Chapter 34 Evelyn
Evelyn
“You look beautiful.” Massimo drops a kiss on my shoulder, just beside the row of diamonds on the necklace that marks me as his. “Are you nervous, farfallina?”
“A little,” I reply honestly. “But I’m okay.”
It’s not an empty reassurance. Even though we’re about to join dozens of cartel members for one of Stefano’s lavish parties, I’m not afraid.
I’m with Massimo.
I tuck myself closer to his side and walk with him into Stefano’s club.
The VIP mezzanine level is exactly as I remember it: ultramodern, with a large dance floor illuminated by flashing golden lights.
Most of the guests are gathered around the sleek ebony bar, sipping drinks and making conversation.
The ground floor of the club below seems completely deserted. I’m not sure if it usually operates as a real nightclub for the public, but it seems Duarte has chosen to keep tonight’s festivities limited to his closest associates.
The drug lord still unnerves me—I’d be a fool not to be wary of him.
But when Carmen spots me and glides across the dance floor toward me, I don’t feel so much as a flicker of fear. When we first met, she ensured that I wasn’t being abused by Massimo. She wouldn’t help me escape, but she made sure that I was safe.
“Evelyn, it’s wonderful to see you again.” She greets me with genuine warmth in her light brown eyes. “Stefano told me that Colombia was difficult for you. I’m glad you’re all right.”
Massimo tenses beside me.
Neither of us like the dark memories that stir.
“I want to talk to you privately,” she continues, addressing me. “You’ll have to excuse us, Massimo.”
She doesn’t wait for his permission. She barely even glances at him as she loops her arm through mine and guides me away.
My feet stall for a second, but Massimo gives me a tight nod.
I relent, following where she leads. I don’t have a clue what Carmen wants to say to me privately, but it seems impolite to refuse.
She takes us to the same seats she chose for our conversation last time, when she asked me if Massimo had violated me.
As soon as we’re seated, she leans toward me, her eyes dark with concern.
“Stefano told me you tried to run away, and you suffered for it. I’m sorry I didn’t help you before.
I didn’t realize you were so desperate to escape from Massimo.
If something had happened to you, I never would’ve forgiven myself.
” She reaches out and places her hand over mine.
“Tell me what you need. I can get you a fake passport, a new name. Anything. I can’t promise to return you to your old life, but I can set you free. ”
My heart skips a beat. I could be free of the cartels, away from all the violence and danger.
My gaze strays to Massimo. He watches us from across the bar, ignoring the men who are trying to engage him in conversation.
Freedom from the cartels means leaving him behind.
Carmen notes the direction of my gaze. “I understand that desire can be complicated,” she says carefully. “I thought you cared for him, which is why I didn’t help you before. But lust isn’t enough. You must realize that, or you wouldn’t have tried to run away from him.”
I shake my head. “It’s not like that. I do care for Massimo. I tried to leave because he did something I didn’t understand, and he didn’t stop to explain himself. We talked about it after, and he promised he’ll do better.”
She regards him with incisive eyes. “In our world, it’s common for men to think they don’t have to explain their actions. Massimo answers to no one except his boss back in Naples. It’s not hard for me to believe he fucked up like that.”
“You told me before that you understood my situation with Massimo,” I say carefully. “Was it the same for you? With Stefano?”
Her perfect black brows rise, and the regal, cold queen replaces the concerned woman. “No one has ever dared to ask me about that.”
My confidence wavers at the ice in her voice, but I square my shoulders and gather my courage.
“I need advice. I don’t want to offend you.”
She sighs and relaxes back into her chair.
“Yes, I was Stefano’s captive, if that’s what you’re asking.” She says it so casually, as though it’s commonplace. “He was my most hated enemy, my rival. Then one day, he captured me and tried to take everything I’d worked so hard to attain.”
I swallow. “What happened?”
She smiles. “He fell in love with me. We formed an alliance, and now we’re more powerful together than we ever were apart.”
“But how did you know you were making the right choice? Why did you choose to stay with him?”
“Ah.” She nods at me, understanding. “You’re thinking about going to Italy with Massimo.”
Now that she’s said it out loud, it seems insane. Impossible.
“I should go back to America,” I say, as though I’m reasoning with myself.
She leans toward me, speaking earnestly.
“I love Stefano because he would burn down the world for me if I asked him to. His love is a fierce and terrible thing. But so is mine.” She searches my face.
“You’re not fierce; you’re soft and kind.
Gentle. Can you withstand the kind of love a man like Massimo would offer? ”
“Who said anything about love?” I ask quickly, dismissing the notion.
It’s far too soon to call whatever we share love.
After George’s betrayal, I’m not sure if I even knew what love looks like. I don’t trust myself to recognize it.
Carmen gives me a half-smile, almost pitying. “That man is infatuated with you. If you leave him, he will chase you. I can help you hide so that he will never find you.”
“I don’t want to hide from Massimo,” I counter. “I want to be with him, but I don’t want the danger and violence that comes with the mafia.”
She shakes her head sadly. “Like I said, he’s not a gentle man.
But the world is a dangerous, violent place, Evelyn.
How much of it you see in your lifetime can vary, but it’s not as black and white as you might like to think.
You’re new to this life, but I was born in it.
So was Massimo. We’ve survived by attaining power and keeping it ruthlessly.
Massimo will do what’s necessary to protect you because he cherishes you.
That might not always align with your sense of morality.
The question is: can you accept his fierce brand of love?
Because if you can’t, walk away now. I’ll help you disappear. ”
I look over at my beautiful savior. His silver eyes meet mine, keen enough to pierce my soul even from across the room.
“No,” I say, clear and resolute. “I don’t want to walk away.”
I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’m done resisting my connection to Massimo.
For days, I’ve tried to forget about the cartel and the mafia, losing myself in his protective arms. I wanted to be with him, so I did my best to lock out my concerns about organized crime when I was intimate with him.
But there’s no going back now. Carmen won’t offer assistance again, and without her help, there’s nowhere on this earth where I could hide from him.
I don’t want to hide.
My life in Albuquerque is over. I can leave my painful past there.
Massimo promised to take me anywhere I want to go in Italy. I’ve always dreamed of visiting the Amalfi Coast with my camera. He’ll make that dream a reality. He believes in my art. He values and respects me.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Carmen says sincerely. “I’ll let you get back to your beloved now.”
Just as I open my mouth to correct her, a deafening explosion erupts from the empty club below. Glass shatters and metal squeals as it crumples against a solid barrier. The mezzanine level shakes.
“Get down!” Carmen yells, her nails digging into my arm as she drags me to the floor.
Gunfire booms through the space in a rapid-fire stream.
“Fucking Zetas,” Carmen curses. “They think they can assault my home and get out alive?”
Her eyes glint with fury, and I see an echo of Stefano’s fearsome personality.
She curses again. “We’re too exposed here.”
The gunfire hasn’t stopped. The men on the mezzanine level are taking cover, but several of them have weapons and are returning fire.
Mere seconds have passed since the assault began, but everything slows. I see Massimo barreling toward me, racing to close the distance between us. I lunge for him, desperate to get to him.
Pain rips into my abdomen, and agony consumes me. The world swims, the flashing lights of the club making everything flicker.
Massimo roars my name, but I can’t get up. I can’t move.
Stunning silver eyes stare down into mine. They’re stormy with panic, and his lips are drawn back from his white teeth like a cornered predator baring its fangs.
His jaw is tight, so I trail my fingers over it to soothe him. His rough stubble makes my fingertips tingle, our electric chemistry sparking with every tender touch.
“Farfallina,” he rasps.
“I’m okay,” I say, wanting to erase his worry.
My voice is soft, barely audible with the booming gunfire around us.
I’m only dimly aware that the violence continues. In my little haven with Massimo, nothing can touch me.