She loves them, but at what cost?
Instead of being what she needs, they push her away, keep their secrets, and make her question whether they want her around at all. It’s not fair. To her, or to me, when I’d so willingly be the man she deserves.
I'd nurture that light instead of letting it burn out. I'd listen to all the things she doesn't say and give before she can even ask for what she wants. I would anticipate her every desire and fulfill her fantasies.
I might not be responsible for her heart just yet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t do what I can to make sure she knows she’s seen, that she’s heard.
And maybe tonight is the first overstep of the boundary put in place, but someone has to give in to her darker side before it consumes her completely.
I pull my car down a dark alley and park it under a flickering light. Reaching into the middle console, I pull out a pair of sunglasses. “Put these on.”
She eyes me suspiciously but decides to comply. “Any chance you’re going to tell me where we are?”
"That would ruin the surprise. You'll find out soon enough." I nod toward her door. "Wait for me to come around. Don't talk to anyone inside the building. The fewer people who know we're here, the better. If the guys find out I brought you here, they'll murder us both. Stay close to me, and whatever you do, you do not leave my side. Understand?"
June nods sharply. “Okay.”
“And at any time, if you want to leave, all you have to do is tell me.”
“Okay,” she repeats.
I take a deep breath in and exit the car, slamming my door shut and walking over to hers. I reason with myself on the way, allowing for a small window of opportunity where I change my mind, where I drive her away from here and go back to complying with the guys’ rules. I guess this isn’t directly disobeying them—they didn’t exactly tell me Icouldn’tbring her here, just that I had to keep her safe at all times, and away from mafia business.
As long as she does everything I asked of her, her safety remains intact.
Plus, this isn't mafia business per se—more like a side hustle.
I reach her door, opening it and sealing our fate. I extend my hand, reveling in the softness of her skin when she places hers in mine. “This way, love.” I guide her through the dampness of the alley and through a back door.
The noise of a bustling crowd fills the space and grows louder as we approach.
I tug her down a narrow corridor where people are gathered, some chatting in small groups, some waiting in an excessively long line.
“Stay close to me,” I remind her.
She tightens her grip on my hand and steps closer, her body only inches from mine as we weave our way through the throng of people. I pretend for a moment that this is what it would be like, us against the world. Me and her, together, at fucking last. But then I’m quickly reminded that this is a fever dream, a night that will exist only in my memories once it’s over. Either way, I’ll gladly take whatever I can get with her.
“Move,” I tell a middle-aged man standing in my way.
He hesitates and for a second I’m unsure whether he’s going to actually comply. But like a sense of realization hits him, he steps back and gives me the space I demanded.
I shove my key into the door he was in front of and turn the handle, pulling June in with me and shutting out the chaos of that crowd. It takes my eyes a second to adjust to the darkness of the room, and then again when I flip the light switch on.
“What is this place?” June pulls the glasses off of her beautiful face and looks around.
I pull back the curtain on the large one-way window, revealing a room filled to the brim with people.
June approaches and glances over at me. “Can they see us?”
I shake my head and walk over to the refrigerator in the corner. “No.” I pull out two bottles of water and give her one of them. “It won’t be too long.”
“I don’t understand.”
I press a button on the wall, a speaker in our room crackling to life.
A man's voice comes through the end. "Settle down everyone." He clears his throat. "The boys are making their final rounds on bets. If you'd like to place a wager, you have…." The announcer from across the way checks the clock near him. "Sixty-two seconds."
“What are they betting on?” June asks me.