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I didn’t wait for his response. I darted toward the landing and took the steps as fast as I could. Behind me, Rex chuckled, as if my reaction had been the funniest thing ever.
Downstairs, I ran into Penny. She was drunk and super happy to see me. “Rory! There you are. Have you tried the sangria?” She hugged me, then squinted at me. “Are you sick? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“Not a ghost. The Royals.” I pointed my chin up toward the landing where Enzo, Rex, and Santino stood, looming over us.
They were part of this world. They were devastatingly handsome. They sparkled with beauty and charm. But just like the rest of their circle, they were also just as lethal. Worst part was, they were looking straight at me.
“What did you do?” Penny pulled me toward her and out the front door. She didn’t stop until we had reached one of the limos parked outside. Her cheeks were tinged with red, but she looked sober now. “I told you to stay out of their way. To keep a low profile. What happened?”
“Nothing. I went upstairs and ran into them. Then I found you.” I omitted a few details from my trip to the second floor of the mansion. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
“Have you ever seen a cat play with a mouse?” She gestured toward the general direction of the Royals. “It never ends well for the tiny creature. Even if it’s just a game.”
Thank you for reading Dark Beauty. Enzo and Aurora’s star-crossed lovers story continues inFallen Raven (Raven Duet, #1), where they soon find out something darker lurks beneath the glitz and glamour of their elite school.
I wanted her since the moment I saw her.
I didn’t even care she’d been promised to someone else.
Then we kissed, and I realized I was her first.
I became…Obsessed
Download Fallen Raven (Raven Duet, #1)
Escape My Love
Escape You, Bonus Epilogue
Chapter1
The Crucible
Mia
“What the hell is this place? And more importantly, why the fuck am I here?” I glared at the man who had more or less grabbed me from the Rossi penthouse. A bold move on his part, given how I’d recently married into a Mafia family under the protection of the Big 5—the five original crime families. At least that was the rumor. No one was stupid enough to test that theory.
The five original crime families had gone underground so long ago and were so hard to find, people had started to believe their existence was no more than a legend. Mafia families were still around, but a single crime society that controlled it all seemed far-fetched these days.
“Mr. Valentino promises you’ll have answers before the night is over.” The man pointed his head at my fur coat.
I rolled my eyes but shrugged out of it and dumped it in his arms. The freezing air brushed across my bare back as he ushered me inside the building. I was glad to exchange the dark and deserted alley for a place that was warm and full of people who seemed to be enjoying themselves.
“This is why you had me change into this gown? A party in a fucking nightclub?” I shifted my body to address the man behind me, but he was gone. The hairs on the nape of my neck prickled. Fuck me.
I strode farther down the red-carpeted hallway toward the sensual music laced with laughter and happy voices. The elevator door slid open the second I reached it.
“Mrs. Rossi, welcome.” A guy in a tailored suit gestured for me to get in. He didn’t look like a doorman, but he didn’t look as if he were in charge either.
In my line of work, I’ve used this kind of intimidation tactic. As the boss of the Rogue River crew, I didn’t bother paying a visit to assholes who’d decided to step out of line. Instead, I had my guys deliver them to me. My best guess was this Mr. Valentino wanted a word with me. Fine. I played along and walked into the elevator car.
I strolled onto the rooftop with my senses on high alert. A woman in lingerie with short, shiny hair and red lips offered me a glass of champagne. I took it out of habit but didn’t drink. Babies and alcohol didn’t mix. Where the hell was Tyler? By now, I was sure he’d noticed I’d been taken, though I couldn’t exactly claim I’d been kidnapped. More like I was extended an invitation I couldn’t refuse.
The opulence of the place with its velvet sofas and upholstered leather club chairs spoke of power, money, and sex. It all dripped from the carmine silk walls and everything around me. I was fine with it. But this feeling of danger that crept in every dark corner put me on edge. Its presence crawled on my skin and drummed inside my chest. When I turned around, I ran into a chest I’d become intimately familiar with in the past few months.
“Omigod, Tyler. What the hell is going on?”
He held me tight. “Don’t know. I’m sorry—I didn’t have time to warn you.”
