Page 18 of My Mafia Queen

My eyes stay on his face.

I smell something sinister behind all that tongue-in-cheek, playful attitude.

He glances over his shoulder at the two men who have their arms crossed over their chests and are tattooed like him.

They don’t look like they’re willing to go away any time soon.

And again, how did he know I was here?

He couldn’t possibly talk to anyone?

I just got here.

Or was it…?

No fucking way.

I glance across the road. We’ve never gotten along with our neighbor.

He’s like my father, only worse, and he’d do anything for money, including tipping off my biggest enemy after my father.

How come it didn’t cross my mind?

Ugh.

Fucking jerks.

I pull away from the window and search around the room.

I have nothing to defend myself with, so I go back to the window and sneak a peek outside.

I can’t get out.

I can’t fucking get out.

“Carmina, come outside. I need to talk to you,” Beau says as if this is nothing more than a lovers’ quarrel.

As if I don’t know him, and he somehow has magically forgotten that he was about to be chopped up and buried in the desert.

I need to get out.

The voice in my head warning me something bad is afoot only grows louder.

If he gets his hands on me, there won’t be any Tina, Jen, Edith, or me. Not even Stella.

These men are as bad as they look, and I can’t risk getting caught.

They talk to each other as the other two men straighten up, uncross their arms, and set themselves in motion.

They all move toward the entrance.

Without wasting another moment, I quickly grab the duffel bag and dash down the stairs, fearful I might’ve forgotten the main door open.

I get there before they pull up in front of my door, and sure enough, the fucking thing is unlocked.

I click the lock, perfectly aware that any of them––as solid as they are––could easily put their shoulder through it.

They suddenly go quiet while I stare at the door, horrified.

---