SHE CRAWLED UNDER THE MAFIA BOSS’S TABLE TO HIDE FROM HER EX — AND SHATTERED THE WALLS AROUND HIS HEART
SHE CRAWLED UNDER THE MAFIA BOSS’S TABLE TO HIDE FROM HER EX — AND SHATTERED THE WALLS AROUND HIS HEART
Rain beat hard against the tall arched windows of The Obsidian, falling in a steady, suffocating rhythm that made the entire lounge feel sealed away from the rest of the city.
Inside the private, dimly lit club, wealthy men and elegant women drank in silence, hiding their sins behind expensive whiskey, velvet curtains, and soft golden candlelight. The Obsidian was not just a lounge. It was a place where the city’s most powerful people came to bury secrets no one was supposed to discover.
Behind the polished mahogany bar, Maya Vance adjusted the collar of her silver server’s vest and forced herself to breathe. Her fingers trembled as she wiped an already-clean crystal glass, pretending to be calm while every nerve in her body screamed that something was wrong.
She had worked there for exactly three weeks.
Three weeks under a false name.
Three weeks of keeping her head down.
Three weeks of flinching every time the doors opened, every time a man laughed too loudly, every time footsteps sounded too heavy behind her.
To the rich patrons of The Obsidian, Maya was only a quiet waitress with tired eyes and a soft voice. She served expensive scotch, collected empty glasses, and disappeared before anyone could look at her too closely.
But they did not know the truth.
They did not know she was hiding.
They did not know she had spent months running from a man who had turned her life into a nightmare. A man whose name still lived inside her like a bruise. A man who had promised that if she ever left him, he would find her.
And tonight, the air felt different.
Heavy.
Tight.
Dangerous.
The shadows across the lounge seemed longer than usual, stretching along the walls like silent warnings. Maya could feel it in her bones, that terrible instinct that came only from living too long in fear.
Then the heavy double doors swung open.
A blast of cold rain-soaked wind rushed into the warm room, slicing through the rich scent of tobacco, aged leather, and expensive liquor.
May you like
Maya turned toward the entrance.
And her heart stopped.
Derek stood in the doorway.
Her ex-boyfriend.
The man she had escaped.
The man she had prayed would never find her again.
Rain dripped from his black designer trench coat as he stepped inside, his sharp eyes moving across the room with the cruel focus of a predator that had finally caught the scent of its prey. He was not alone. Two large, broad-shouldered men stood on either side of him, silent and threatening, their hands resting too close to the inside pockets of their tailored coats.
Maya’s blood turned cold.
For one horrible second, she could not move. She could not breathe. She could only stare as the nightmare she had been running from walked straight into the one place where she thought she might finally be safe.
There was nowhere to go.
The front entrance was blocked.
The back exit was crowded with deliveries.
And Derek was already scanning the room.
Maya knew what would happen if he saw her. She still remembered the last words he had hissed at her the night she ran.
He would rather see her buried than free.
Panic tore through her chest as her eyes darted around the lounge, searching for any possible escape, any corner, any shadow, any place where she could disappear before Derek found her.
Then she saw it.
At the very back of the elevated lounge area sat the grand VIP booth.
It was hidden behind heavy dark velvet drapes, wrapped in shadows so deep that even the flickering candles from the main floor could not reach inside. The booth looked almost empty from where Maya stood, a private pocket of darkness carved into the most exclusive corner of The Obsidian.
Her body moved before her mind could think.
With Derek’s gaze sweeping closer, Maya slipped out from behind the bar and moved fast through the dim lounge, keeping her head low, her breath trapped in her throat. Her heels barely made a sound against the polished floor as she hurried toward the VIP section, her heart pounding so violently she feared someone would hear it.
She did not know who was inside that booth.
She did not care.
All she knew was that Derek was here.
And if he found her, she would never escape him again.
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