Chapter 22
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
E MERALD
It’s late when Milena tells me she has run out of tampons, and I check my bathroom but I’m out of them too. Saint is still out working, so I get one of his men, Dario, to drive me to the drugstore.
He pulls into the parking lot at the side of the huge store. “I’ll just be a few minutes,” I tell him. “No need to come in with me.”
He hesitates for a moment but nods. “I’ll keep watch out here. Just buzz me on my cell if you need me.”
There’s still the threat from Carmine, but it’s lessened considerably now that I’m engaged to another Imperiosi man.
Climbing out of the black SUV, I look up at the sign overhead flickering slightly, buzzing like it’s tired of staying on. I pull my coat tightly around me. The night air is sharper than I expected, biting at my cheeks. My boots click against the asphalt as I make my way toward the automatic doors.
They swoosh open, and the smell of cleaning products and artificial lemon greets me. The store is almost empty at this time of night. My footsteps echo on the tiles, each step feeling louder than it should.
I don’t know why but a shiver rushes up my spine.
My eyes dart around.
I take in the scene around me.
A teenage cashier leans on the counter near the front. His eyes are glued to his phone. He doesn’t even look up as I pass.
And nothing else seems out of the ordinary.
I hurry along the aisles and keep my head down.
But I’m not sure what aisle the tampons are kept.
I turn into an aisle near the center of the store and immediately feel exposed.
Rows of products line the shelves. Vitamins, cough syrups, boxes with smiling faces promising quick fixes for headaches and allergies.
I turn another corner and find the section I’ve come for.
But something feels off…
I hesitate for just a second before reaching out and snatching a box. I don’t even look at which brand it is. My only goal is to get what I need and get back out to Dario as fast as possible.
Another strange feeling skitters over me. A prickling awareness on the back of my neck. I pause with the box in my hand. And I glance over my shoulder.
A man stands at the far end of the aisle. His head is tilted slightly as if he’s reading the labels on the shelves. But he isn’t reaching for anything. He’s not moving. He’s just…there. Watching.
Watching me .
My heart stumbles in its rhythm, and I shove the box into the pocket of my coat. I tell myself to stay calm. Is he waiting for me to move so he can grab something? Is he, like me, buying something that he wants to keep private? Am I just imagining things…?
But his eyes meet mine for a split second.
And something about the look sends a jolt of panic through me.
I spin back around, gripping the edge of the shelf as I try to calm my breathing.
Just ignore him. Get to the register, pay, and leave. Simple.
But as I step out of the aisle, I catch a glimpse of him again, trailing several paces behind me. And his movements are too deliberate to be a coincidence.
My pulse quickens.
I clutch my coat tighter. Stopping at the register, standing still while he’s close, feels too risky. No! I can’t do that.
I make a sharp turn into another aisle. My boots squeak against the floor.
My plan is to lose him by winding through the aisles back to the entrance.
I hurry.
But the sense of him still crawls at the back of my neck.
I throw a look over my shoulder. He’s there. Just a few strides behind me.
He doesn’t even pretend to browse now. His eyes lock on mine.
And the hint of a smirk curls on his lips.
Fear tightens its grip on me.
I know I can’t stop now.
I don’t care if I look suspicious bolting out of the store. I just need to get back to the car. I need Dario.
I pick up my pace.
My boots click faster against the floor.
The automatic doors come into view.
Almost there. Almost out.
If I can just make it…
The man’s footsteps quicken behind me. I don’t need to look to know he’s closing the distance
I burst through the doors.
Dario’s still there— thank God, they haven’t taken him out.
Relief washes over me. But it’s fleeting.
Because I still need to get to him. I break into a half-run. My breath’s coming in sharp gasps.
“Dario!” I yell out.
He looks up instantly. And his expression shifts from confusion to alarm. He flings open the SUV door and steps out just as I reach him. “What’s wrong?” His tone’s sharp, protective.
I glance over my shoulder, but the man’s stopped just outside the store. He lingers near the doors, his hands shoved in his pockets, watching me with that same unsettling smirk. He doesn’t come any closer. But his presence feels like a threat all the same.
“There was a guy,” I manage to get out. “He was following me inside. I don’t know what he wanted, but…”
Dario doesn’t need me to finish. He steps forward, positioning himself between me and the man, his broad frame shielding me.
“Stay here,” he orders.
“No, Dario! Let’s just go.” My voice is a plea now. I just want to get far away from here.
Dario hesitates but nods. He ushers me into the backseat, his eyes never leaving the man by the doors. Once I’m inside, he climbs into the driver’s seat and snaps the locks into place with a loud click.
As he hits the accelerator and the SUV screeches away, I can’t help but look back. The man is still there, standing under the harsh glow of the store’s lights. He doesn’t follow, doesn’t make any move to stop us. But his smirk remains, etched into my memory like a scar.
In the safety of the moving vehicle, my breathing starts to slow, though my hands remain shaky. The box in my pocket feels heavier than it should.
“You okay back there?” Dario asks, his voice softer now.
I nod, though I’m not sure if it’s true. “Yeah. Just…let’s go home.”
He doesn’t press me further, and for that, I’m grateful. I know he’ll have to report this to Saint, but I just let my head fall back against the seat and stare out at the city lights as they blur past the window. I made it out, and that’s all that matters.
* * *
“No, we don’t need to have an engagement party, Saint.” I’m sitting at the kitchen island. “I don’t want to have to put on show in front of the whole Imperiosi because I’ll fail miserably at it. You know I’m absolutely terrible at lying.” Saint has upped my security detail since the drugstore incident, and the engagement party is the next step in his plan of convincing people that I mean everything to him.
“All Imperiosi men throw huge parties when they get engaged. It won’t be believable if we don’t do it.”
I shake my head, panic creeping through me. “If you make me go to a fake engagement party, I’m going to kill you.”
He raises an eyebrow at me. “Really?” he smirks.
“Yeah, really.” I nod enthusiastically. “Think guns, blood, gore, and candles and teddy bears on the sidewalk.”
His expression slides into a scowl. “They’ll be no goddamn teddy bears if I ever die.”
“What is it with you and teddy bears?” I mutter.
I feel him as he prowls behind me and bends his head to mine. “We need to have an engagement party. What about I give you something?” His warm breath caresses the side of my neck.
I don’t dare look around into his eyes. “Like?”
The silence beats between us. I’m holding my breath.
His tongue slides up the side of my throat. “Like I fuck you.”
I mean, who can resist an offer like that? A girl has needs after all. But I don’t want him to think I’m a pushover. “I’ll stay at the party for one hour tops.”
His lips skim the shell of my ear. “Two hours,” he growls, the rumble vibrating all the way down to my core. “And I’ll come to your closet and choose your dress. You’re not wearing any stolen shit to our engagement.”
“ Fake engagement,” I remind him as I exhale with a soft huff.
“Deal?” His fingers are edging up under my top, stroking the underside of my breasts.
“Deal,” I say with a breathy moan. And I smile to myself—because all the dresses I’ve brought to his place are all slinky, sexy...and deliciously stolen.