Page 34 of Escape You

Through the grime on the window, I recognized the two bodyguards assigned to my detail. They combed the area looking for me. I’d been gone for too long. “I gotta go. Gotta get ready for my wedding.”

He tapped his ear. “You know where to find me.”

I waited until the guys reached the end of the street to sneak out of the building and run around the block. When I turned the bend on the next street, I ran into Jac’s men. More than pissed for losing track of me, they were relieved to have found me again. It would’ve been hell for them to have to explain to Jac Rossi that his grandson was gone or worst, dead.

Never mind that Chase Rossi had been deceased for over a month. What would Mia do when she found out she was about to marry a dead man? Unfortunately, Chase was the least of her problems.

Something in her kiss last night told me she felt something for me. Something beyond the physical chemistry we’d had for each other since we met. Whether we liked it or not, we were a family now. If I did what Clifton asked and stole back what she took from Rossi, she would rightfully see that as a betrayal. She would hate me, and I didn’t think I could live with that.

A black SUV jumped the curb in front of me. A bodyguard reached over and opened the door for me. “Your workout session is done. Mr. Rossi needs you back at the penthouse.”

“What happened?” The look in his eyes set off all kinds of alarms in my head. My heart pounded at the thought of Mia being in trouble.

“Mr. Rossi will explain.” He scanned the area in front of him, as if he expected someone to start shooting at us.

“No, asshole. You explain it to me right now,” I said through gritted teeth.

“Looks like your fiancée’s gone missing.”

Gone missing could mean one of two things. Mia escaped. Though that wouldn’t make sense. She’d already made a deal with Rossi. Running off would put her crew at risk, and I was certain she wouldn’t want that. Maybe Clifton didn’t like my answers and decided to go after Mia himself. What would he do? Tell her the truth? That I wasn’t Chase and that I lied to her? Fuck.

“Let’s go.” I climbed in the back seat. I had to find Mia and tell her everything myself.

11

Please, No Dead Bodies Today

Mia

“Rossi let you out?” Vic asked the second I climbed in the back of the SUV. He met my gaze in the rearview mirror. No doubt looking for cuts or bruises.

“I didn’t ask. I walked out when my keeper left his post to take a piss.” I made myself comfortable in the seat. It was good to be out. That many days in the penthouse with nothing to do had been murder. Being idle like that had my mind going back to Chase at every turn. I touched a finger to my lips. Twice now, I’d let him kiss me. Even if last night’s kiss had been nothing more than a distraction to throw off Rossi’s guys, it’d felt real to me. Why did he help me? That was a sure way to get killed in this business. I was grateful for it, except now his kiss was all I could think about.

“Rossi’s not gonna be happy.”

“Until I marry his precious grandson, he’ll have to put up with whatever I decide to dish him.”

Vic glanced at his watch. “Which is in about twenty-six hours.”

“Fuck. I know.”

As soon as we crossed the bridge, I put down the window. The Jersey breeze infused me with contentment. I’d been away from home for too long. For sure, I’d thought I’d have this Rossi situation handled. But the days ticked away, and we were no closer to turning the tables on him than we were the night he picked me up at the warehouse. If the Rizzo brothers didn’t have anything for me, I would have to seriously consider marrying Chase. What other choice did I have?

“Okay, I’m ready for an update. How’s Manny’s leg? How did his surgery go?”

“I spoke with the doctor yesterday. She said he did well. His brother, Tom, came by earlier. They’ve been working from the hospital.”

I smiled at the news. The crew was finally ready to trust me. The sooner we got Rossi off our backs, the sooner we could go back to business as usual. “I hope he has good news for us.”

“He said he does. Mia, I’ve been mulling this over. Even if the Rizzo brothers found something we can use against him, how do you think he’s going to react to that?”

“I know. That’s why we need to make sure he doesn’t have time to react.” Those were just words. In truth, I had no way of knowing Rossi wouldn’t retaliate. His vengeance on my crew could range from killing all of us, or just me, or Vic, or taking my baby. I placed a hand over my flat stomach. Physically, I didn’t feel pregnant, though the hormones had already kicked in. Why else would I feel like I could kill Rossi with my bare hands every time I thought about him taking my baby away? I had no doubt he would do exactly that the minute he found out I was carrying his great-grandchild, his successor. What would Chase do if I told him? “I’ve considered a true alliance.”

“Do you really think he’ll let you run the Jersey crew? What do you think that’s going to look like? Before all of Jersey becomes one happy crew?”

“He means to wreak havoc. A war right in our backyard.” I leaned on the passenger door and inhaled. Rossi had us by the balls. Anger swirled in my stomach. He’d only come after the Rogue River crew because of me, because he considered me a weak spot. He never would have attempted this when Uncle Mickey was the boss.

“Right. This is an all or nothing, Mia.”

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