Page 13 of My Mafia Chauffeur

"Yeah," I nodded as Anthony pulled the car back onto the road.

"Are you married?" I blurted out, the words escaping my lips before I could even think twice. The car was quiet, aside from the sound of the engine humming. Anthony looked at me in shock, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the road ahead. For a moment, I thought that maybe I had caught him red-handed in some sort of scandalous affair, but then he spoke.

"No…" he said, his voice low and guarded, “but I was almost married."

The way he said it made my heart ache for him. There was so much pain in his voice, so much hurt that he was clearly trying to hide. I could feel the tension in the car building like a rubber band stretched too tightly.

"She left," he added, his jaw clenching. I could see how much the memory hurt him, how much he must have been struggling to deal with the aftermath. I wondered what type of woman could have left someone like him. He seemed like the kind of person who would be an amazing partner, if not perfect. But then again, my cynical side kicked in, and I couldn't help but think about how badly he must have hurt her to make her run away.

I quickly snapped out of my thoughts and tried to think of some words of comfort. "Her loss, Anthony," I said, sounding as sincere as possible.

He turned to me, a boyish grin pasted on his face.

"You think?" he chuckled, clearly amused by my attempt at reassurance.

"Yes," I said firmly, but then I couldn't help but laugh. "But you're way too happy about this."

He laughed too, and I couldn't help but feel slightly lighter. It was like all the tension had just evaporated in an instant. I had never seen someone snap out of a bad mood so quickly.

We continued driving, chatting away like old friends. I didn't want the conversation to end. I enjoyed talking to Anthony and was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him. He was smart, funny, and charming, and I couldn't help but be drawn to him.

"How long have you been working for my father?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

"A little over two years," he replied.

"Why did you start working for him?" I asked, genuinely curious. Anthony didn't strike me as the type of person who would risk everything to work for my father.

"The money, Laura," he said, grinning at me.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"I should have known," I said, shaking my head.

Chapter five

Anthony

As I dropped Laura off at the gate of her luxurious house, I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my rearview mirror. I turned to see a black sedan pulling up at the curb some distance behind us. It looked like one of the boss's cars, and they would have had to identify themselves at the gate to have been allowed in there.

I had noticed this car following us since we left the club earlier. I couldn't figure out why someone would be following Laura. Maybe it was for her protection as I was sure now that I saw the boss's men in it. I hadn’t mentioned anything to Laura earlier because I couldn't figure out what they wanted. They didn't seem to want anything more than to follow us.

Laura seemed oblivious to the car's presence as she got out of my car, thanked me for the ride, and waved goodbye.

As I pulled onto the highway to make my way home, I noticed the black sedan was still behind me. Maybe they weren't after Laura at all. Maybe they were after me, and Laura had been the reason I was safe.

"Jesus Christ, what the hell?" I cursed under my breath. My palms began sweating as I tried to focus on the road. I had heard far too many stories of the boss punishing those who betrayed his loyalty. Was giving Laura a ride in my car crossing a line? Had I unwittingly become a target?

My mind raced as I searched for a way out. I swerved the car into a quiet neighborhood, hoping to lose my pursuers in the maze of streets. My heart raced as I pressed down harder on the accelerator, the speedometer climbing steadily.

But they were still there, looming in my rearview mirror like a dark cloud. I drove in and out of the neighborhood, taking sharp turns and doubling back on myself, but they always managed to catch up. I knew I was running out of time.

Finally, I stopped the car and reached for the long iron I had found by the roadside and stored beneath the car seat earlier in the day for situations just like this. My fingers wrapped around the cold metal as I steeled myself for whatever might come.

My heart pounded in my chest as I stepped out of the car, the iron held tightly in my hand. I knew I was outnumbered and outgunned, but I was determined to go down fighting. As the men approached, I braced myself for the worst.

"Anthony… really? What are you going to do with that?"

The voice sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. As the men emerged from the dark, I could see that one of them was James, my boss's right-hand man.

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