Chapter-4

JANE

We arrived at the Blue Diamond Hotel. It was Sofia's husband, James Anderson's hotel. He was also Sheena's biological brother.

We were forced to choose this venue in exchange for our demand for no bodyguards. 

The party was alive as we entered the banquet hall. The bass of the DJ boomed throughout the room, thrumming under my skin like it was a part of me. Guests danced and chatted away happily while enjoying the hors d'oeuvres and drinks that were being offered.

I tried to chat with people but after a while it felt like a task and I left the group to take a break on a lounge chair by the bar. Holding an elegant glass with a purple colour cocktail drink that was concocted specially for Sheena, the bride-to-be, I stared at nothing in particular.

Sofia and Sheena had to entertain their guests and I didn't want my sour mood to ruin their night.

My gaze went to my phone again and again, secretly waiting for a call or a text or anything, from Dominic. But there was nothing. I guess I wasn't his first priority like he had claimed last night.

Lies

The seat beside me dipped, pulling me away from my thoughts and I turned to see Amber taking a seat beside me.

"You were killing it there. Why did you stop?" I asked, looking ahead at the dance floor.

"Oh come on. You have been zoning out all night. You weren't watching anything."

I smiled sadly.

"Sorry. I am spoiling the party. Aren't I?"

"Shut up and tell me why you broke up. Maybe I can give you an unbiased perspective if you are in a turmoil."

I shook my head a little. 

No. You won't. You will be biased. You hate anything remotely related to the mafias, after what Rosario's brother did to you. You'll ask me to forget Dom.

"What? What are you thinking?" she pressed, when she didn't get an answer.

"Nothing. I am handling it. Don't worry."

She was about to speak more when the banquet hall door opened, and five or six men came in, wearing white shirts and black jeans with red suspenders. They had silver and golden masks on.

I frowned.

"Who are these men?"

"I don't know. Men weren't invited here." Amber sounded shocked as we stood up from our seats.

We went to where Sheena and Sofia were, who looked equally shocked.

"Excuse me. Who are you?" Sofia asked them politely.

The other women who were invited were already drooling over these men and a hint of irritation surged through me.

"Good evening, ma'am. We are for a special performance for the bride-to-be," one of them spoke, and the voice sounded eerily familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint where I had heard it. 

Maybe it was my mind playing games with me. How would I know these strippers or dancers or whatever they were?

"Sorry Mr, but we didn't invite you. I think you are mistaken," Sofia spoke politely.

"Ma'am…"

Before the man could speak more, someone from the crowd chimed in.

"It's okay, girls. If they are already here, why don't we just enjoy? It's just for a night. Not a big deal."

Some other women hummed in agreement.

"Sheena. Please, let them perform," another woman spoke.

Sofia and Sheena tried to protest, but the others were too persistent, and they had to give in at last.

"Okay. You can perform. But stay away from us and the bride-to-be," Sofia said and we nodded in agreement.

"Sure ma'am. But if you change your mind, we can at least indulge the bride-to-be."

"That won't be needed. Thanks. Enjoy, girls," Sheena announced and everyone cheered.

We took our seats on the lounge chairs away from the stage, along with Amelia, another friend of Sheena's.

"James will go crazy if he sees what's happening here," Sofia said, with a faint smile.

"Yeah. He is possessive like that. It's cute, isn't it?" Sheena chimed in, taking a sip of the drink.

"You won't know, cute or not. Chris is an angel, after all." Sofia's gaze turned to Amber and me. "Isn't he?" There was a wide grin on her face.

Amber and I laughed softly while Sheena shook her head, and a faint smile played on her lips.

Just then, I felt a piercing gaze on me as my skin at the back of my neck prickled. Looking around, my gaze fell on the man from earlier, whose voice sounded familiar, staring right back at me from afar.

"That's right. In our case, I am more likely to be possessive of Chris. He is very secure in his own skin."

"Like brother, like sister," Amber spoke.

I turned to focus on the girls, but a feeling of unease was already creeping up my stomach. I put the glass of cocktail away as suddenly, the sight of it made me want to throw up.

Why is he staring? Do I know him?

"Josh can be very jealous too, you know," Amber added.

"Oh come on. He doesn't look like the jealous one," I said, rolling my eyes playfully, trying to ignore the uneasiness, but the knots in my stomach only grew. "As much as I know about your story, you are the jealous one, not him."

"Yeah. She is right," Sofia chimed in.

"No. He doesn't show his true self in front of anyone. He is very reserved, so you'd think he doesn't feel these fickle human emotions. But I know the real Josh. He can be very dangerous when he is jealous."

I looked at the man discreetly and found him entertaining a woman. I was about to look away when his gaze turned to me again.

Suddenly, my skin crawled, and my chest constricted, making me suffocate. 

I need to get out of here.

"Hey, girls. I'll be right back." I stood up when he wasn't looking.

"Where are you going?" Sofia asked.

"Washroom."

She nodded and I left, taking my clutch with me. I couldn't bear to part away from the ring. It was the only thing connecting me to Dominic. Despite my not wanting to do anything with him anymore, my heart had its own mind.

I slipped away when the man was distracted and went to the washroom. The washroom was empty, and even the hallway was empty. The silence was almost eerie, as if it were only us who were present on this floor.

Normally, the Blue Diamond Hotel was always full. Never this empty. Did James really leave the whole floor empty for us? 

He was always caring and too possessive of Sofia. But this time, he was being paranoid. It was not like Rosario could come here with such tight security.

I took the ring out of my clutch and stared at it. Memories of last night flooded my mind, making my eyes water. We were so happy. Why did he have to ruin everything?

Every fibre of my being longed to see him, hold him, feel his electric touch on me. The pain in my heart was piercing, as I remembered our time together.

I was pulled back from my trance when something struck my mind. 

That voice. 

My heart thudded in my chest as I tried to remember Rosario's voice. I shut my eyes and imagined Rosario's piercing brown eyes.

It was the same pair of eyes I saw earlier. His voice was similar to Rosario too.

The ring slipped from my hand and fell with a clink, my heart almost leapt out of my throat.

Oh my god! No, it can't be. Shit!

I rushed to the door and opened it, the hallway was still silent. I grabbed the ring and shoved it inside the clutch, along with my phone, which now strangely had no signal and walked out.

My heart raced, hands turned sweaty and clammy, as I came out of the washroom, slowly walking down the hallway, making sure my sandals didn't make any noise.

"God. Please, keep everyone safe. I hope it's not what I think it is," I kept mumbling and walking.

As I was nearing the hall, my gaze fell on a masked man inside, through the glass door. This one was different. He had a black mask and an all-black outfit. My gaze dropped and there I saw it.

A gun.

A chill ran down my spine as I realized we were surrounded by Rosario's soldiers, alone and unprotected.