Page 61 of Obsession

Adrian

New York City is busy and loud. Horns screech, and every street is filled with tourists and beggars. I’m not enthused by the sights, but Madi has wide eyes as she takes it all in. The private car Leo De Santis sent for me drops us off in front of a building that looks to be a remodeled warehouse. The sign on the front lists all the businesses that reside here, including King and Associates.

My understanding is that Val King, Leo’s wife, created this company back when she was pissed at the man and using her resources to blackmail men for money, and mostly good causes—like not taking advantage of women. Now that her revenge scheme against Leo is done, they work together instead. Mostly still on her good causes, but in some cases, they can be hired out.

What I know is that Leo owed Sam a favor, and he cashed it in on having him protect Lana and Naz when he sent them to New York. Asking for his help in getting him out of prison must tilt the balance, I’d assume. Either way, Sam sent me here to work with Leo and his crew to get him released. The bonus, Madi will get to see her cousin.

My hand is firmly grasped around Madi’s as we take the elevator up to the third floor, where the K&A office is. It’s a quaint space with a small reception area in the front, not that there’s a receptionist. There are doors on either side, leading to offices, and directly in front of us is a room with a large conference table.

“Hello?” I ask loudly into the office space.

“You must be Adrian.” The voice comes from a dark-haired man who steps out of one of the offices. He’s wearing all black, from his jeans to his leather jacket. His hair is slicked back, and he stands gruffly about four feet away from us with a face that seems to be assessing us for threats.

The only thing we have in common is our proximity to Sam, so I don’t expect the man to come out immediately trusting me.

“Leo, I presume.”

“And I’m Val.” A heavily pregnant woman walks out from the office she was in, moving past him to extend her hand to Madi first. “You must be Madi. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Madi startles. “You have?”

“Yeah.” Val gives her a soft smile. She looks like she could be a badass in her body-con red dress that hugs all her curves and shows off her pregnancy bump, her lips painted in a matching shade of red. “Your cousin, Lana, she never shuts up about you. She should be here soon. She’s excited to see you.”

On cue, the door behind us swings open, slamming off the wall. I move quickly, ready to protect Madi from an intruder, but not quick enough to prevent the auburn-haired woman from jumping on my wife, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

“Mads!” she screams.

“Lana!” They engulf each other in a tight embrace while the rest of us just watch. Behind Lana enters a man I assume to be Naz, the one she ran away to New York with. He runs a tattooedhand through his dark hair and shakes his head at the sight before him.

“Come on, Ladies.” Val slings a purse over her shoulder. “We’re gonna get lunch while the men talk.”

A pit forms in my stomach, and my face must show it.

“Don’t worry,” Leo tells me. “They’ll have protection with them. And they’re safe in this city. We have the backing of the Colombo family.”

It’s easy for him to say. I don’t trust any mafia family, even the one I work for, to keep my wife safe. I nod anyway, not willing to tell Leo that.

Madi turns to me, a big smile on her face. She looks happy, and that melts the ice around my heart. “Thank you,” she murmurs softly.

“Be safe,” I tell her, my voice stern. “Keep your phone on you the entire time and call me if anything seems off. Understood?”

She grins at my protectiveness, nodding. “Yes, father.”

“Behave,” I tell her, dropping my voice down low so only she can hear. “Or I’ll punish that sweet ass later.”

Pressing on her tiptoes, she gives me a quick kiss and then winks as she backs away. “Love ya.” The words leave her lips easily, and then she’s out the door with the other girls, but my heart stalls in my chest.

Love ya.

Surely, she didn’t mean to tell me she loved me. It’s just an expression, right? Either way, I can’t calm the rapid beating in my chest. Not even sure how I feel about it. Do I love Madi?

“Let’s get to business.” Naz claps his hands, shocking me out of my head.

The men lead me to the conference room, taking seats around the table.

“So,” Leo begins, clasping his hands in front of him. “How do we get Sam out of prison?”

We spendhours hatching a plan to get Sam released. At one point, we order Chinese takeout and plot out ideas on the oversized whiteboard in the office. Alessio, Leo’s tech guy, joins us in the afternoon, and the girls decide to go shopping after lunch. Suddenly, I feel grateful Madi has a distraction, something to bring her joy after everything she’s been through.

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