Page 46 of Wretched Choices

From the review mirror, I can see Valentino following me. I wanted to ditch him, but he already knows where I’m going. I park on the side of the road, exit the car, and walk toward the club’s entrance without waiting for Valentino.

When I get to the entrance, I realize it’s Friday and the line is long. Too long for me to wait. Add to that I’m not dressed for the club. I skip the line and come to face two mountains of people; they are even bulkier than Valentino. I roll my eyes at their scowls.

“Miss, you need to go back in line.” Two barely dressed young women enter from the side of where I stand. Surely, they were not in the line.

“What about them?” I return their scowl.

“They are dressed appropriately. This is a nightclub, not an office. The bar down the street is where your people gather.”

He obviously has no clue who he is talking to, but how could he?

“I’m here to see Salvatore, and you’d better let me through before you regret it.” He laughs sarcastically, making me angry and even more on edge.

“Nice try. You want to know how many of your sort come here and ask to see him? Dozens. Don’t embarrass yourself anymore, lady.”

Just as I want to say more to him, Valentino approaches from behind me.

“Let her through. She is his wife.”

The bouncer’s face goes white. “Sorry, Mrs. Catalano. I didn’t know.”

“Well, now you do.” I march past them, shaking the interaction with the guard off.

The sound of music pounding in the club hurts my ears as I walk down the stairs to the main floor of the club. The purple and blue lights light up the people dancing in the middle to the music.

I walk around the dance floor, my eyes searching for Salvatore. I come to a halt when a hand wraps around my waist, and hot breath tickles my ear, barely a whisper over the music.

“You shouldn’t be here, Bella.”

nineteen

Salvatore

The music in the club is too loud for my taste. It has been a long time since I’ve enjoyed places like this. Maybe before I took over La Cosa Nostra. I have been coming here for the last two weeks every night when I wasn’t on a hunting spree, only to avoid the woman at home.

Twenty-Seven was one of the first businesses I opened after I got my business degree. It was something I did despite my father's wishes. I wanted to prove myself to him and make money that had nothing to do with him. And I did, I made him proud, but the truth about the real monster my father was made me turn my back on this place, a bitter reminder of the truth.

Two weeks ago, I was reminded what I’d been avoiding for years after I killed my father and decided I wanted to be a different man.

“You can be both. You just need to find the balance,” Gabriel said to me after he dragged me away from Isabel two weeks ago.

I need to find that balance because I am the don of La Cosa Nostra and they need a leader to lead them onto a better path. I need to do that and not be my father's son.

Leaning back in a leather seat, I try to concentrate on the conversation between the men sitting with me around the table in the middle of the VIP section, my eyes roaming the place.

This seat was designed for me and my guests, so I can see every inch of the club from here.

My eyes catch the figure of a woman entering my club, her long legs wrapped in a cream knee-length skirt with a slit up the side, a nude blouse, and dangerously high heels.

I stand and take a few steps toward the railing. I lean forward and watch her hips moving as she walks, catching the attention of every man in the club.

My wife has made her presence known in my club.

When I spot Valentino behind her, I let out a breath of relief knowing she isn’t here alone. I’ll need to talk with him about this later. If they plan to come here, I need to know so I can check if there is any threat to her around.

The whistle beside me drags my attention from my wife to a tall, good-looking man, one I’ve never seen here before.

“That’s one hot piece of ass,” he comments, his eyes never leaving her. “I wonder...”

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