Clammy fingers gripped my elbow as I tried to move past the bar gnat. One tug and I was free. “Don’t touch me.”
“Bitch.”
With a wave of my hand, I walked away. “You have no idea.”
Pete’s car was still parked on the street, and I tried to walk to my car quickly without drawing any attention to my super stealth operation.
“Hey! Miss!”
The words hit my back, causing me to stop in the middle of the street. Fixing a smile on my face, I turned, and the doorman jogged up to me, holding a purse. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck as I tried to swallow back my rising panic.
“You dropped this inside.” He handed me ared satinclutch.
“This isn’t mine.”
The beefed-up dude took the small handbag back with a smile. “My mistake,Ms. Mitchell.”
My stomach fell to my ass. Why did Jersey Shore know my name?
“A small piece of advice? Maybe you should keep your distance from theMorettis’ clubs.” A quick wink and my walking warning sign turned and left me stunned and stuck in place.
I scanned the street for any sign of Luca, Marco, or, heaven forbid, Mr. Moretti. Someone had eyes on me, or my pic was on some “do not serve” poster circulating in the mafia underground. I wondered who recognized me.
Strange men shouldn’t know me.
I glanced at Pete’s car,my stupidity trying to overcome my debilitating fear.
A horn blared.
“Ms. Mitchell!”
A car skidded to a stop inches from me. Eyes wide, I stared at the driver as they yelled something, but I couldn’t make out the words. The thump of my pulse drowned out everything but the static in my head and my frantic heartbeat. The driver laid on the horn one more time,and I jumped out of my stupor.
It took a bit of fumbling, but I made it into my car without additional peril.
Once in the safety of my tiny car, I blew out a shaky breath. Hazarding a glance toward where Pete’s car had been parked, I deflated. It was gone. My eyes scanned the street frantically. Despite my fear, there was an urgency to follow through on tonight’s misadventure.
Toward the end of the block, his taillights flashed as he rolled through the stop.
I shoved the keys in the ignition with trembling hands and crept into the street. Checking the mirrors, I pulled a U-ie. Rubbing the back of my neck, I gripped the steering wheel with my other hand until my knuckles turned white. A giggle spilled from my lips as I checked my rearview mirror, followed by another that turned into full-blown hysterics. Eyes watering and chest burning, I drove through the city with blurred vision, trying to gulp down air. I was tailing a confirmed made man through downtown after he dragged a man from a bar.
“It’s official. I’ve lost my damn mind.”
Speeding down a dark city street, I caught up with Pete’s car. “And apparently, I have a death wish.”
Pete was driving like a bat out of hell. This was not the mild-mannered sweetheart that drove slower than my nana. I couldn’t keep up and had to stop near a few warehouses. Looking around, I bit my lip. Lights glowed in a few windows, but the night was quiet and dark.
“Well,shit.”
I didn’t know where I was. Pulling up Google Maps, I put in my address and waited for my spotty coverage to load the directions. Tapping my fingers on the steering wheel, I scanned the abandoned area.
My shoulders slumped with disappointment. I’m not sure what I was hoping for?To see some violence? To have Pete prove himself a monster?
Shaking out my arms, I tried to get rid of the tightness in my shoulders. This was a stupid thing to do, and I needed to get my ass home.
The stiff, robotic voice told me to continue straight, so I did. At the next stop sign, astringof pops came from a warehouse behind me.
Every muscle tensed, and I ducked down in my seat. I tried convincing myself it was a backfiring car, but I couldn’t. The blinders were off, and even the small mind tricks people used to stay brave weren’t going to work.