The Mafia's Touch

Chapter 2

I let the music wash over me, feeling the beat pulse through my veins. I was finally free, finally myself. I ordered a drink at the bar and turned to face the crowd, scanning the room with a sense of excitement.

That's when I saw him. A man standing across the room, his eyes locked onto mine. He was tall, with piercing brown eyes and a charming smile.

His face looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where I knew him from.

His smile widened like an invitation, and he closed the distance between us in large strides, a powerful aura oozing out of him.

“Who would have thought I would see you here of all places?” He asked when he reached me, his voice low and smooth, and then it hit me.

Julian Saint Clair, the charismatic young politician who had been making waves in the city's political scene. I had met him briefly at a charity event my father had hosted, but I hadn't expected to run into him here.

“Umm, excuse me,” I rushed out and tried to leave my seat, but he stopped me.

“Please stay. Your father and I may not be best of friends, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends,” he said, his lips curled into a boyish smirk.

He was a man in his forties, but age had nothing on him, and any woman watching him would not hesitate to drop their panties. I like to think I was immune to that charm though.

I realized I’d been staring longer than was considered appropriate, so I looked away and sipped on my drink.

“What are you doing in this part of town? This isn’t exactly your scene,” I cleared my throat.

He stuck out in the crowd like a sore thumb.

He chuckled. “I could ask you right back.”

“I just…. I….” I stuttered, and he chuckled, sensing my discomfort.

“That’s exactly what I mean. Sometimes you just want to escape,” he said with a forlorn look on his face.

“I didn't know you were a fan of this club,” I said after a momentary pause in an attempt to diffuse the tension in the air and ease my own wrecking nerves.

He chuckled, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I'm a fan of good music and good company. And I have to say, you look stunning tonight, Sabrina.”

I felt a flutter in my chest as he took a seat next to me, ordering a drink from the bartender. We chatted for a while, discussing everything from politics to music to our shared love of literature. I was surprised by how easy it was to talk to him, how much we had in common.

As we bantered back and forth, I couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort with Julian. He was witty, charming, and seemed to understand me in a way that no one else ever had.

But just as things were getting interesting, a group of men walked into the club, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. They were dressed in suits, their faces stern and serious, and they seemed to be scanning the room with a sense of purpose.

They looked largely out of place in their sophisticated suits and large builds. I wouldn’t say I knew everyone in Seattle, but I knew everyone who was somebody, and these guys didn’t look like they were nobody.

Yet, their faces didn’t ring a bell.

My eyes landed on one of them, a man with piercing green eyes and jet-black hair that fell to his shoulders with chiseled features that seemed to be chiseled from granite. He was dressed in a black suit, his tie perfectly knotted, and his eyes seemed to bore into my soul.

I felt a magnetic pull towards him, like I was being drawn to a flame. I couldn't explain it, couldn't rationalize it. All I knew was that I wanted to be closer to him.

“Do you know these guys?” I whispered, but as I turned back to Julian, I expected him to be watching the group of men, but he was nowhere to be found. I scanned the room, thinking maybe he had just gotten up to get another drink, but he was gone.

I felt a sense of confusion, of disorientation. Where had Julian gone? And why?

I turned back to the group of men, my eyes locking onto the mysterious stranger. He was watching me, his eyes burning with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

For a moment, we just stared at each other, the music and laughter of the club fading into the background.

And then, he smiled. A slow, seductive smile that seemed to draw me in, like a moth to a flame.

I felt a rush of excitement, of uncertainty. Who was this man, and why did he seem so... captivating?

As I stood there, frozen in place, the stranger- and his friends- moved away, but I couldn’t tear my eyes off his broad back till they disappeared into the crowd.

The night wore on, and I found myself lost in the music and laughter of the club. I had too many drinks, and my head was spinning. I needed some fresh air, so I stepped outside to cool my head.

The night air was crisp and cool, and I felt a sense of relief as I walked away from the club. I stumbled a bit, my heels clicking on the pavement, but I managed to catch myself.

As I turned a corner, I saw a figure standing in the shadows. I squinted my eyes, and I realized it was Julian. I was about to walk to him but stopped when I saw he was talking to someone, but I couldn't see who it was.

I took a step back, not wanting to intrude, but as I did, I heard a scuffle. I turned to see Julian's body crumpling to the ground, a look of shock on his face.

My eyes widened in horror as I saw the group of men, the ones who had walked into the club earlier, standing over Julian's body. One of them kicked him, and I heard a sickening crunch.

Julian's eyes locked onto mine, and I saw a flicker of recognition before they went dark. I felt a scream building in my throat, but I managed to swallow it.

The men's faces were twisted in cruel grins as they continued to kick and punch Julian's body. I felt my stomach churn with nausea, my mind reeling with shock, and faster than the human eye could blink, one of them pulled out a gun and shot him between the eyes.

And then, I heard it. A small, involuntary gasp escaped my lips.

It was a tiny sound, barely audible over the music and laughter of the club. But I knew it was enough.

The men's heads snapped towards me, their eyes scanning the darkness. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.

As I turned to run, my heel caught on a loose paving stone. I stumbled, my heart racing with fear.

One of them took a step forward, his eyes locking onto mine. It was the man with the piercing green eyes, the one who had seemed so captivating just hours before.

His gaze narrowed and he tilted his head to the side, his eyes burning with intensity. And then, he smiled.

A cold, calculating smile that sent shivers down my spine.

My breath caught in my throat as I realized I had made a fatal mistake.

The sound of my gasp still lingered in the air, echoing through the silence like a death knell.

And then, everything went still.

The music, the laughter, the world around me... it all seemed to hold its breath, waiting for what would happen next.

I was paralyzed with fear, unable to move, unable to speak.

All I could do was watch as the man with the piercing green eyes took another step closer, his eyes never leaving mine.

And then, his lips parted, and he whispered a single word...

"Run."