Page 17 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

“Night, Taylor. Don't sleep on that paperwork tomorrow, alright? We need everyone bright and early,” I yell over my shoulder, without looking back.

“Sure thing, Boss!”

I giggle. I forgot he’s now in charge of the case and I am his assistant.

I lower my head and my long dark hair falls forward, shielding the sides of my face as I stick my hand into my plain black leather bag, peering inside as I search for my car keys. I shuffle and shuffle, but the darn key is hard to find.

I shake the bag and I hear the clink and rattle of metal against metal. Then, I toss the contents and...there! I spot the gleam of silver keys. Just as I reach forward to pull out the glinting bunch, someone grabs me from behind, both hands on my waist, and whispers in my ear, “Got ya!”

Goose bumps rise on my skin, my heart skips a beat and, without any calculated aim, I pivot on my heel and swing an arm. But the stranger is swift. He ducks, grinning when he pulls his head back up. My eyes widen.

“Marcus?”

I would recognize those blue eyes anywhere. And that breathtaking, arrogant smile. I see a hit of teeth as he flashes me a grin. “The one and only,” he says, and I scoff.

“Firstly, you are not the one and only Marcus. I don't even know what the hell that means,” I snap, narrowing my eyes just to make him see how upset I am. “Secondly, who on earth goes around a parking lot at night, scaring people, and at a police station at that? You’re dead if my colleague find you here.”

“That guy?” he says sharply, his perfectly carved eyebrow arches upward. “If anything, your colleagues are the dead meat. I feel a lot of things, fear isn’t one of them.”

There's a mischievous glimmer in his eyes as he scans my appearance, from head to toe. The cool breeze blows again but this time, it’s different. It's harsher and it blows hair over my face and blocks my sight for a few seconds. I lift my hand to push it back, but he gets to me first.

His fingers brush the corner of my eye as he tucks my hair behind my ears. It causes a tingling sensation to run down my spine, but I ignore it and smack his hands away.

When I look up, the grin on his face is even brighter. I ignore the silent tease in his eyes and clear my throat. “What are you doing here?”

“Well,” he starts, his voice deep and smooth. Then, he clears his throat and mimics the serious expression on my face. “I was in the area and I thought, hey? Jane works here. I should probably drop by and say hi.”

“Or bye,” I shift my weight from one leg to the other and scratch my cheek with the tip of my key, not hiding my irritation.

“Come on, now, don't be rude.”

“You're a long way away from home,” I glance over my shoulder and scoff. “And you just happened to be in the area?”

“Uh-huh.”

A glimmer of light catches in his eyes, making them even more surreal and enchanting. I tear my gaze from the ocean blue orbs, and focus on his lips which are moving.

“Jane?”

He snaps a finger in front of my face and I glare at him. “Why are you really here, Marcus?”

“I…” he opens his mouth, and closes it again. Then, he huffs. “Fine. It's about the case. I have ears on the ground. There’s nothing concrete, yet, but I'm onto something.”

This piece of information intrigues me and, while it excites me, I know I have to tell him. I shake my head and cross my arms over my chest.

“I have something to tell you,” I sigh. “Chief Smith has ordered Taylor to take over the case.”

“The rude detective?” his dark brows rise and I nod.

“The nice one.” I smirk, but a more serious look clouds his features. He nibbles on his lower lip and frowns deeply.

“That's not right,” he mumbles and lowers his head.

“What?”

“I said, that’s not right,” he says more audibly and lifts his head. “Did he give any reason for the change?”

I drop my arms. “At first, I thought it had something to do with the fact I’m a woman, but I have a gut feeling that…”

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