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Irritated, I turned my phone off. I wasn’t wearing my jewelry. Now I’d have some damn peace.

I kept driving until I got to a little club on the city’s edge. I pulled into the parking lot and got out. They let me in at the door with a nod.

I had no idea what I was doing, but I needed to escape in whatever capacity. Danger could go to hell.

I went directly to the bar and ordered my favorite fruity drink, a Malibu Sunrise, and sat nursing it at the bar while people jostled and danced around me. I turned to watch a live band perform at one point, my heart aching at how lucky they were.

I returned to my third drink and found I’d already emptied it.

“You look like you could use another one,” a deep voice said beside me. I turned and stared at the beautiful blond man next to me.

Klaus Seeley.

One of Matteo’s men.

My heart thudded hard as we locked eyes.

“Um, I…”

He nodded to the bartender, who quickly got me another drink. I stiffened as Klaus slid onto the stool next to me. From what I knew of him, he was cruel and quiet. Cole told me he hated his son, and Levin hated him back just as much. He made me uneasy. Not just because he was one of Matteo’s men, but because he was huge. He’d break me like a twig if he grabbed me. Fox was six feet four inches, with my guys at a similar height. But Klaus Seeley? The man had to crowd six feet eight plus inches, loaded with pure muscle. He was terrifying.

“Thank you,” I said, sipping nervously at my drink.

“You’re alone,” he said as a statement, not a question. “Dangerous, yes? For the future wife of Lorenzo De Luca.”

“I don’t care right now,” I muttered, completely lying. I did care, but only to the point where I didn’t want Klaus Seeley to take me out to an alley and whack me.

He smirked at me. It looked out of place since whenever I saw him, he was always stony-faced and scary.

“Come.” He stood and nodded for me to follow him.

I hesitated for a moment before deciding to hell with it. I had liquid courage and pepper spray.

I followed him through the crowd to a staircase, where we ascended. He didn’t stop until we got to a dark booth in the back—clearly, VIP.

I slid onto the leather. He sat across from me in all black, his blue eyes quizzical, taking me in like a bug beneath a magnifying glass.

“Is Matteo here?” I ventured, glancing around.

“No.” He didn’t elaborate.

“You have a night off?”

“No.” He smiled at me again and settled back in his seat. A bottle of alcohol was brought over with two glasses. A man served us, dressed in black, before he left.

“Try.” He nodded to the glass in front of me.

I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip before coughing. He chuckled and shook his head.

“Too strong for the little hummingbird?” He raised a brow at me.

“No.” I steadied myself, took another drink, and forced myself not to cough or wince.

He seemed to find that amusing because he laughed again.

“Let me guess. Matteo owns this club,” I said after getting another mouthful down. It was beginning to go down smoother, and it helped that I had my fruity drink as a chaser.

“He does. I am here overseeing operations tonight.”