Forced Marriage - The Mafia King’s Bride

THE WRONG PLACE There were three rules my father expected me to follow. Never go into the family business. Never ask questions about things I wasn't supposed to know. And most importantly— Never go near the Romano family. I'd broken all three before midnight. The rain had started an hour ago, turning the streets of Chicago into a blur of headlights and shadows. I pulled my coat tighter around myself as I stepped out of my car. I shouldn't have been there. I knew that. But my brother's old office was inside the warehouse, and I'd left something important there. Something I couldn't afford to lose. I glanced at my watch. 12:47 a.m. "Five minutes," I whispered. I'd be in and out. No one would know. The Bellini warehouse was unusually quiet tonight. Usually, there were guards everywhere. Tonight, the main entrance was empty. That should have been my first warning. I walked around the side of the building and tried the back door. Unlocked. My stomach tightened. I pushed it open. Darkness greeted me. I switched on my phone's flashlight. The warehouse was enormous, filled with crates and shipping containers. I took a few steps forward. Then I heard voices. I stopped. They were coming from somewhere deeper inside. "Where is it?" A man's voice. Cold. Angry. "I told you, I don't have it." Another voice. Terrified. I slowly moved toward the sound. Then I saw them. Three men stood beneath a single hanging light. A fourth man was on his knees in front of them. Blood covered the side of his face. I immediately ducked behind a stack of crates. My heart began pounding. I reached for my phone. I should have called the police. Instead, I started recording. "What did you tell them?" The injured man coughed. "Nothing." One of the men grabbed him by the collar. "You expect us to believe that?" "I don't know anything." A fist slammed into his stomach. He collapsed. I covered my mouth. What was happening? Then one of the men spoke again. "Your mistake was thinking the Bellinis would protect you." My eyes widened. Bellini? My family? I leaned forward slightly. "Who sent you?" The injured man laughed weakly. "You really think I'm going to tell you?" The man holding him pulled out a gun. "Last chance." Silence. Then— Bang! I flinched. The gunshot echoed through the warehouse. The man's body fell to the floor. Dead. I stared in horror. My phone was still recording. I needed to leave. Now. I slowly backed away. One step. Then another. My shoe hit an empty bottle. It rolled across the floor. The sound echoed. All three men turned. "Who's there?" I ran. "GET HER!" I sprinted through the warehouse. Behind me, footsteps thundered. I shoved through the back door and raced into the rain. A bullet struck the wall beside me. I screamed. I ran faster. "Stop!" I didn't. I turned down an alley. Dead end. I spun around. The three men were already entering. One of them smiled. "Where are you going now?" I backed away. My phone was still in my hand. One of the men pointed at it. "Give me that." "No." "Give it to me." I shook my head. Then headlights appeared at the entrance of the alley. A black car slowly pulled to a stop. The three men immediately stepped aside. The back door opened. And he stepped out. For a moment, I forgot how to breathe. I knew him. Everyone in my family knew him. Drake Romano. The heir to the Romano family. The son of the man my father had sworn to destroy. The family responsible for so much bloodshed between our two families. Including my brother. Luca. My hatred for the Romanos had been there long before I ever met Drake. But seeing him in front of me made it feel real. His eyes moved across the alley. Then stopped on me. He didn't look surprised. Just annoyed. One of the men approached him. "Boss." Drake said nothing. His gaze remained on me. I stared back. Neither of us spoke. Then his eyes narrowed. Recognition. "Sophia Bellini." Hearing my name from his lips sent a chill down my spine. I lifted my chin. "Drake Romano." One of his men looked between us. "You know her?" Drake's expression remained cold. "Everyone knows a Bellini." I glared at him. "And everyone knows a Romano." Something flickered in his eyes. He stepped closer. Not enough to help me. Just enough to make me realize how completely outnumbered I was. His gaze dropped to the phone in my hand. Then back to my face. "You've seen something." It wasn't a question. I said nothing. One of the men raised his gun. "Should we take care of her?" I looked at Drake. For one foolish second, I waited. Maybe he'd stop them. Maybe he'd tell them to let me go. Maybe he wasn't as ruthless as everyone said. Drake stared at me. His face was completely emotionless. Then he turned away. "She's a Bellini." He walked toward his car. "So?" The man looked confused. Drake opened the door. "She's not my problem." My heart sank. He got inside. The engine started. I watched the car begin to move. He didn't look back. Not once. Then the man behind me raised his gun. And I finally understood. Drake Romano had just left me there to die. The gun was aimed directly at my head. A shot rang through the night. I ducked. And ran.