“Outside. Now,” Joseph bit out.
“All right,” Marco agreed. I heaved in a deep breath when he finally stepped away from me, freeing me from his influence. He glanced back at me one more time, a sly smirk fixed on his face. “Goodbye, Ashlyn.”
Joseph snarled and took a step toward Marco. The frightening man raised his hands in a show of contrition. “Outside,” he prompted Joseph.
I didn’t want Joseph to leave with him. Marco was a threat, and I didn’t want him to hurt the man I loved.
Love. Yes, I was in love with Joseph. The idea of him being hurt made my stomach turn.
I reached out and grabbed his big hand, holding him back. “Don’t,” I begged. “Stay in here with me.”
He stared down at me, his expression drawn with pain that I didn’t understand. “I can’t,” he rasped. He leaned down and brushed a kiss over my lips. “I’m sorry. Stay inside. Don’t follow me.”
Somehow the words seemed heavier than a simple order not to follow him outside. My heart twisted, my stomach knotting with anxiety. Something was very wrong, and I didn’t understand why Joseph would go anywhere with Marco.
Before I could fully process what was happening, Joseph pulled his hand from mine and began making his way through the crowd, following Marco toward the exit. The man I loved disappeared into the night, leaving me behind.
Chapter Nine
Joseph
Rage coursed through my veins. Of course Marco had hunted me down. My best friend would never have allowed me to escape from my family. Even though he knew I hated it, I also knew that it’d been selfish for me to leave him behind in that hell.
Secretly, he resented our mafia lifestyle as much as I did, although he’d never admit it aloud. I’d known him long enough to recognize that his cold exterior was a barrier between him and his more volatile emotions. His hard edges concealed a deeply buried pain that he would never express openly, maybe not even to himself.
I couldn’t bring myself to hate him, but I could rage at him for ruining my escape.
“Why did you come after me?” I demanded when we stepped outside the ring of illumination provided by the streetlight. “You know I want out. Why would you do this to me?” The last came out more strained than I’d intended.
I didn’t want to abandon the simpler life I’d found in Cambridge. I didn’t want to abandon Ashlyn and the powerful connection I shared with her. My affection for her bordered on obsession, and there was so much more I wanted to learn about her.
“You know I couldn’t let you go,” Marco rumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. “There’s a war brewing in our family. Tensions are running high. Dominic Russo’s son can’t just disappear. You know your father will take over as soon as the don passes, which could be any day now. It looks suspicious that you ghosted. Like maybe you didn’t leave of your own accord, if you know what I mean. You could’ve been fucking dead, Joseph.” His voice roughened. His hard demeanor threatened to crack, revealing just how much he’d worried about me.
“Then you called me,” he continued. “I got the area code off the call and was able to narrow my search. At least I knew you were alive. Do you know what—” He cut himself off, shaking his head sharply. “You have to come back with me. It’s going to get bloody if you don’t. Do you want your father to be murdered in a power struggle?”
My stomach sank. I hadn’t fully thought through the potential ramifications of my disappearance. As much as I hated that life—the violent world I’d been born into—I didn’t want to see my father dead.
“No,” I said quietly. “Of course not. But I can’t go back with you. I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” he said harshly. “You just don’t want to. But you have responsibilities, Joseph. Even if you don’t want them, that doesn’t mean you don’t carry them.”
He regarded me for a moment, his head canting to the side as he studied me with his piercing black gaze. “You don’t want to leave her,” he concluded, seeing straight through me. “You know you can’t stay near her,” he said more gently. “If I can find you, anyone can. It’s just a matter of time. Do you really want your father’s enemies to get their hands on her?”
My fists curled at my sides, my rage surging once again. “No,” I growled, an absolute denial of the idea of Ashlyn in pain, used as a weapon against me.
“Come home with me,” he urged. “You don’t have a choice. Not if you want to protect her. Not if you want to protect your father. And me,” he added, as though that was of little consequence.
I wouldn’t risk Marco. The man who was like a brother to me couldn’t be hurt because of my selfish choices. I’d die before I let that happen.
My shoulders slumped as defeat rolled over me. All my foolish dreams of having a normal life with my perfect angel shattered. I was going to have to leave Ashlyn behind.
Chapter Ten
Marco
One Month Later
My decision was reckless and more than a little selfish. I’d told myself I was doing this for her own good, to protect Ashlyn from potentially being discovered by our enemies.
But really, I was doing this for Joseph. He’d been a shell of himself since returning to New York with me. I knew it had more to do with losing Ashlyn than it did with his hatred of our violent lives. He’d been happy with her, and being torn from her was killing him inside.
I couldn’t allow my surrogate brother to suffer like that.
I glanced over at Jayme. The blonde was sleeping soundly on the couch in the apartment she shared with Ashlyn. Seducing her hadn’t been difficult. Slipping a roofie into her drink had been laughably easy, and I’d secured an invitation back to her place. I would never violate her, but I’d needed her to let me in. She was a means to an end, and all she’d suffer was a wicked headache in the morning and very little memory of spending any time with me at all.
Ashlyn’s disappearance wouldn’t be traced back to me. I was anonymous here, unknown by anyone. There was no reason to suspect me.
I fingered the syringe in my pocket and waited in the darkness for her.
Ashlyn was going to come with me, whether she wanted to or not. I’d give her back to Joseph. I’d fix him. They’d both move past my questionable decision to take her against her will. Eventually.
They’d be happy, and maybe I would be too.
Chapter Eleven
Ashlyn
My heart jumped into my throat as soon as I stepped into my darkened apartment. The back of my neck prickled, some primal part of my brain immediately sensing danger. I knew the man was there in the split second before his hand clamped over my mouth. The pressure propelled me backward, and I bumped into the door behind me. His movements weren’t violent enough to cause me pain, but they were terrifying enough to make my pulse hammer through my veins. My soft scream was smothered by his big hand.