Page 19 of Deadly Obsession
I didn’t even want to come to the man’s party, but Noah promised me we’d get to hang out.
She’s never broken a promise to me.
We met at our job. I’m a part-time server at a bar in Midtown East and Noah walked in a few months ago needing a bartending gig. We clicked immediately. She’s outgoing, confident, beautiful. She’s also tough and doesn’t take shit from anyone.
She’s inspired me to be stronger, to stick up for myself.
I’ve been working to claim my freedom and individuality back since leaving my ex, and Noah has been my personal cheerleader.
And now my best friend is on stage, confessing to the crowd that her real name is Noemi Lenetti, and she’s not dead.
What? Not dead? What does she mean?
Ok. Yeah, she definitely left out a shit ton of details about her past.
What the actual fuck is going on?
I need more booze, but the arm around me won’t budge, even when I squirm and try to step away from the massive man who smells like mahogany, vanilla, and something roasted... like a cozy night by the fire, eating vanilla Christmas cookies.
The man’s warm, too. I want to lean my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. I want to cuddle up to his side and fall asleep.
“Let’s go,” he says to me and releases his hold.
The freezing air of the ballroom washes over me at his absence, and I shiver.
Back to reality and pretending to hate this man so I can keep him at a distance.
It’s really for the best.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” I spit out.
Elias grabs my hand and tugs. I attempt to use my weight to prevent us from moving, but my heels on the marble floor give me no traction.
“AndI’mnot leaving you here by yourself after the daughter of New York City’s most powerful crime boss just announced she’s engaged to the enforcer for a rival mob,” Elias whispers next to my ear.
He maneuvers us through the crowd, his hands on my hips and his body near flush with my back.
“Wait, what? Noah’s engaged? To who?”
“To my brother.”
I whip my head back around to see Noah hugging Del’s arm.
“Del?”
How did I miss that part?
Right, I was in shock from my bestie’s confession.
And I was daydreaming about Elias.
“Wait. Del’s your brother? Hold on. Did you say Noah’s the daughter of a powerful crime boss? And what do you mean by rival mob? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY ENFORCER?”
I’m going to have an aneurysm.
“Who the fuck are you? I thought you were a nightclub owner. Is your name even Elias? You know, when I Googled Underground Park Slope owner trying to find information on you, Elias didn’t come up.”
“You Googled me?”
