Chapter 1 - The Midnight Proposal
"You know what I hate about nice girls, Clara?" Graham asked, taking a step closer to her in the dim alleyway.
"They always think someone is coming to save them."
Clara backed up until her shoulders hit the cold brick wall.
She clutched her worn purse tightly against her chest.
"I told you I will have the money by Friday," she said, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Your brother's medication is expensive, Clara," Graham sneered.
"Maybe it's time you start paying me back with something other than waitressing tips."
He reached out his dirty hand to touch her face.
Clara squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away.
Suddenly, the deafening screech of heavy tires echoed through the narrow street.
A sleek black limousine violently blocked the alley entrance.
Two massive men in tailored suits stepped out into the rain.
They grabbed Graham by his collar and threw him brutally against a steel dumpster.
Graham cried out in pain as a third man emerged from the shadows of the car.
He wore a dark cashmere overcoat, and his face was striking but completely unreadable.
Clara recognized his sharp jawline immediately from the local news broadcasts.
It was Leo Caruso.
He was the undisputed king of the city's underworld.
He walked slowly toward her, leaning slightly on a silver-tipped cane.
"You look terrible," Leo said, his voice a deep, gravelly baritone.
Clara stared at him in pure shock.
"I saved your life," she whispered.
"And now I am saving yours," he replied calmly.
Leo snapped his fingers, and one of his men tossed Graham into the trunk of a secondary car.
"Your debt is cleared," Leo told her.
Clara should have felt relieved.
Instead, a cold sense of dread washed over her.
Mafia bosses did not run charity organizations.
"What do you want from me?" Clara asked, her heart pounding in her ears.
Leo stopped inches from her face.
"Vincent Rourke used a specialized neurotoxin on the bullets that hit me."
"My body is actively rejecting my own blood."
"I need continuous transfusions of AB-negative for the next three months until the antidote is synthesized."
Clara shook her head rapidly.
"I can't just move into your hospital, I have a sick brother to take care of."
Leo’s dark eyes locked onto hers with terrifying intensity.
May you like
"I am not asking you to move into my hospital, Clara."
"I am asking you to marry me."
