She Accidentally Used a Pet Name for the Mafia Boss—What He Did Next Stunned the Office

The illusion of safety shattered twenty minutes later.

Paige excused herself from the ballroom to use the private restroom in the mezzanine gallery. Two of Gabriel’s security guards accompanied her to the hallway, stationing themselves outside the arched entrance.

As she stepped out of the restroom into the quiet, dimly lit gallery corridor, a hand reached from the shadows of an alcove, grabbed her wrist, and yanked her behind a velvet curtain.

Paige opened her mouth to scream, but a palm clamped over her lips.

"Shut up, Paige! It’s me!"

The smell of stale cigarettes, cheap cologne, and sweat hit her.

She pulled back violently, tearing the hand away from her face.

Kevin.

He stood before her in a rumpled suit, looking haggard, desperate, and hollow-eyed. The boyish charm she had once found endearing was gone, replaced by the frantic twitch of an addict on the verge of collapse.

"Kevin?" she gasped, her voice shaking with rage and shock. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for you," Kevin hissed, grabbing her upper arms. "We have to leave. Right now. Through the service entrance."

"Are you insane?" Paige shoved him backward with all her strength. He stumbled against the wall. "You left me! You forged my signature, stole thirty thousand dollars, and left me to be hunted down by loan sharks!"

"I didn't have a choice!" Kevin whispered frantically, his eyes darting toward the curtain. "Vance was going to break my legs! But listen to me—Moretti is using you, Paige. Rossi approached me yesterday. He knows Vance sold my debt to Moretti. Rossi promised me fifty thousand dollars and a ticket to South America if I got you out of this building tonight."

Paige stared at him in utter disbelief. "Rossi hired you to kidnap me?"

"It’s not kidnapping! I’m saving you!" Kevin reached for her again, his fingers clawing at the emerald silk of her gown. "Gabriel Moretti is a psychopath. He’s going to kill me, and when he gets bored of you, he’ll throw you to his dogs. Come with me, Paige. We can start over."

"Don't touch me," Paige snarled, slapping his hand away. "You didn't come here to save me, Kevin. You came here to sell me to Salvatore Rossi to save your own worthless skin."

Kevin’s face contorted into an ugly sneer. "You stupid bitch. You think because he bought you a pretty dress and put some rocks around your neck you’re royalty? You’re a secretary. You’re collateral."

He lunged forward, reaching for her throat.

A hand caught Kevin by the back of his collar.

The force of the yank lifted Kevin completely off the ground and hurled him through the velvet curtain into the main corridor. He hit the marble floor with a sickening wet crunch, sliding three feet before coming to a halt.

Gabriel stood in the opening of the alcove.

His eyes were completely black with rage, his tuxedo pristine, his fists clenched at his sides. Behind him, Nico and two other guards materialized like ghosts.

Kevin groaned, rolling over onto his hands and knees, spitting blood onto the white marble. He looked up, and when his eyes met Gabriel’s, all the color drained from his face until he looked like a corpse.

"Mr... Mr. Moretti," Kevin stammered, scrambling backward on his elbows.

Gabriel didn't look at Kevin. He walked over to Paige, his hands instantly checking her shoulders, her neck, the fabric of her dress.

"Did he touch you?" Gabriel asked, his voice shaking with a terrifying, subterranean fury.

"Gabriel, I’m fine," she said quickly, placing her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart hammering like a war drum beneath the fabric of his shirt. "He didn't hurt me."

Gabriel turned slowly toward Kevin.

"Kevin Vance," Gabriel said softly. "The gambler."

"Please," Kevin wept, pressing his back against the baseboard of the wall, raising his hands in front of his face. "Please, Mr. Moretti! Rossi forced me! He said he’d kill my parents if I didn't lure Paige out! I didn't want to do it!"

Gabriel took two steps forward, his polished dress shoes clicking rhythmically against the stone.

"You abandoned a woman who worked three jobs to clean up your filth," Gabriel said, each word dropping like an anvil. "You left her to Vance Rinaldi. And then you dared to lay your hands on her while she wore my family’s name."

Gabriel glanced at Nico.

"Take him to Pier Forty-Two," Gabriel commanded. "Put him in the holding container. We will deal with him after the shipment clears tonight."

"Pier Forty-Two?" Paige whispered, her eyes widening.