The Cheated Mafia Husband novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After I was discharged, Jeffrey used “business matters” as an excuse and never showed up again.

Tomorrow, I would be leaving. While he was away, I went back to the top floor of the casino and retrieved my passport and several crucial identity documents from the safe.

But as I stepped out of the elevator, my knees suddenly gave out, and I stumbled forward.

Before I could fall, a pair of slender hands caught me.

“Are you okay?” The voice was soft and gentle.

I looked up into Amelia’s clear eyes.

She wore a nurse’s uniform from the casino’s VIP clinic but still looked painfully out of place here.

She didn’t recognize me. She probably thought I was just another gambler who had lost everything.

“I’m fine. Thank you,” I said quickly, trying to leave.

But she didn’t let go. Instead, she guided me toward the staff lounge. “You don’t look well. You should rest in the back for a while.”

For reasons I couldn’t explain, I didn’t refuse.

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She poured me a cup of warm water, then pulled a pack of dried fruit and some bread from her locker.

“Here, eat something. Losing money’s not the end of the world. Go home early. Your family’s probably waiting for you.”

When I didn’t respond, she hesitated, then reached into her pocket and slipped a few bills into my hand.

“This should cover your cab fare… I wish I could help with your plane ticket, but I can’t.”

Something lodged in my throat.

I wanted to tell her to stay away from Jeffrey.

He had no heart. His tenderness was poison wrapped in sugar.

But the words died before I could speak them.

If she found out who I really was, she would turn against him.

And then, I would be the one responsible for her downfall.

I had only one day left. I couldn’t risk Mom’s and my own lives for a moral victory.

So I took the money she offered, thanked her, and walked quickly out the back door.

The moment I stepped outside, something cold pressed hard against my temple.

It was a gun barrel.

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I instinctively turned around.

Amelia was already lying motionless on the hallway floor.

I moved to react, but a sudden blow to the back of my neck sent everything into darkness.

When I came to, both Amelia and I were tied up in an abandoned

warehouse.

She was sobbing softly. “Who are you people? Why are you doing this to us?”

Kieran Doyle stepped forward and slapped her hard.

“To get back at your fiancé, Jeffrey! He stole my Newark territory, cutting off my business!”

So it was the Newark gang.

That territory was the one Jeffrey had recently acquired using the settlement agreement I had signed.

Fortunately, they didn’t recognize me. To them, Amelia, the woman always seen at Jeffrey’s side, was the target.

I began working my wrists, using the micro-blade I kept hidden under my nail to saw through the ropes.

Years of living on the edge had taught me to always leave myself a

way out.

Kieran thought I was a gambler and spat at me.

“You’re just unlucky, lady. Wrong place, wrong time. Call your family; get five million here, and we’ll let you go.”

Amelia’s tears streaked down her pale face. “Ms. Leonard, I’m so sorry for dragging you into this. But don’t be scared. My fiancé is powerful. He’ll come for us.”

At the mention of Jeffrey’s name, her eyes shone with unshakable

trust.

I didn’t say a word and quickened the movement of the blade against the ropes.

Kieran cursed at his phone when his call went unanswered, then kicked over a fuel drum in frustration.

“Damn it! Jeffrey’s not picking up? Fine. Let’s send him a little message to wake him up!”

He picked up a knife from the floor, his eyes glinting with a sick grin as they swept over Amelia.

“I heard you two went to the hospital. You’re carrying his child, aren’t you? Perfect. We’ll dig that little brat out and send it to him!”

My blood ran cold.

So she was pregnant with Jeffrey’s child.

Amelia froze in terror, her face draining of color. “No… please d-don’t hurt my baby!”

The men around her laughed crudely and reached for her.

In that split second, I tore through the last of my ropes, sprang to my feet like a cornered predator, and drove my elbow into Kieran’s jaw.

I snatched the knife from his hand, cut through Amelia’s bindings, and shoved her behind me.

“Damn it! Kill her!” Kieran bellowed, clutching his bleeding chin.

Five or six thugs rushed forward, swinging metal rods.

I knew how to fight, but still half-recovered from my injuries and facing too many at once. I was quickly overwhelmed.

The blows landed hard, searing pain spreading through my body.

Still, I gritted my teeth and used my body as a shield to protect Amelia in the corner.

Kieran lost patience. With a click, he chambered a bullet and aimed the gun straight at me.

“Die, bitch!”

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a deafening explosion blew open the warehouse doors.