Page 59 of Craving Danger

Maybe I just need to be comforted so badly that I don’t care whether he’s touching me.

Right now, it doesn’t matter.

His arms wrap around me, and I feel his mouth press to my hair before he says, “I’m so fucking sorry. You were never meant to see that part of my life.”

“W-why d-d-did it h-happen,” I sob, needing to understand why we were attacked and so many people had to die.

His tone is filled with power when he says, “I’m one of the five heads of the Cosa Nostra.” He pauses, then adds, “The Sicilian mafia.”

What?

It takes a moment for his words to sink in.

Mr. Vitale is a mobster?

Is that even the right word?

Who the hell cares?! The man is…is…

Oh. My. God.

Chapter 19

Samantha

With a fresh wave of fear flooding my veins, I yank away from Mr. Vitale.

Our eyes lock, and suddenly, I see his ruthless nature written all over his face.

One of the five heads.

The other men.

Oh God. I was surrounded by the leaders of the Sicilian mafia.

It feels like I’m having an out-of-body experience, and what has been a pretty mundane reality until today, warps into something unrecognizable.

Spinning around, I rush out of the restroom and into the foyer. Spotting the front door, I make a beeline for it.

Suddenly, Mr. Vitale darts in front of me, and obstructing my escape, he says, “You can’t leave until we’ve talked about everything.”

“The hell I can’t,” I shriek, my voice shrill from all the shocks I’ve had. I move away from him, and feeling bewildered, I say, “I work for a mafia boss. Great.” My hands fly to my hair and grip fistfuls. “Oh God. I won’t survive going to prison.”

“You’re not going to prison,” he snaps.

Hearing his annoyed tone, I spin around and level him with a glare. “I’m working for a criminal!”

He holds up a hand. “Calm down.”

The words make me unreasonably angry. “Don’t tell me to calm down!”

He lowers his hand and just stares at me, and for some reason, it makes me want to strangle him.

When I glance at the front door, he says, “You can leave after we’ve talked.”

My eyes snap back to him, and crossing my arms over my chest, I practically spit the words at him as I say, “Then talk.”

“Vitale Health is a legitimate company. You haven’t taken part in any criminal activities.”

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