Conquered by the Mafia Boss

“He came to my house. I called the cops on him-”

Tommy rakes a hand through his hair and lets out a groan. “Jesus.”

“I’m not pressing charges.”

“Why the fuck not?”

I stare at him. “There are people in New York who would love an excuse to see me dead.”

“Well, honey, you’ve got to do something. He’s going to come after you.”

Tears well in my eyes as I shrug at him and stand up. “Do what? I don’t know what else there is to do. I thought that if I-if I left New York, maybe he’d leave me alone. Maybe if I was with someone else, I don’t know.”

“He’s going to find you, and when he does, New York will be the least of your problems. He’s going to kill you, Elena-”

“I know! You don’t think I fucking know that?”

My head pounds with what will surely become another bruise. The air feels strangely thin, and I stagger toward the wall. Colors bleed together, and the room swims. It feels as though I’m drunk, but it’s hard to breathe. Tommy grips my arm and squeezes hard, and the pressure from his fingers makes me feel my pulse pounding against his skin.

It’s happening.

I’m panicking.

“You don’t look good, hon. Maybe you should take the night off.”

“Hell, no! I’m not-I’m not leaving here. This is the only place I feel safe.”

Tommy’s concerned face swims in front of me. “Safe? He’s not going to leave you alone, Elena. Not unless you’re fucking married-”

I don’t hear the rest of Tommy’s sentence.

Not unless you’re married.

So I just have to marry someone. Simple. No, that’s fucking crazy.

You have a ton of cash. It’s possible.

Yes. Someone out there is willing to marry me for cash. I’m certain of it.

“That’s it!”

I’m still shaking, but my vision clears and I grip Tommy’s arms, almost sobbing in relief.

Tommy smiles back weakly, uncomprehending. “What is it?”

“That’s-a really good idea.”

“What did I say?”

“What if I gave you a ton of cash to marry me?”

He tries to swallow his laughter, and it cuts right into me like a sharp knife. “Sweetie, I’ve a girlfriend. I don’t think she’d like that very much.”

Fuck.

I turn my back to him and enter the bar, looking for the guy I was with last night. He’s fucking perfect. He’s a member, isn’t he? He was kind of an asshole, but it’ll just be for a little while. Long enough to get Rafael off my back.

“What about Tony?”

Loud, obnoxious laughter echoes down the hallway. I whirl around, annoyed when I see Tommy leaning against the wall, laughing his ass off. He looks at my serious expression and tries to keep it together, but he just can’t.

“You’re-you’re fucking serious? He’s the biggest man whore I’ve ever met. He’ll never do it.”

“Then I’ll find someone else,” I say in a hard voice.

“It’s a stupid idea.”

It is stupid. So is doing nothing.

Tommy’s mirth rings in my head as I step into the bar. Immediately I spot Tony at the same spot. I hang near the doorway like an awkward mannequin, and then his heated gaze finds me.

A violent flush creeps up my neck as I imagine Tony laughing the same way Tommy did when I told him about my idea.

It is fucking stupid.

It’s so dumb, it just might work.

It’s not as though I wouldn’t make it worth his while. I was willing to part with a lot of money to place a hit on Rafael. What should I offer him?

Twenty-five grand? Thirty? What’s fair?

You barely know the guy.

I’m desperate. If it gets Rafael to back off, it’ll be worth it. As of right now, the only future I see for myself is in a body bag.

The only problem is that Tony intimidates the hell out of me. He reminds me of Rafael, in a way. The same allure drew me to him-the suspense, the excitement. I had to beg him to let me stay the night. What kind of asshole does that to someone? He’s the only other guy I’ve slept with-and I had to pull out all the stops to impress him. Will I be able to do it a second time? A third?

I just don’t know.

My heart pounds hard when my eyes sweep over his handsome face. Last night throbs in my head, all of the images playing in front of me like a highly colored dream.

A perfect shadow of stubble covers his jaw and mouth, just long enough to look sexy, teetering on the edge of being disheveled. Cool eyes meet mine, almost indifferently, and my guts clench. I lose my nerve. I grab a discarded rag with the pretense of cleaning.

Then I see something that makes me want to vomit.

A woman hangs around his arm and then sits down next to him. She’s beautiful, with long highlighted hair and shining red lips, and Tony gives her a lascivious grin that makes my insides clench. A vicious surge of jealousy rises in my throat as I gather the drink orders and pass them out.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I can’t let her get him.