Page 40 of The One Night Match (Mafia Matchmaker #1)

FORTY

RILEY

I decide not to drag my very sore feet when it comes to getting back to questions.

There are a few people waiting for me, and I smile as I approach them.

“So sorry to keep you waiting,” I say to the group of women waiting. “If I didn’t eat, I think I was going to drop!”

“Oh, don’t be silly.” The short blonde woman among them takes my hand and squeezes it. “We’ve all done this event, and we know how overwhelming it can be! You’re handling it like a champ.”

My shoulders relax slightly, relieved that the three of them don’t seem like they’re going to grill me about my stance on global warming. “Thank you for saying that. It’s a lot harder in practice than it was in principle.”

“It’s the denial beforehand. You know you have to do it, and so you mentally block how fucked up the whole event actually is.” A tall woman with bright green eyes laughs.

I scoff, taking another sip from the glass of champagne someone handed me as I passed them. I think it was a waiter, but honestly, I don’t really care who it was if it means getting through this next line of questioning. “You might be right about that.”

“Cruz seems really happy with you. After everything that happened when his father died, we started to wonder if he would find someone who could bring him out of his shell. As a teenager, he was so full of life, and then when he took the reins, a part of him died,” the first woman explains.

“I’ve seen him smile more tonight than I have in the last five years. ”

My heart does a little flip that it has no right doing.

I didn’t mean to tell Cruz I wanted to make things work between us. Not tonight, at least. But I’m glad it slipped out. I’m glad that it’s one less thing he needs to worry about while he gets the family back on track.

“Cruz is a good man. I’m lucky to have been matched with him and to call him my husband.” It’s the spiel I prepared for tonight, but more and more I’m realizing how true it is.

I came into this marriage looking for a way out from day one. I didn’t want this to last, and I’ve actively tried to show him all the reasons we won’t work, but he’s been all in from the start.

“My Bobby says he’s been a lot easier to work with since you came into the picture. Perhaps all he needed was the love of a good woman,” the tall one says.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek in preparation for the panic, but it never comes. The idea of loving Cruz doesn’t scare me. It…excites me. There’s an energy thrumming in my chest that’s unfamiliar, but I lean into it, because I don’t have to fight anymore.

“Danny said the same thing,” the third woman gushes.

“God, I’m just so happy. I grew up with the De Lucas, and Cruz’s father was not a good man.

The family was divided. There was constant infighting and betrayal for power and money.

It was honestly scary, and my mom kept me away from the worst of it.

Obviously, things have been rocky since Cruz took over, but it’s already a much safer place for the women and children. ”

I smile at her, my response on the tip of my tongue, when a wave of dizziness hits me out of nowhere.

I plant my feet to keep my balance as I scan the room for Lexi or Mary.

Something’s not right, and I can’t put my finger on what it is.

I’m not anxious.

My blood sugar isn’t low.

I was feeling fine just a few seconds ago.

“Riley, are you okay?” one of the women asks, concern coating every word.

I nod. “Yeah. I’m okay. I might just nip to the restroom quickly.”

I don’t bother waiting for them to respond before turning on my heel and making my way toward the door we came in through.

A few people try to speak to me, but their faces blur together, my mind swimming as my body drives me forward with muscle memory alone.

By the time I reach the hallway, I’m clinging to the wall for balance, every step harder than the last as my mind and body grow further apart.

A fresh wave of nausea crashes into me, and I try to look for a bathroom, but my vision is almost nonexistent.

And then it hits me.

I’ve been drugged.

The realization does nothing to settle the nausea as my legs give way beneath me.

My knees hit the concrete floor hard, and I cry out, or at least I think I do. All I can hear is my own blood rushing through my ears, and when I open my mouth to call for help, nothing comes out.

Oh god.

This is it.

All the safety training in the world can’t save me when I have no use of my body. All those hours of combat training, the classes, the self-defense seminars I took in college—it was all a waste of time, because when it really counted, I took drinks from strangers.

Idiot.

How could I be so stupid?

Even knowing someone has it out for me, I still took glasses of champagne without knowing who they came from, without seeing it be poured from the bottle like Cruz was before he left.

I wonder if that was part of the plan. Luring him out of here and leaving me as a sitting duck, waiting to be picked off.

I’m distracted from my muddled thoughts when hands grip me under the arms, hauling me up over a shoulder.

“Careful with her,” a feminine voice snaps. “He wanted her unharmed.”

“I’m sure a few bruises won’t be a problem,” a male says.

Both are vaguely familiar, but I can’t make them out through the fog. Every step we take makes my stomach roll, and I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold back the vomit climbing up the back of my throat.

Something tells me throwing up down this guy’s back isn’t going to end well for me. But if he keeps jostling me around like this, I might not have any say in the matter.

And he is kidnapping me, so he kind of deserves it.

“Hurry up!” The woman hisses.

Why does she sound so familiar?

I mean, I probably spoke to her tonight. I’ve spoken to almost every woman in the De Luca family, so it stands to reason that I would have spoken to whoever is betraying us, but hers feels particularly familiar.

“I’m moving as fast as I can. You can carry the bitch if you think it’s so easy.” His growl is what places him in my mind.

Timothy.

Which means the woman is Monica.

Oh my god. I knew these two hated me, but this is a bit extreme.

I open my mouth to try to scream, but nothing comes out. At this point, I’m not sure my brain and body are even connected anymore, and my mind swims with what they could have drugged me with and how long it may last.

Given what these people do for a living, it could be any number of things. The De Luca family runs drugs throughout Washington, Montana, Oregon, and parts of Canada, which means most of the organization would have no problem finding a date rape drug.

If I’m lucky, that’s what it is. If I’m not, it could be something with more permanent side effects.

If I live long enough for that to be an issue.

The thought is terrifying, even more so than it would have been a few months ago.

Back before this whole matchmaker thing started, when I was adamant about how happy I was, adamant that I didn’t need a man in my life.

But so much has changed since then. I’ve changed, and the thought that I might not get the chance to tell Cruz how I feel hurts almost as much as my head.

Cool air rushes around me, and another wave of panic hits me.

We’re outside.

We’re going to a second location, which is famously the worst thing that can happen, but I’m powerless to stop it.

“Get her in the car,” Monica whispers. She’s further away than she has been since they grabbed me, maybe on the other side of the car?

A door opens, and my stomach swoops, darkness eating into the edges of my vision as consciousness begins to fade.

“Hey!” someone yells, causing Timothy to jolt, a muttered curse slipping from his lips. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“Mind your business,” he growls. He drops me against hard leather, causing pain to radiate through my body.

“Riley?” the voice says, and it’s familiar. So familiar, but I’m lost to the swimming darkness, the promise of rest beckoning me toward unconsciousness.

There’s a scuffle outside the car, but I’m too far gone as I allow my body and mind to fall into the darkness.