Page 44 of The One Night Match (Mafia Matchmaker #1)

FORTY-FOUR

RILEY

I ’m bored out of my damn mind.

Lexi has kept me in bed for far too long, and now that she’s finally fallen asleep beside me, I slip from between the sheets and make my way downstairs in search of Cruz.

I may not have known the man for long, but I do know what he’s doing, and he’s a fool if he thinks it’s going to work.

The house is quiet as I move through it, and by the time I reach his office, I’ve already concluded that no one else is here.

The first thing I see when I walk into the room is the giant cat tree I had installed in here, and I snicker at the sight of Mr. Whiskers at the top, looking over his kingdom.

I reach up and give him a quick scratch, ignoring the pain in my ribs. I’m not sure what I did to hurt them, but now that I’m moving around, they’re making their presence known.

Mr. Whiskers purrs and nuzzles my hand.

“Such a good boy,” I coo. “Where’s your dad, huh?”

He meows, followed by another head butt to make sure I keep patting him.

I’ve fallen for the little orange ball of fluff just as much as I have his owner.

I’ll need to check on Kevin, but I’m sure Lexi has been taking good care of him the last few days. He goes back to his owner the day after tomorrow, and while I’ll miss him, Mr. Whiskers will be happy to have the house to himself again.

I drop my hand and take another look around the office before I notice something on the desk that piques my interest.

Without letting myself think about the fact that I absolutely should not be snooping, I round the solid wood desk and carefully pull the folder in question out from beneath the stack of stuff on top of it.

I flick it open, and my stomach dips painfully.

It’s the ninety-day clause.

The one that would end our marriage with no questions asked.

And it’s signed.

Tears fill my eyes, and I clutch my chest as if it’ll do anything to stop the agony slicing through my heart.

The rational part of me knows that Cruz is doing this because he thinks it will keep me safe. But the other part is hurt. More hurt than I thought possible.

There’s an envelope tucked beneath the contract, and my hand shakes as I slide it out. I’ve already come this far. I may as well go all the way.

A rogue tear falls against my cheek as I unfold the note, my heart beating erratically in my chest.

Riley,

Falling for you was never part of the plan, but it is the reason I’m doing this.

It’s become clear that I can’t keep you safe, so I have to let you go.

I’m sorry.

Cruz

A rough sob tears from my throat as pain cuts through my chest.

He’s doing this out of fear, not because he wants to, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt all the same. Too bad for him, I have no intention of going down without one hell of a fight.

I carefully replace the note but leave it open on his desk so he knows I’ve seen it, before turning to leave the room, only to come up short when I find someone who absolutely does not belong standing in the doorway.

“Monica,” I say carefully. “What are you doing here?”

Her blonde hair is piled in a knot on her head, and her face is free of makeup, something I suspect is out of the ordinary for her.

She’s dressed in all black, and it’s only after a few moments that I notice the gun clutched in her hand.

“I’ve come to collect you,” she says simply, her face void of emotion as she steps forward with the weapon raised toward me.

I swallow heavily. “Collect me?”

“I don’t have time for your questions,” she snaps. “We need to go.”

I take a steadying breath, thinking back through all the training I’ve done over the years.

I need to play this right, and even though everything I’ve ever been taught suggests I should try to appeal to her emotions, I know that won’t do me any good.

Monica hates me, and begging her not to do this will likely just make her angry, putting me in more danger than I’m already in.

There’s a panic button beneath the desk, but reaching for it will escalate things, something I absolutely do not want when I’m already injured.

I look down at what I’m wearing—one of Cruz’s shirts and a pair of fluffy socks. “I need to put clothes on.”

She rolls her eyes and shakes the gun toward me. “I don’t care what you’re wearing. We need to leave right now.”

I suck in a breath and nod, stepping forward toward her. Something catches my eye as I move around the desk, and I don’t hesitate, keeping my face neutral as I run my finger along the blade and slice into my skin.

Monica looks over her shoulder toward the hallway, giving me a chance to trace an ‘M’ in blood on the corner of the desk, hoping that someone will be able to put the pieces together quickly enough to find me.

I move toward her, carefully fisting my bleeding finger against my palm so she doesn’t get wind of what I’ve done. It’s clear she’s not the idiot everyone seems to peg her as, and I’m not willing to underestimate her.

“Walk ahead of me,” she barks.

I do as she says, moving forward without hesitation. I’m not sure where Mary is, and Magda is normally here at this time, but maybe Cruz told her not to come in while things are so volatile.

“Which way?” I ask over my shoulder when we reach the end of the hallway.

“The back door.”

“What about the security team?”

She jams the barrel of the gun into my sore rib, and I let out an involuntary yelp. “Shut up, bitch, and stop questioning me. The security team isn’t a problem.”

I swipe the tears from my eyes as we pass Kevin, and he lets out a series of barks and whines. “It’s okay, buddy. Everything’s okay.”

“If that little rat doesn’t shut up, I’m going to make him shut up.”

I glance over my shoulder in horror. Jesus.

I knew she was unhinged, but to threaten an innocent animal?

You have to be a special kind of evil for that.

“No one else is here,” I tell her, hoping she doesn’t know Lexi is asleep upstairs.

“If you say the security team is no issue, then his barks won’t alert anyone. ”

She mutters something under her breath, but I feel a weird kind of relief when the barrel presses into my lower spine.

She shoves me out the back door, and I barely catch myself from falling when I trip on the body of a man I vaguely recognize as part of the security team Cruz hired to protect the house.

His cold, lifeless eyes stare up at me, and bile rises in the back of my throat at the sight. This is a whole hell of a lot different from the severed hand upstairs.

I swallow past the bile and right myself, continuing on as she guides me with nothing other than the gun pressed to my back.

We walk around the house, and it’s not until we reach the gate that she finally steps in front of me, looking each way to ensure there’s no one who can stop her from carrying out her plan.

I take the chance to look around for anything I can use as a weapon, and when my eyes lock on a piece of pipe, my chest tightens with something that feels a whole lot like hope.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I wrap my fingers around the hard metal, muster all the strength I have left in my body, and swing at the back of Monica’s head.

She goes down with a yelp, and I take off toward the trees, clutching the pipe in my hand and ignoring the pain in the soles of my feet with each step I take.

I need to lure her and anyone else that’s here away from the house and away from Lexi.