14. Evelyn
“You look beautiful.” Massimo dropped a kiss on my shoulder, just beside the row of diamonds on the necklace that marked me as his. “Are you nervous, farfallina?”
“A little,” I replied honestly. “But I’m okay.”
It wasn’t an empty reassurance. Even though we were about to join dozens of cartel members for one of Stefano’s lavish parties, I wasn’t afraid.
I was with Massimo.
I tucked myself closer to his side and walked with him into Stefano’s club. The VIP mezzanine level was exactly as I remembered it: ultramodern, with a large dancefloor illuminated by flashing golden lights and a sleek ebony bar. Most of the guests were gathered there, sipping drinks and making conversation.
The ground floor of the club below seemed completely deserted. I wasn’t sure if it usually operated as a real nightclub for the public, but it seemed Duarte had chosen to keep tonight’s festivities limited to his closest associates.
The drug lord still unnerved me, and I would’ve been a fool not to be wary of him.
But when Carmen spotted me and glided across the dancefloor toward me, I didn’t feel so much as a flicker of fear. The cartel queen was formidable, but she’d never threatened me. When we’d first met, she’d gone out of her way to ensure that I wasn’t being abused by Massimo. She hadn’t helped me escape, but she’d made sure that I was safe.
“Evelyn, it’s wonderful to see you again,” she greeted 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 tensed beside me.
Neither of us liked the dark memories that stirred.
“I’d like to talk with you privately,” she continued, addressing me. “You’ll have to excuse us, Massimo.”
She didn’t wait for his permission. She barely even glanced at him as she looped her arm through mine and guided me away. My feet stalled for a second, but Massimo gave me a tight nod.
I relented, following where she led. I didn’t have a clue what the cartel queen might want to say to me privately, but it seemed impolite to refuse. And she’d never been cruel to me. I didn’t mind talking to her, even if I already hated the distance from my dark protector.
She took us to the same seats she’d chosen for our conversation last time, when she’d asked me if Massimo had violated me.
As soon as we were seated, she leaned 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 reached out and placed 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 breath caught. I could be free of the cartels, away from all the violence and danger.
My gaze strayed to Massimo. He watched us from across the bar, ignoring the men who were trying to engage him in conversation.
Freedom from the cartels meant leaving him behind.
Carmen noted the direction of my gaze. “I understand that desire can be complicated,” she said 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 shook 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 regarded him with incisive eyes, considering him. “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 said carefully. “Was it the same for you? With Stefano?”
Her perfect black brows rose, and the regal, cold queen replaced the concerned woman. “No one has ever dared to ask me about that.”
My confidence wavered at the ice in her voice, but I squared my shoulders and gathered my courage. “I need advice. I don’t want to offend you.”
She sighed and relaxed back into her chair. “Yes, I was Stefano’s captive, if that’s what you’re asking.” She said it so casually, as though it were 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 swallowed hard. “What happened?”
She smiled. “He fell in love with me. We formed an alliance, and now we’re more powerful together than we ever were apart.”
I considered my next words carefully. “But how did you know you were making the right choice? Why did you choose to stay with him?”
“Ah.” She nodded at me, understanding. “You’re thinking about going to Italy with Massimo.”
Now that she’d said it out loud, it seemed insane. Impossible.
“I should go back to America,” I said, as though I could reason with myself.
She leaned 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 searched 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 asked quickly, dismissing the notion. It was far too soon to call whatever we shared love.
After George’s betrayal, I wasn’t sure if I even knew what love looked like. I couldn’t trust myself to recognize it.
Carmen gave 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 countered. “I want to be with him, but I don’t want the danger and violence that comes with the mafia.”
She shook 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 looked over at my dark protector, my beautiful savior. His silver eyes met mine, keen enough to pierce my soul even from across the room.
“No,” I said, clear and resolute. “I don’t want to walk away.”
I wasn’t sure what the future held, but I was done resisting my connection to Massimo. For days, I’d tried to forget about the cartel and the mafia, losing myself in his strong arms whenever I could. I’d wanted to be with him, so I’d done my best to lock out my concerns about organized crime when I was intimate with him.
But there was no going back now. Carmen wouldn’t offer assistance again, and without her help, there was nowhere on this earth I could hide from him.
I didn’t want to hide.
My life in Albuquerque was over. I could leave my painful past there.
Massimo had promised to take me anywhere I wanted to go once we reached Italy. I’d always dreamed of visiting the Amalfi Coast with my camera. He would make that dream a reality. He believed in my art. He valued and respected me.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” Carmen said sincerely. “I’ll let you get back to your beloved now.”
Just as I opened my mouth to correct her, a deafening explosion of sound erupted from the empty club below. Glass shattered, and metal squealed as it crumpled against a solid barrier. The mezzanine level shook.
“Get down!” Carmen yelled, her nails digging into my arm as she dragged me to the floor.
Gunfire boomed through the space in a rapid-fire stream.
“Fucking Zetas,” Carmen cursed. “They think they can assault my home and get out alive?” Her eyes glinted with fury, and I saw an echo of Stefano’s fearsome personality. She cursed again. “We’re too exposed here.”
The gunfire hadn’t stopped. The men on the mezzanine level were taking cover, but several of them had weapons and were returning fire. Whoever had assaulted the ground level was trying to fight their way through a hail of bullets.
Mere seconds had passed since the assault had begun, but everything slowed. I saw Massimo barreling toward me, racing to close the distance between us. His body jerked, and blood blossomed on his right shoulder.
I screamed and lunged for him, desperate to get to him.
Pain ripped into my abdomen, and agony consumed me. The world swam, the flashing lights of the club making everything flicker.
Massimo roared my name, but I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t move.
Stunning silver eyes stared down into mine. They were stormy with panic, and his lush lips were drawn back from his white teeth like a cornered predator baring its fangs. His jaw was tight, so I trailed my fingers over it to sooth him. His rough stubble made my fingertips tingle, our electric chemistry sparking with every tender touch.
“Farfallina,” he rasped.
“I’m okay,” I said, wanting to erase his worry. My voice was soft, barely audible with the booming gunfire around us.
I was only dimly aware that the violence continued. In my little haven with my dark protector, nothing could touch me.