Page 75 of Twisted Embrace

“Don’t. I can do this myself. I’m not going anywhere. The corridor is right there, not near the front door.”

“Mr. Lazarro won’t approve.”

“Let me take the heat. Please?” He narrowed his eyes when I made the plea, finally nodding a second time.

It was as if I was a child asking to stay up later than curfew. That wasn’t something I would ever get used to. I weaved my way through the crowd, heading to the restrooms, laughing as I realized I needed the pictures on the door to know which was the right one. Learning the language was first on the agenda.

I walked inside the women’s restroom, feeling a shiver coursing through me. There was no reason. There were no strange men lurking in the darkest corners of the restaurant, yet I felt uneasy as I used the bathroom then washed my hands, staring at my reflection. At least I felt beautiful, the dress hugging every curve exactly as it should. I had everything a girl could possibly desire, including a man of my dreams.

Would it be enough? Could we… start a family?

I shoved the guilt for keeping a secret from him aside, opening the door, determined to enjoy the rest of the evening. I could swear the corridor seemed darker and suddenly the scene from the restaurant in New York played out in my mind.

For a few seconds, it was paralyzing. I was able to hear gunshots, the blurry vision of watching the assassin getting his head blown off coming to the forefront of my mind. My throat was tight, my heart racing.

Then I noticed a shadow out of the corner of my eye. Before I had a chance to react, fingers gripped my arm, preventing me from going anywhere.

“Cosa ci fa una bella signora tutta sola?” The man’s question in Italian, I was immediately thrown, trying to yank my arm away.

“I don’t speak Italian. English?”

The mystery man took a deep breath, crowding my space. I didn’t want to make a scene, but his oppressive stance allowed a trickle of fear. “I asked what a beautiful lady was doing all alone?”

“I’m not alone and thank you. I need to get back to my fiancé.”

“He’s a very lucky man.”

“Thank you.”

“You look familiar to me. I’m trying to place where I’ve seen you before.” His accent was entirely different than Enzo’s. Maybe I was reading into the smile on his face, but a crackle of fear tore through me.

When I tried to jerk my arm away, he refused to let me go. If I screamed, the entire restaurant would shift into panic mode. “I don’t know you at all. Now, let me go.”

Instead, he moved closer. “I was only trying to pay you a compliment.”

“And I appreciate it.” My God. The way the man was leering at me had little to do with his fake attraction. I could see it in his eyes. Swallowing, I plastered on a fake smile.

“Perhaps I should issue a warning. The man you’re set to marry is a killer.”

This was no random attempted pick-up. “Then you should know that by touching his property, you place yourself in harm’s way.”

“Is that a threat?”

“It will be if you don’t let go of my hand,” I snapped.

“The lady said to let her go.” There was no mistaking Enzo’s deep, booming voice or the anger it held.

“Get lost, asshole,” the stranger said without bothering to look in Enzo’s direction. I had a feeling the asshole had no clue who he’d just pissed off.

I didn’t have time to make a single sound before the unwanted stranger was tossed against a wall, Enzo wrapping and squeezing his fingers around the man’s throat.

“Let me explain this to you another way. Se mai la toccherai di nuovo, ti taglierò le dita una per una. Allora inizierò con le altre tue appendici.” It was obvious Enzo was issuing a threat.

When the man dared to laugh, I was certain the powerful mafia man would kill him.

Enzo cocked his head then issued a hard punch to the man’s gut, keeping his hold around the asshole’s neck.

The man coughed, fighting to free himself.

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