In bed with the Mafia

Date's over.

Anna

“How well do you actually know Aiden?” His eyes were trained on me, like a predator waiting for the slightest slip up to pounce. He shifted in his chair, as a confident look flashed across his face.

“Hold his gaze, don't flinch. Hold his gaze, don't flinch,” I repeated in my head. I needed to act as naturally as possible. He didn't know about Aiden and I, did he?

“I'll have to go on a date with him too. Until then I do not get to say I know him,” I quipped.

He didn't take his gaze off me as he leaned back in his chair with a puzzled look on his face. “I was looking at you when Aiden came in the other day. At first it was just innocent admiration; but I noticed the shock on your face when you saw him. I notice slight little details like that. I wouldn't be the boss if I didn't.”

I had thought I hid my reaction well enough, but it appeared that I didn't. But he couldn't be sure I knew Aiden, he was only fishing for information—information that, even I, would rather not remember. I straightened my shoulders and held his gaze. “Perhaps your mind was playing tricks on you. I didn't even know Aiden existed until that day.”

I swallowed. I wasn't lying when I said that. I had absolutely no idea Aiden existed until that very moment. The Aiden I knew needed my help to button up his shirt. He couldn't hold my gaze for so long and he definitely couldn't kill a man. He was soft and…my gaze flicked back to Gabriel, as I realized that I was blanking out again. No, I didn't know Aiden, I never did.

“Hmmm…” Gabriel made a throaty sound that made my body react reflexively in a way it shouldn't. I arch my brow in an expression that says ‘What?’

“So tell me about yourself. I could do a little digging around, but I figured I should ask you instead.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. I know you already did some digging. Maybe you should tell me what you were able to find out instead,” I said, trying to stop my lips from curling into a sly smile. “Trust me. I don't mind the digging. I did some myself.”

An amused eyes locked with mine. “You don't say. So what did you find out?”

“I asked first.”

“I heard that you ran away from home when you were eighteen…’’ He paused, searching my face for a reaction or perhaps waiting for a response from me.

“Nineteen,” I corrected.

He shrugged, leaned forward and whispered, “Well, you see why I had to hear from the horse's mouth.” His eyes twinkled. “So, why would a nineteen year old run away from home? Let me guess—love?”

I chuckled, easing up a little. Maybe Gabriel wasn't half as bad as I had thought. I buried the thought almost as immediately as it came up. Where did it even come from? Gabriel was the heir to the Martinez. Of course, he was probably way worse than I thought.

“More like the lack of it,” I let out. He prompted for more with a slight arch of his brow. “I hated the bloodshed. The violence always got to me. It still does. That, and well…maybe I was hoping I'd find love out there.” I shrugged.

“And how did that turn out for you?”

“I found out that love didn't exist. Never did.”

“Maybe I could change that thought,’’ he said in a soft voice, as he stretched his hand across the table and cupped mine. My first instinct was to recoil and break contact. But that was a terrible idea. I needed to make this work, at least until Liam figures things out. “About the violence, I'll keep it away from you as much as I can. I promise.”

My mouth went dry and then wet again. My gaze lingered on his hand on top of mine, and finally I withdrew my hand. I forced a smile. “I'll appreciate that. Thank you.”

“So, what did you find out about me?”

“I heard you fancied yourself a gentleman…”

We spent a few more hours talking and laughing. A couple of times, I had to remind myself that it wasn't a real date, but a mission—one I absolutely needed to succeed at. Soon, I stood up to leave and Gabriel walked me to the car where his driver still sat, waiting. He opened the door and let me in.

“We should do this again—soon,’’ he whispered, as he planted a kiss on my hand. “What do you think?”

“Sure. I had a great time.”

The drive home was quiet and I was exhausted and couldn't wait to crash into bed. I texted Liam to tell him that I was on my way home. Surprisingly, he replied and said he wasn't home. That wasn't a surprise, he hardly ever slept at home. According to him, he was always handling business.

The car rolled to a stop. This time, I replied to the driver's goodbye as I dropped from the car. The first thing I noticed was a car parked outside. An unknown car. I figured Liam changed his mind and came home. There were guards crawling all over the compound, there was no way anyone was breaking in. I shoved my paranoia into the dark recesses of my mind.

I walked into the house. The lights were off. Nothing out of the ordinary. That's what I thought until I switched on the light. I felt heat spread through my body. It felt like I was punched in the gut. I told my body to move, but it wouldn't listen. All I could do was blink rapidly. I wasn't ready for this.

“Anna. I've been waiting for you for a while,” he said as he stood up and sauntered towards me.

“Who the f**k let you in, Aiden?”