Page 33 of Cassio (Belles & Mobsters 3)

Besides, no man in their right mind would want to go to a Chippendale party. Not unless there were also female strippers there too.

She rolled her eyes. “They’d never know.”

My eyes flicked across the younger man’s face that watched Margaret with fascination. A dark gleam in his eyes, almost possessive.Interesting. I glanced at Margaret, but her eyes kept darting between both men, completely oblivious to it.

Returning my attention to the men, I noted a striking resemblance between the two. They had to be brothers, I went to open my mouth, but unexpectedly, the words got stuck in my throat. I frowned. He looked familiar too. My eyes went back and forth between two men.

I had met these men, not two years ago but a long time ago. I’d stake my life on it. My eyebrows scrunched, yet no memories came.

Why can’t I remember?

I had a good memory, sharp mind. At least that was what everyone said. With these two men, I felt like I was missing something. Something very important.

“Do I know you?” I asked the younger guy. I had no idea where the words came from. It sounded cheesy, like a bad pickup line. I didn’t care. This was a puzzle that felt important to solve.

Both of them remained quiet, but I saw the briefest of glances they shared. My temple started to throb again, the pulsing, beating sensation a sure sign of impending headache.

“It’s right there, I know it,” I muttered under my breath. My fingers went to my temples, pressing against them. The pain was killing me. This was different from my previous episodes. “I can almost-”

“Áine, what the fuck is going on?” Margaret’s voice held a note of alarm.

I blinked my eyes; each throb through a sharp piercing pain through my skull. It was so intense I thought my brain would explode. I focused my eyes on my cousin, taking measured breaths to help calm down the throbbing headache. I saw the panic on Margaret’s face and regret hit me. This was her bachelorette weekend. It wasn’t her fault I was a bit mental.

I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and then forced a smile. “I’m sorry. It was nothing. All good,” I told her in a forced light voice. I probably just remembered two years ago and was putting too much value into it all. Besides, yesterday’s events had an impact and shook me to my core.

The whole elevator jerked and came to a stop, causing my heart to skid to a halt and my stomach to drop.

“What- what was that?” My eyes darted around, a memory blinked in my head and vanished the same second. God, I felt like I was losing my mind. Why was all this shit happening this weekend? My whole body tensed while my heart pounded in my chest. My phobia of elevators came back tenfold.

Breathe,I told myself.

Another loud thump of the elevator, then the lights went out and the elevator jerked again. Margaret screeched, the sound almost deafening.

“W-what… “ I couldn’t finish the sentence. There were distorted images playing in my mind, yet I couldn’t place them.The building shaking. The elevator stopping. Men bursting through the ceiling of the lift.

My eyes raised to the ceiling, but there was nothing there. It was like watching glimpses of events through a thick fog and trying hard to make sense. I couldn’t connect any of them in my mind.

“Power probably went out.” My head snapped to both men. They were both calm, unperturbed by what was happening. Not me! I’d lose consciousness any second, my breathing becoming rapid. But somehow not enough oxygen entered my lungs.

Let me be stuck anywhere, just not in the elevator. Anywhere… desert, war zone, just not the damn elevator. My breathing was labored and getting worse with each second.

Then self-preservation kicked in. Without a second thought, I shoved both of them out of the way. They were strong guys, much taller and bigger than me, but I guess adrenaline kicked in. My frantic fingers started pushing on all the buttons.

“Hello? Oh God,” I chanted, my lips trembling. “Hello?”

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.Damn, it’s not helping.

I pressed my forehead against the panel of the elevator, desperate to calm my racing heart while my ears buzzed.

“Stairs. Should have taken the stairs,” I muttered breathlessly to myself. If we had, we wouldn’t be in this predicament.

“Calm down,” Margaret tried to soothe me. “It will probably be a minute or two, five tops.”

With shaking hands, I started pushing all the buttons again. I glanced up towards the ceiling, almost expecting someone to barge in.

“Five? I can’t hold my breath for five minutes.” My breathing got erratic. “Oh my God. I can’t breathe.”

It felt suffocating. I put my hand on my chest, heart pounding under my palm. I tried to use all my training to ease out the panic, the fear gripping at my chest right now. It wasn’t helping. The buzzing in my ears became louder and louder. My panic kept increasing with each breath as if fed by the oxygen, my eyes darting between three of them. “Can you breathe?”

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