Page 1 of Escape My Love

1

The Crucible

Mia

“What the hell is this place? And more importantly, why the fuck am I here?” I glared at the man who had more or less grabbed me from the Rossi penthouse. A bold move on his part, given how I’d recently married into a Mafia family under the protection of the Big 5—the five original crime families. At least that was the rumor. No one was stupid enough to test that theory.

The five original crime families had gone underground so long ago and were so hard to find, people had started to believe their existence was no more than a legend. Mafia families were still around, but a single crime society that controlled it all seemed far-fetched these days.

“Mr. Valentino promises you’ll have answers before the night is over.” The man pointed his head at my fur coat.

I rolled my eyes but shrugged out of it and dumped it in his arms. The freezing air brushed across my bare back as he ushered me inside the building. I was glad to exchange the dark and deserted alley for a place that was warm and full of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“This is why you had me change into this gown? A party in a fucking nightclub?” I shifted my body to address the man behind me, but he was gone. The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled. Fuck me.

I strode farther down the red-carpeted hallway toward the sensual music laced with laughter and happy voices. The elevator door slid open the second I reached it.

“Mrs. Rossi, welcome.” A guy in a tailored suit gestured for me to get in. He didn’t look like a doorman, but he didn’t look as if he were in charge either.

In my line of work, I’ve used this kind of intimidation tactic. As the boss of the Rogue River crew, I didn’t bother paying a visit to assholes who’d decided to step out of line. Instead, I had my guys deliver them to me. My best guess was this Mr. Valentino wanted a word with me. Fine. I played along and walked into the elevator car.

I strolled onto the rooftop with my senses on high alert. A woman in lingerie with short, shiny hair and red lips offered me a glass of champagne. I took it out of habit but didn’t drink. Babies and alcohol didn’t mix. Where the hell was Tyler? By now, I was sure he’d noticed I’d been taken, though I couldn’t exactly claim I’d been kidnapped. More like I was extended an invitation I couldn’t refuse.

The opulence of the place with its velvet sofas and upholstered leather club chairs spoke of power, money, and sex. It all dripped from the carmine silk walls and everything around me. I was fine with it. But this feeling of danger that crept in every dark corner put me on edge. Its presence crawled on my skin and drummed inside my chest. When I turned around, I ran into a chest I’d become intimately familiar with in the past few months.

“Omigod, Tyler. What the hell is going on?”

He held me tight. “Don’t know. I’m sorry—I didn’t have time to warn you.”

“Me neither.” I surveyed his dark tuxedo, and he did the same to my dress.

“This was not how I had planned to spend Valentine’s Day with you.” He slid his hands down my back and over the beaded fabric of the pale dress covering my ass.

“Don’t do that.” I sighed as his fingers left a trail of goose bumps on my arm.

“You look stunning.”

“We’re supposed to hate each other. Remember?” I pushed him away, ignoring the pressure building between my legs. Tyler and I had been forced into an arranged marriage and were expecting a baby in the summer. For the safety of our little family, we’d agreed to let everyone continue to believe that we hated each other’s guts, that our marriage was merely a business transaction to unite the New York and Jersey factions under the Rossi family.

“How could I forget? I miss you.”

“I miss you too.” I shuffled back another step. Even in this crowded space, we were being watched. The desire in his blue gaze made me wish we were back at his penthouse, the only place where we could be ourselves. “So this Valentino guy wants to talk to us. Why?”

“It’s hard to say how many allies or enemies Jax Rossi had.” He rubbed the sexy stubble on his cheek. “I’m the new boss of a faction that’s about to double in size. My guess is Valentino means to have a pissing contest with me. Fuck off is what I want to say. Actually, I did, and now we’re here.”

“Same with me.” I diverted my gaze to the women dancing on the short platforms set around the space. Their see-through leotards left nothing to the imagination. “How about we mingle and see if we can learn a bit more about this Valentino guy.”

“Mia, I think it’s best if we stay together.” He wrapped his fingers around my elbow.

Across the way, the man who’d brought me in regarded us with an impassive look about him, as if he wasn’t interested in our existence. I didn’t believe it for a second. I yanked my elbow free and glared at Tyler before I walked away. As much as I wanted to kiss him right now, we had to keep up appearances. If we let our guards down, our baby would pay the price. I cradled my small bump, then quickly dropped my hand to the side. This place wasn’t safe for us. Not until we figured out why we were here.

I set down my untouched glass of bubbles and headed for the bar near the glass enclosure. The view from up here was mesmerizing, though no one seemed to notice. Guests were too busy ogling the half-naked servers and dancers. In front of me, two women in their early twenties placed their orders. They held hands while their curious gazes roamed the surroundings.

“Holy shit, Emma, I can’t believe we got in.” The one in a tight leather dress bounced in place.

“I had a feeling tonight was our night. This place is everything I thought it would be.” Emma practically had stars in her eyes. “I wish I had my phone. My Insta account would blow up if I managed to post pictures of me inside the Crucible.”

“Dork. I’m sure that’s why they snatched our phones.”

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