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Chapter 1
Sweltering from the heat and trembling with fear, photojournalist Steph Grady leaned back against the tree’s rough bark. Her thin tank top offered her skin no protection, but a few scrapes were the last thing on her mind.
An impressive hunting lodge sat a short distance away. Inside a Mafia boss man waited for his visitors.
Though she knew she was too close, Steph was made of tough stuff, and she’d come too far to slink away. After months of research and six weeks of white-knuckle surveillance, she was about to achieve the impossible.
Photographs of Marco Moretti.
Ruthless.
Deadly.
Wide shoulders.
Bulging biceps.
Six feet four inches.
His dark chocolate eyes beneath a mop of black wavy hair gave him an intense, smoldering presence. Many called him menacing, but she’d heard women claim he made them weak in the knees.
She glanced at her watch.
The secret meeting deep in the woods had been set for one p.m. It was 1:30. A worried frown crossed her brow.
Marco Moretti wouldn’t tolerate tardiness.
Where were they?
A flash of panic seized her.
She’d parked her car a mile away in dense foliage. It couldn’t have been spotted… could it? She cringed at the thought. Her mission was difficult and dangerous, but Steph was stubborn and bold.
Rustling leaves.
She froze. Desperate to risk a peek around the wide tree trunk but afraid to move, she strained to listen.
Silence.
Closing her eyes and letting out a relieved sigh, she tried to think.
“Hello, Steph.”
Her eyes flew open.
Marco Moretti.
Panic blazed through her body.
She wanted to explain, or scream, or yell out something, but she couldn’t find her voice.
She was suddenly lifted from the ground as he threw her over his shoulder. His surprising strength made her feel as though she weighed an ounce, and she could feel his muscled arm across the back of her thighs.
The terror that had held her in its grip abruptly shattered.
“Put me down,” she screamed, squirming furiously and trying to wrench herself free.
A stinging swat landed on her backside. “Stop it!” His voice was thick and deep.
