He takes a step out of the shadows, and my eyebrows shoot up.

“It’s you,” I say.

CHAPTER18

Adriana

Where the hell is he?I pace up and down, looking around the room at people who are dancing and having fun. I glance at the fancy clock on the wall.

It’s been over ten minutes. I don’t know what Salvatore is doing with Ismaele, but I don’t give a damn.

I stride to the garage. When the door opens, I glance around. My pulse speeds up. Where is he? I don’t see anyone.

I want to call his name, but it’s better to keep quiet in case someone dangerous is lurking here. My heart pounds like crazy in my chest.

No voices. No trace of anything happening here. What the hell?

Salvatore said he and Ismaele would be in the garage. Did he lie to me? Are they somewhere else? If Ismaele tried to attack him—

I don’t want to think about it. Quickening my steps, I search for the car we came in. Salvatore isn’t there, although he probably wouldn’t be sitting in the car anyway.

I’m about to leave when a piece of paper stuck to the windshield catches my eye. What is that? I grab it. My breath catches in my chest.

No!

I have Salvatore. Don’t tell anyone. Don’t contact anyone, because if you do, he dies.

It’s neatly printed out, so I can’t tell whose handwriting it is. Has Ismaele done this? Has he taken Salvatore? How would he even know what I’m doing? My gaze lifts up to one of the cameras.

Right. The cameras. What if Salvatore was wrong? He thought it would be too much hassle to mess with the cameras, but what if it’s not? What if someone just took control of them?

“Fuck!” I groan.

I shouldn’t have let him go anywhere alone. Why did he think it was safe? Was Ismaele acting alone? But how? Salvatore’s men would’ve seen something if there were more attackers.

I head to the exit, trying to figure out if any of the cars are missing. I should’ve paid more attention because I just don’t remember.

Another piece of paper lies on the floor. I quickly pick it up.

Come here. Alone.

It’s a map. There’s a dot in the middle of it. Someone wants me to come to the middle of a busy square. I furrow my brow. What the hell?

I should call someone for help. There’s no way I can do anything on my own, and Salvatore’s men don’t even know he’s gone.

What if he’s still here? Maybe Ismaele couldn’t take him out of the building without being seen. It’s a big building, and there are probably rooms upstairs.

A whirring sound catches my attention, and I look up just in time to see one of the cameras moving toward me.

Shit! Someone’s definitely watching me. Ismaele or someone else?

I could just stay here. Go back to the dance floor. I’d be safe there. Salvatore is just the annoying guy I made a deal with. If he’s gone, I can call Enzo to get me and go home.

I press my hand over my chest because it hurts. The idea of losing him hurts. Tears prickle the corners of my eyes. Maybe he’s annoying sometimes, but I...

I like him. Spending more time with him made me realize he wasn’t who I thought he was. He’s different. Likeable, even.

And when I kiss him, I feel like I can fly. It’s the best feeling in the world. I’ve never felt so comfortable around someone. So free and uninhibited.