Dangerous Flames (Mafia Hearts) by Wendy Ely Read Free Book Online Page B

back and aimed the firearm without a
tremble of his hand. One shot went through the thin lens of Curly’s
sunglasses, making the man slump over. Mikolas took a step to one
side to change the angle of his aim. Even though the one bullet
through the eye had been required for this job as a way to say, “We
are watching you,” Mikolas had to make sure the man died.
Another shot to the temple completed the task.
    Mikolas
strolled away unnoticed around the pool and out of the gate the way
he had come. Job done. Message sent.
    While
on the job, Mikolas’ heart needed to be stone cold, but
whenever Gabi was around, every part of him warmed. Now he could find
out if Gabi would be joining him or if he’d be going off alone.

    Chapter
Four

    With
Jenna, Gabrielle’s assistant manager, available to cover the
store until Gabrielle’s mother straightened things out for
Gabi’s absence, she was able to come up with a more concrete
plan to get Mikolas out of town with her. An entire morning had been
filled with research. Googling “How to effectively kidnap
someone” had brought up a few tips, and by two p.m. she’d
made the call. With him agreeing to come right over, it left no room
for her to be nervous.
    Gabrielle
pushed her hair away from her face and hoped she looked like she
wasn’t up to anything sneaky. Nothing of the tips she read
instructed her on what to wear. Common sense said to dress like she
expected a comfortable afternoon at home. No matter what, Mikolas,
who should be arriving at any moment, couldn’t be alarmed in
order for her to remain in control of the kidnapping.
    She
glanced out the window. Had he gotten lost? He’d never been to
her house before. The extra minutes gave her another chance to check
herself one last in front of the large mirror, even though her looks
should be the last thing on her mind.
    “ Calm
down, Gabi,” she said to soothe her nerves. “The makeup
doesn’t matter, neither does your hair.” As long as
everything went according to her plan, she’d have several days
alone with Mikolas then she’d worry about how she looked.
    When
she’d called him, she hadn’t expected him to be available
within an hour. Such a short amount of time hadn’t given her
much time to prepare for their departure, but none of that held any
more importance than her make-up. Only the hidden handgun mattered.
    And
so did the ringing doorbell.
    After
taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, she pulled the door open to
see Mik, dressed in his usual attire, dark wrinkle-free slacks, a
grey and blue striped dress shirt and black shoes, standing on her
porch.
    Her
breath caught in her chest as she stared up at him. A compliment
about his appearance lingered on her tongue, but she couldn’t
find her voice long enough to say the words. Focus, she thought. The
kidnapping needed to be executed quickly to be effective.
    Forcing
a smile, she said, “Come in.” She pushed open the door
and stepped aside to let him pass through.
    “ Thanks
for inviting me.”
    “ I’m
glad you came.” She led him into the formal living room. It
probably had been the first time anyone, including herself, had even
sat down in there after she’d moved in. Just like the formal
room at her parents’ house, Gabrielle believed it should be for
special, but this room provided the easiest exit. “Want
something to drink?”
    “ What
do you have?”
    “ I
have wine and champagne. Fine labels on both.”
    He
smiled. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you,
but bottled water sounds great. Any of that fancy stuff?”
    “ Make
yourself at home. I’ll be back in one minute.” She walked
into the kitchen, but instead of going to the fridge, she quietly
pulled open the kitchen drawer.

    ****
    Johnny
swung his gaze from one picture after the other in an attempt to calm
his nerves. Sinking into his second persona needed to happen before
the heavy office doors opened, which would be at any moment. Johnny
no-last-name was who