"This is a terrible idea."
"The best ideas usually are."
I should say no. Should tell them it's too dangerous, that Axel will be furious, that this could end badly.
But God, I miss feeling normal. Miss laughing without fear. Miss being just Aurora instead of Aurora Luca, pregnant mafia girlfriend in hiding.
"Okay," I hear myself say. "Let's do it."
Chloe whoops. Tiana hugs me.
And I try to ignore the voice in my head saying this is a mistake.
We sneak out at ten PM.
Axel's in a late meeting with Viktor and some other men. I keep my face straight as I lie to the security at the gate that we are just heading to the hotel to pick up my friend's things, since they will be spending the night here at the estate instead.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Tiana giggles as we roll out of the estate.
"I can," Chloe says. "Aurora needs this."
The club we visit is downtown, crowded with people and pulsating with music so loud I can feel it in my chest. We slip inside, and instantly I'm overwhelmed by the vibe. Bodies moving, lights flashing, the smell of sweat, alcohol, and life.
"This is perfect!" Chloe shouts over the music.
We find a spot on the dance floor, and I let myself get lost in it. Let the music move through me, let my body remember what it's like to just exist without fear.
Chloe's dancing is wild, all chaotic energy. Tiana's more reserved but smiling wider than I've seen in weeks. And I'm somewhere in between, feeling the bass in my bones and forgetting everything else.
A guy approaches, cute, maybe twenty-five. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"I'm pregnant," I shout back.
"Water then?"
I laugh. "Sure."
He's harmless, just friendly. We dance for a song, nothing serious, just movement and fun. Chloe's found her own dance partner. Tiana's filming us on her phone, laughing.
This is what I've been missing. This feeling of being young, free, and alive.
But then I see him.
A man at the bar, standing perfectly still while everyone around him moves. Older, maybe forty, wearing an expensive suit thatlooks completely wrong in a club like this. Too formal. Too clean. Too deliberate.
And he's staring at me with an intensity that makes my skin crawl.
Our eyes meet across the crowded dance floor.
He smiles, slow and predatory.
And pulls out his phone, never breaking eye contact.
"Aurora!" Chloe's suddenly beside me, shouting over the music. "What's wrong? You look freaked out."
"That man. At the bar. He's watching me."
She follows my gaze, squinting through the flashing lights. "So? Lots of guys are watching you. You're gorgeous and you're dancing. That's kind of how clubs work."
