At 2 A.M. the Mafia Boss Found His Plus-Size Secretary Beaten in an ER, and Her Four Words Made Him Destroy the Empire He Built

Adrian picked up the secure phone on the second ring.

“Speak,” he commanded.

“Boss, we have a problem,” Thomas Cole’s voice came through the speaker, tight with urgency. “Julian didn't run. He went to the Russian Syndicate in Brighton Park. He offered them the rights to the riverfront docks if they help him take you out tonight.”

Adrian’s eyes cold-hardened instantly. “The Russians?”

“Yes,” Thomas replied. “Dimitri Volkov took the deal. They know you liquidated the old security guards at the penthouse. Volkov has a hit team moving toward Michigan Avenue right now. They’re forty minutes away.”

Audrey stood up from the sofa, her hands trembling as she saw the dark, fatal shift in Adrian’s expression.

“Adrian? What’s happening?”

Adrian hung up the phone. He didn't panic. His training, honed through decades of underground warfare, took over instantly.

“Julian made a move with the Russians,” Adrian said calmly, walking toward a hidden wall panel beside the bookshelf. He pressed a biometric scanner, and the mahogany panel slid back to reveal a concealed armory containing tactical vests, sidearms, and communication gear.

“The Russians?” Audrey gasped, stepping toward him. “Dimitri Volkov? Adrian, Volkov is a monster! He doesn't care about business rules!”

“I know,” Adrian said, pulling out a light tactical vest and sliding it over his shirt. He picked up a sleek black sidearm, checked the chamber with practiced efficiency, and holstered it at his hip.

He turned to face her, taking her uninjured right hand in his.

“Thomas is bringing an armored transport to the underground garage,” Adrian said. “I’m taking you out of the city tonight. I have a safehouse in upper Wisconsin near the lake. You’ll be completely hidden there.”

“What about you?” Audrey demanded, her grip on his hand tightening. “You’re not coming with me, are you?”

“If Volkov reaches this building, they will tear Chicago apart looking for us,” Adrian said softly. “I have to meet them at the docks. I have to end this tonight, Audrey.”

“No!” Audrey shouted, tears spilling down her face. “You just destroyed your empire for me! You just told me you loved me! I am not going to let you go die at the docks because of Julian Vance!”

Adrian looked at her, his dark eyes filled with a terrifying, tender resolution. He reached out with both hands, framing her face, ignoring the slight wince she made, and brought his lips down onto hers.

The kiss was sudden, intense, and filled with five years of unspoken passion.

Audrey melted into him, her uninjured arm wrapping around his neck, pulling him closer, tasting the rain and fire on his lips. It was a promise, a confession, and a desperate plea all wrapped into one moment.

When Adrian pulled back, his breathing was heavy, his thumb brushing away her tears.

“I’m not going to die, Audrey,” Adrian whispered against her forehead. “I spent five years waiting for the right to love you. I’m not letting a washed-up underboss and a Russian mobster take that away from me.”