Page 50 of Obsessed by My Ex's Mafia Uncle
I’m thinking about the fact that I followed a stranger down a hallway without asking enough questions.
I’m thinking about how easy that was.
How careless. And I don’t get to be careless anymore, not when I have a child who's waiting for me at home. Not with a life that depends on me getting things right.
“If this isn’t work-related, I’m leaving,” I enunciate, firmer now, reclaiming some control, even if it’s just in my voice. “I don’t have time for anything else.”
He must see the fear in my eyes no matter how I try to conceal it, because his expression softens.
“You’re safe, ma’am.” His tone is soft. “The boss just wants to talk.”
Safe?
I swallow, not realizing I needed to hear it until he said it.
My breath leaves me slowly, the grip around my heart unclenching.
“Okay.” I nod.
He holds my gaze for a second longer, like he’s making sure I’m not about to bolt, then steps slightly to the side.
“We’re here.”
I follow the direction of his hand to a plain door. Nothing that explains why this one feels different from all the others we passed.
He reaches forward and presses the button beside it.
There’s a soft click, then the door unlocks, gliding open.
“Sir.” He steps aside.
And I walk in.
It takes one second.
One second for my eyes to adjust.
One second for my brain to catch up.
One second for everything to halt.
Robert.
The recognition is immediate.
My breath catches, my body going still in a way that feels instinctive, like I’ve just stepped into something I wasn’t prepared for.
For a moment, I don’t move. I just stare. Like I’ve seen something impossible. Like the past just stood up and decided to face me.
And then everything attached to him comes crashing through.
The dreamy octave of his voice when he said my name that night in Las Vegas as he came inside of me for the last time before sleep took over.
My stomach flips, my fingers curling against my side.
Because I remember. Too much. Too clearly.
And I hate that my body recognizes him in a way that feels like a relapse.
