Page 3 of Escape My Love

“You think Jax gets his wish tonight?” she asked, then shook her head in disbelief. “No, it can’t be that easy.”

“Technically, it wasn’t that easy.”

She gripped the lapel of my tuxedo with a flick of fear in her eyes. “I don’t like this, Tyler. If I thought getting into bed with the Rossi family was a bad idea, this is a thousand times worse.”

“Agreed. Whatever they want, the answer is no.” I leaned in to kiss her but then thought better of it. Hiding my feelings for Mia kept getting harder and harder.

The doors to the boardroom opened again, and a man who couldn’t be older than thirty strode in and headed straight for the lion chair. He glared at it for a moment before he gripped the backrest. Dark would be a good word to describe him. Dark hair, dark eyes, dark mood—just dark.

I had to assume this guy was Rex Valentino, the one who got us all here, because the minute he walked in, everyone stood at attention. He scanned the faces in front of him as if taking count. When his gaze settled on me, I fought the urge to shift my weight or even glare. I kept a straight face until he turned to the bodyguard who’d come in on his heels.

“Where is he?” His deep voice rumbled in the room.

“He’s on his way up. There was a situation downstairs. But it’s resolved,” his guy answered. They were not concerned at all that the rest of us could hear them.

Rex adjusted his watch, and his features softened for a beat. “Is she with him?”

“Yes, sir. Everything is as you requested.”

He nodded toward the door. The bodyguard tapped his ear and headed out. Next to us, a man with silver rings on his fingers sat on one of the leather club chairs as if he were home. His devil-may-care smirk made him look uninterested, bored. But the intense look in his eyes told me he didn’t trust Rex any more than I did.

The door opened again, and an old man who could barely walk trudged in. A young woman in a red dress patiently ushered him to a seat near the head of the table. Rex smiled at the duo, ogling her in an almost-crude way.

“He’s here. I hope you’re happy.” She shot him a dirty look.

Didn’t they get tired of this hate between the families? We’d been here a total of twenty minutes, and I was about done. They all had this look on their faces, as if they were about to rip each other’s throats out. Even the woman with the angelic face seemed capable of killing. She directed most of her angry glances and pursed lips at Rex, who didn’t seem to mind.

“Yes, Caterina. This makes me happy.” He looked it as he pulled out his chair and sat. When he did, so did everyone else.

Mia walked past me and took the spot on Rex’s left. A half smirk pulled at his lips, but other than that, he didn’t make her move. I took the place next to hers because there was no chance in hell I’d let her out of my sight again.

“I believe the last time we were gathered like this, our families were still smuggling rum.” He chuckled. “I appreciate you making the time to come here tonight.”

“Get on with it, Rex,” the old woman said in a smoker’s voice. “If it’d been up to me, I wouldn’t be here.”

“Maybe this will be of interest to you, Signora Vittoria. As of last night, the entire Gallo family has been wiped out. Even the bastards.” He sat back with a satisfied look on his face when the old lady gasped, making the sign of the cross. His gaze fell on the two empty chairs next to her.

“The Big 5 is now down to four,” one of the men said, playing with the ring on his pinky. “Is that why we’re here, Rex? You could’ve sent an email and saved us all the aggravation.” He rose to his feet.

“Sit down, Santino.” Signora Vittoria’s voice was final.

Santino, who before couldn’t care less, now regarded the old lady with interest. He didn’t do as he was told, but he didn’t move either.

“No, that’s not why we’re here, Santi. The society has been around for a long time. In one night, we lost an entire family. I brought you here to call a truce, which will stay in place until we figure out who’s trying to wipe us out.” The obstinate look in Rex’s eyes made Santino plop himself on the chair with a devil-may-care smirk on his face

“A truce?” he asked. “Like what? We work together, one big happy family? No, thank you. I’ll take my chances.”

The room erupted into a bouquet of angry voices and frantic questions. I glanced at Mia, and she shook her head once. This wasn’t our fight. Someone out there had not only learned about the Gallo family’s connection to the society, but they had also figured a way to find and eliminate them all.

“Gallo,” Mia mouthed the word.

Several members of that family had attended our wedding. I knew that because I helped the FBI catalog their photos and names—every one of them. Was the FBI behind all this? If they were, I had not been briefed on it. Wouldn’t be the first time the agency went behind my back to advance their own cause, though. To hell with the risk I was taking by playing the part of Chase Rossi.

One by one, the different family members stood and headed for the door. They were under attack, and they knew that. But the idea of a truce to save the rest of the society was inconceivable to them. I stood and helped Mia out of her seat. My handgun had been confiscated before I even left the penthouse. For Mia’s sake, I hoped the others were required to leave their weapons at home as well. She turned to me, her hand hovering over her belly. For the first time since I met her, I saw fear in her eyes. Not for her, but for our baby.

Rex shot to his feet. “There’s a traitor in our midst. If you leave, I’ll assume you’re it. I’ll have no choice but to retaliate. The bylaws are clear on this. Someone betrayed the society, and I intend to find out who. There are only two sides to this coin. Which side are you on?” His gaze fell on the old man to his right and the woman with him before it shifted to Signora Vittoria.

In the next breath, several bodyguards burst through the doors, guns out as they found their bosses. The family members didn’t have weapons, but their lackeys did. This was a standoff. If this was my fight, I would have bet on Rex. But these people had too much history and too much blood on their hands to find a reason to trust each other. My spine spasmed as I stood there with nothing to defend myself, playing human shield to Mia. Time to leave.

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