“Do you like these shoes?” he asked.
“I’m never wearing those again.”
“Perfect.” Titus picked up one and snapped the heel off. “Done. Now, let’s get you to the pickup spot. When you arrive home, do your report and then head back to your room. I’ll be there at two.”
“I can make up an excuse to leave. Especially if I wait a couple of days,” Alessia suggested one more time. “Enzo’s men will kill you instantly if you’re spotted.”
“That won’t happen, Little mate. You won’t stay there one additional minute. Two a.m. Grab whatever you want to have. You won’t return to your brother’s home.”
Titus sent a message to Bram.Can you grab a Nightfall sweatshirt and meet me at the exit by the front doors? Make the souvenir a large.Alessia would swim in that size, but the warm garment would protect her from the weather and cover a bit more than her beaded dress.
Titus walked her to the front door. He claimed a fragment of her time left to press an ardent kiss to her lips. Allowing her to leave went against all of his instincts demanding his mate stayed close.
A handsome man showed up with an oversized hoodie. Titus thanked him and pulled the sweatshirt over her head.
“Here, Alessia. It’s cold outside.”
When she could see again, the other man was gone.
“Remember. I’m with you now, and I will come get you.”
“I have to be completely nuts,” Alessia whispered aloud as she hurried to the address where the car would wait for her. She needed to get there quickly, or the driver would leave.
Night swirled around her. Small noises amplified in her mind as she worried—tumbling plastic bags, the honk of a distant car horn, a closing door. Suspicious of predators lurking in the shadows, she huddled inside the hoodie as if the soft material were a suit of armor, Alessia treasured the warmth. No one had cared about her comfort for so long. The casual garment hugged her, reminding her of Titus’s warm embrace. Her gaze darted from side to side. She’d never liked the dark and still slept with a nightlight.
Alessia hesitated at the entrance of a pitch-black alley. Cutting through would save her steps and minutes. Swallowing hard, she headed into the obscurity, walking as fast as her sore feet would allow her. A growl sounded in her brain. “Titus?” she whispered.
“I can be Titus, if you’d like me to,” a rough voice told her from slightly behind her.
Whirling to face the direction she thought she’d heard the sound, Alessia quickly walked backward, trying to get out of the shadows. She couldn’t spot anyone. Where was he? She forced herself to answer calmly as she panicked inside. “No, thank you. Sorry. Just cutting through.” She transferred her intact stiletto to one hand and held the other like a dagger. Alessia wouldn’t go down without a fight.
“This is my alley. You don’t get to pass for free,” that gravelly voice said on her right. She spotted the shadowy figure, standing a few feet away. Freezing, she didn’t know what to do.
Run, Little mate!Titus’s order reverberated inside her head.
Alessia didn’t hesitate. With her heart pounding, she raced toward the exit, ignoring the pain that speared through herfeet with each strike of her sneakers on the pavement. Thudding footsteps followed.
“What the…”
A loud snap sounded in the alley behind her and then silence. Alessia didn’t pause. When she emerged into the ring of light from the streetlamp, she kept running. When she turned at the next block, Enzo’s man and the car waited. Damn. He’d sent Frankie.
Frankie pushed away from the car when he spotted her. He tossed his cigarette, leaving the butt glowing on the street. “You’re lucky I didn’t take off.”
“Thank you for waiting for me, Frankie. The club was packed. I had to navigate around a ton of people to leave.”
“What are you wearing?” Frankie snarled.
“The shoes? Can you believe my heel broke?” She held up the evening shoes. Her new sweatshirt pulled away from her wrists. The glowing moon had already faded. The bar stamp’s disappearance emphasized how alone she was. A prickle of Titus’s presence in her mind reassured her.
“Not that. You went to a nightclub in a sweatshirt? That’s not a good way to seduce information out of someone.”
“I wasn’t there to seduce anyone, Frankie. I was wet and got cold. Besides, buying a souvenir allowed me to check out the shop.” Alessia faked a yawn. “I’m so tired. Could we go home now?”
Frankie opened the passenger door for her. Alessia would rather have ridden in the backseat, but she didn’t suggest that. When Frankie was pissed, he was dangerous. He touched her in the guise of helping her settle into her seat, and her skin crawled. Alessia couldn’t help but compare the impact of Titus’s caresses versus Frankie’s clammy skin on hers. Gritting her teeth, she didn’t shy from him and pretended she didn’t notice or mind. When he closed her door, she shrank backagainst the luxurious leather seat, not relaxing around the predatory man but glad to be free of him.
A shadow of movement along the side of the buildings caught her attention. Glowing red eyes flashed. Was that some kind of animal? Her instincts told her to be careful—not to draw Frankie’s attention to that spot. Alessia stopped herself from leaning forward to peer out the windshield.
Titus?
