Page 66 of Vito

"You want Gilly's?" Vito guesses, and I nod. "You should keep your behavior as routine as possible. Going back to Gilly's so late and sleeping there could be noticed."

I don't respond; instead, I give him directions to the back route to approach Gilly's. I'll get them to drop me off a few blocks away, which happens to be the entrance for the secret passageway—not that I'll tell them that, though. Once they leave me, I'll go into the passageway. I've only taken it a few times, not loving the dark, long, narrow subterranean space.

"Drop me off here," I order. "It's better if you don't drop me off right at Gilly's."

Vito glances at Raf but does as I say. As soon as we pull up to the curb, I hop out. Then I realize Raf got out with me.

"What the hell, Raf?"

He doesn't answer or stay with me on the sidewalk. He jogs around the front of the SUV just as Vito steps onto the sidewalk.

"Vito," I hiss as Raf drives away.

He tilts his head at me. "We standing out here all night?"

"You can until your Uber or someone picks you up," I snark.

"Eden," he growls, but then his scowl eases. "I just want to make sure Gilly's is secure. Then I'll leave you locked in your Fort Knox office."

I pinch the bridge of my nose, exhaustion and frustration warring in me. The last thing I need is for Vito to still be around me. Alone.

"The two of us arriving together could be noticed," I argue.

He doesn't seem to give a rat's ass; he just hikes his brow, waiting.

I'm beyond tired, and I don't have the patience to deal with this.

Going into Gilly's via the secret route is the least risky because I wouldn't be captured by security cameras. Vito is right; I don't want people to wonder about or question my actions tonight. But he stubbornly refuses to leave me alone until he ensures I'm safe. The longer we stand out here, the more chances we have of someone seeing us.

We're already keeping a massive secret; what's one more about the secret passageway?

My exhausted mind is quickly assessing the risks—it's riskier to stand here and argue with a stubborn, bullheaded bastard.

"Let's go, you fucking cunt," I snarl.

He laughs, but it trails off when I don't head in the direction that will connect to the street that takes us to Gilly's.

He's quiet as I use a key to open a building's side door. I can feel his unspoken questions as we enter the dark lobby, and I lead us to a door hidden behind a curving staircase.

Using the same key, I unlock that door. Dim lights come on as we enter the narrow stairwell, and the motion sensors activate the lights as we descend.

Once we reach the bottom, I lead us through a maze of hallways in the basement. Vito is still silent but follows closely behind me. We reach a dead-end with a locked door. There's a panel hidden behind a fake brick, and I slide it open and type in a code. The heavy metal door clunks open and, taking a deep breath, I step into the narrow, dark passageway.

Chapter 19

Eden

Theclosingoftheheavy metal door sounds like it's sealing my fate.

After turning on my phone's flashlight, I watch Vito slowly spin around in the space.

"A secret tunnel," he exhales, his eyes gleaming in the light from my phone. "Is there a secret society, too?"

I'm mesmerized by his lips. The scruff only makes them more enticing. They look soft. They'd feel amazing on my skin and on my pussy.

With the effort worthy of an Olympian, I look away. "Come on," I grit, turning on my heel and walking down the passageway.

He's close behind me. He doesn't touch me, but I feel him as if he were.

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