once, when Thomas gave me a voucher.

It’s a five-minute walk to my house. By the time I arrive at the driveway, the sun is just beginning to rise. My little house sits at the end of a quiet street. It’s nothing too fancy—just a small two-bedroom place with a white fence and a green front door that I repainted myself last spring.

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