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“Tell me about it.” I laugh bitterly, raising my glass in mock salute before taking another long sip. “Our failed marriages proved that. Maybe we should swear off men altogether.”

“I’m in,” she declares, eyes sparkling with mischief. “To singlehood!”

“To singlehood!” We clink our glasses together before downing our drinks—only mine burns going down and takes the edge off the reality of my shitty life.

We’re just two women united in their defiance against love gone wrong and whatever demons linger in their pasts.

Chapter 4

Dangerous Familiarities

Ezekiel

The club is packed, every table filled. It’s Saturday night, and something in the air indicates a storm is brewing. I scan the crowd—muscles tight and senses heightened—almost immediately spotting the source of my tension.

Members of the Columbus mafia are here, and I don’t like it one bit.

Sebastian leans against the bar, chatting up a couple of young women who are oblivious to the dangerous company surrounding them. I shake my head at his antics. He might think he can charm his way through any situation but tonight feels different. I glance back at the shadows in the corners—old faces and new threats.

I catch a glimpse of Marcus Barone among them—the leader of the ever-growing Columbus mafia—his smug expression hinting at some underlying agenda. My gut twists as suspicion creeps in. I’ve spent my years in Columbus fighting to stay under the radar. I thought I’d succeeded. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe they know who I am. Maybe they’ve pieced together my connection to New York.

Seb laughs, throwing his head back like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Zeke!” His voice booms over the music as he raises his glass in a toast to no one in particular.

I force a smile but keep scanning. If Nicolo’s involved—if he’s orchestrating something to drag me back into that world—I need to be prepared.

“Everything okay?” Eli stands beside me, arms crossed over his chest, a wall of muscle ready for trouble.

“Just keeping an eye out.” I tilt my head toward a group of men huddled near the stage, their whispers drowned out by laughter and chatter. “Something feels off.”

Eli narrows his eyes at them before looking back at me. “You think they know?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, feeling the tension coil tighter inside me like a spring ready to snap. “But we can’t afford any missteps tonight.”

“Just tell me what you need, boss.” Eli maintains his stance, arms crossed, looking more menacing than he really is.

“No matter what happens,” I say, locking eyes with Eli, “don’t let anyone leave without being checked. Be subtle. I want to know if they know who we really are.”

He nods sharply and heads toward Seb, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

I breathe deeply, trying to steady myself while tension rises around me. But with every laugh echoing from nearby tables and every drink poured down throats, it’s more likely trouble is already here—waiting just out of sight.

I slip into a secluded table in the back, the shadows swallowing me whole. It’s a perfect vantage point to keep an eye on the crowd without drawing attention.

I scan the faces—familiar and foreign alike—before settling on the group near the stage. Marcus Barone’s laugh booms above the music, a wolf among sheep.

Marcus stands at the helm of this burgeoning mafia group in Columbus, his presence commanding and unmistakable. It’s a position he didn’t just stumble into. He clawed his way to the top, navigating through the murky waters of crime and power. The air around him crackles with a volatile mix of ambition and danger, the hammer of his influence pressing down on this city. As I watch him, I sense the reckless decisions he makes in his quest for respect, each choice laden with the potential for destruction.

Eli joins me, plopping down across the table with that usual stone-faced expression. He leans in, lowering his voice. “What’s our move? We can’t let them keep gaining ground.”

“Thought about it.” I nod toward Marcus, watching him down another drink. “But we need to be careful. No doubt Nicolo’s responsible for Marcus’s climb. He’s not going to let this slide easily if we act too aggressively.”

“You think Nicolo’s involved in this?” Eli’s voice is low, a hint of disbelief threaded through his tone. His deep-set eyes narrow in contemplation.

I nod slowly. “Something tells me Nicolo created this entire unit and put these men in power. It feels like his signature, calculated and cold.”

Eli furrows his brows, his gaze shifting to Marcus’s table, where the tension grows like a deadly virus. “Why would he do that?”