Page 50 of The Mafia’s Girlfriend

I doubted that they would have moved Krista from here to another place to make it that much harder for me to locate her though. Almost as if they knew I’d come running for my best friend.

I bet they might not have counted on me bringing backup.

“Just...” I glanced at Luke staring at the house. Music traveled all the way to the street, the bass a faint hum where it’d be throbbing vibrations the nearer we came to the house. Shouts, laughter, and the general chorus of people partying hard reached us.

“Just stick with me.”

“That was the whole point, wasn’t it?” he growled, looking at me. I noticed the skepticism in his eyes and I hated that I could erase it. “Who do you have connections with here?”

The mafia. “Other people.”

He groaned, getting out of the car.

This house was notorious for its guests. If I stalled any longer, he could piece the clues together.

Just get in there, find her, and get out. Antonio didn’t own me yet. And if he tried to keep me here longer than I wanted to, Luke would help me get out.

He walked alongside me, scoping the place out. While he wasn’t obvious and checking his surroundings, I could tell what he was doing. And I appreciated it.

Marchese men noticed me at the entrance. They catcalled and tried to talk to me, but I refused to entertain them. I kept my head held high and strode inside, making sure Luke remained with me. In here, it was much louder. As soon as we set foot over the threshold, a couple of topless servers thrust drinks at us, somehow balancing trays while they tottered in tall heels and their gargantuan fake boobs threatened to topple the other glasses standing in the silver slabs they toted drinks around.

We both declined. Liquid courage might have helped. It would’ve infused me with a bravery I didn’t feel, but I didn’t want to compromise being level-headed and clear-minded.

Luke noticed. My tough shell was slipping. If he was noticing me and furrowing his brow in concern at my expressions, I was doing a shitty job of looking cool and collected. That practiced mask I had was falling too quickly. I had to be icy and aloof, but all I felt in here was dread, such a thick dose of it curdling in my stomach that this was a big mistake.

Find her, get her out, and go.

Repeating my mantra helped. I looked around the main rooms, trying to figure out which hallway out of here would lead to a room that Krista could be kept it. In the video, it looked like a guest bedroom, but this place had so many.

Where to start? How to start?

“Hey.” Luke stepped closer to me, ever observant. He comforted me in my moment of panic. “We’ll find her.”

I nodded, but the moment he moved his hand closer to mine to hold it, I shied away from his touch.

I didn’t need to borrow trouble like that. Antonio’s men were watching. I’d already done wrong in showing up here with another man, but if I tried to make it look platonic, maybe Luke would be spared. Maybe he’d be safe. After all, nothing bad happened to him after he beat that Marchese fighter in the alley, defending me. The fact that no one had looked for him set me on edge. It made it more of a waiting game, like they were keeping a close eye on him to determine what significance he had in my life, to determine if he was an obstacle they’d need to remove.

“Emma?” He reached for me again, gripping my hand as we walked further into the crowd dancing and drinking without a care in the world.

The first touch of his hot hand on mine shot tingles traveling up my arm. He grounded me. He was already a recognizable source of security and comfort. But I couldn’t lean on them now. I shook my hand free, hating having to do so. Catching the watchful eye of a couple of the Marchese guards proved that it was already too late. They were already following my every move.

“Maybe we can split up.”

He scowled, not liking that idea. “I thought you wanted me to come here in case anyone gave you trouble.”

I nodded. “Right. But there’s two of us. If we are both looking, we’ll find her faster.” I had to shout to be heard over the DJ talking and changing into an even louder song, but I didn’t want to scream my plan. “There are so many rooms to look through.”

His scowl remained in place.

“I want to get out of here as quickly as possible,” I told him.

“Hurry,” he replied, looking around. “I’ll check through here.” Before we split, he reached into my back pocket and plucked my phone out. “Unlock it.”

I did, and once the screen was accessible, he put his phone number in. “I don’t like this idea.”

“But you won’t try to tell me what to do, right?”

This wasn’t a time to wage a battle about who could be right and who had authority over whom. He respected that, letting me call the shots. Narrowing his eyes, he seemed to hold back on another line of argument, but he kept his sexy mouth shut.