DARK ANGEL: A Mafia Romance -- Book Three: A Violent Love Affair (Erotic Romance) by Angela Jordan

Chapter One
     
    “Take care of Carlo… or I will.”
    That phrase had been haunting me ever since I heard the news report saying Carlo Fernelli had been found dead. When I saw it on TV, my heart had stopped. They said it was suspected that he was a victim of a robbery gone wrong, but that seemed just too coincidental – especially considering what had happened the night of my friend Amanda’s engagement party. And though I didn’t want to admit to myself – didn’t want to say the words – I knew why I felt so scared.
    And yet, here I was...
    Trepidation filled me as I exited the taxi in front of the sleek, modern, mid-rise building in the heart of city. A light breeze fluttered through my hair, making me shiver in the brisk evening wind. I suddenly wished I’d thought to wear a jacket.  Murmuring a “thank you” to the doorman as he held the door open for me, I paused for a moment to look up at the steel tower before I entered the building. My dark angel was waiting for me upstairs in his apartment, and though I couldn’t quite believe it, I was once again about to enter his domain. I could feel my palms growing damp with apprehension, and I gripped the handles of my purse even tighter. I was both thrilled and terrified to see Angelo DeSilvo again, but one thing was for sure: efter everything that had happened, I knew this was something I had to do.
    Man up, Karen…
    Last night I’d taken the coward’s way out. After hearing the news report, I’d cancelled my plans with Angelo DeSilvo, telling him that I had missed a deadline for edits on my new book and had to finish them. I knew he saw through my excuse, but thankfully he’d left me alone. His quick acceptance of my excuse had left me slumped over with relief, but a little part of me was also troubled at the fact he’d given in so easily. Did he suspect something?
    This wasn’t me. Normally I never hid from the bad shit life threw at me, and I was pissed at myself for burying my head in the sand, even for just one night. But hearing the news report had rocked my senses. I was in uncharted territory, and I needed answers to know how to proceed. I needed to face Angelo, to talk to him about my concerns, and I hoped that his answers could help ease the worry that had my belly tied in knots.
    So tonight was the night, and here I was. I walked into the lobby of the building, over to the guard at the desk. “Karen Blackwell to see Angelo DeSilvo,” I told him, my voice sounding stronger than I felt.
    The guard typed a few keystrokes into his computer then smiled at me. “Ah, Ms. Blackwell. Yes, go right ahead.”
    His kind face threw me off-guard, piercing my tough façade in an instant. I could only respond with a weak smile in return as he waved me on. The last time I’d come here with Angelo, he’d had my name placed on the visitor list, granting me unrestricted access to his floor. At the time, it had given me a warm feeling. For someone as guarded as Angelo to allow me into his world, I knew it was a big deal, and it was something I appreciated greatly. But now?
    …I wasn’t quite sure anymore, about anything. Which was all the more reason this had to happen. Tonight.
    I didn’t have the best track record when it came to relationships. In the past I’d been known to have a short attention span when it came to men – always casting about, searching for something, though I wasn’t even quite sure what that something really was. But with Angelo, all that had changed. He had me completely captivated; I craved him like an addict craved a fix. His touch, his fire – that was my drug of choice, and I couldn’t seem to get enough.
    My hands shook slightly as I hit the button and I was forced to wait for the elevator. Damn it. “Calm down, Karen,” I whispered under my breath. “You’ve got this.” When the doors opened I walked in and hit the button for Angelo’s floor, leaning back against the wall as it began to rise. As the car moved, my