From A Janitor to A Mafia Heiress.

Evelyn's POV

“Yeah, baby!” someone whistles.

My heel slips.

I grab the pole, barely steadying myself as the bass slams through the room. No one noticed my heel slipped a second ago as I finish the spin slowly.

I slide down from the pole, forcing a smile as I step offstage, waving and blowing kisses at the men by the stage.

My chest is already tight, and my cheeks hurt with the fake smile on my face.

“You look breathtaking, damsel,” a guy says, blocking my path.

I nod. “Excuse me.”

Another guy steps closer, blocking my path.

“You should have a drink first to quench your thirst. You must have been tired.” He presses a bottle into my hand.

“I appreciate it, but I didn’t ask for…”

“Relax,” he cuts in. “It’s just water.”

I hesitate.

“Come on. It's harmless,” someone laughs. “Don’t be rude to your clients.”

As much as I want to get out of this place, reach home, and take off the revealing tank top and the glitter on my chest and thighs fast, I can't afford to involve myself in any fight tonight.

I nod and take a small sip. It tastes too bitter.

I cough. “No, I’m done.”

I hand it back and turn away from them.

The room tilts around me suddenly. “What did you put in…”

My hand slams into the wall as my eyes blur out the three guys in front of me. My heels slip as I try to step away from them.

This has always been one of my worst fears of working as a stripper in La Serene.

“Are you okay? “One of the guys that gives me the drink asks as he comes too close now.

“I need air,” I say. “Don’t you dare to move closer.”

But they do.

They cover the distance between us.

“The bathroom’s this way,” another says, trying to grab my arm.

“Don’t touch me!” I manage to say as I drag my legs back.

My chest tightens.

I clutch my hands together to keep myself awake.

My pulse spikes.

“Let’s grab her,” one of them says.

“I told you it works in a minute. Look at her; she’s already warming up,” another mutters.

I freeze on my track for a minute.

The first voice says in a low and amused tone. “And I told you she’d be easy.”

“What did you give me?” I whisper.

They burst into laughter.

“That’s none of your concern. It's best for you to come with us,” the first voice says again as he grabs my arm.

I bite his hand, which earns me a scream from him and makes him stumble back.

Something in me screams, ‘Run.’ And I do; I shove them aside and run.

“Hey!” the second voice called out angrily.

I burst through the back door into the alley behind La Serene. The cold air slams into me, and it starts raining a few seconds after.

“Get her!”

I gasp and sprint in the rain. I hear footsteps pound behind me. My legs burn, and my head never ceases to spin, which makes my legs stagger, but I do not stop nevertheless.

I turn towards a corner, and one of the guys catches up with me there. He grabs my hair from behind, making me fall on my back.

I scream and struggle to break free as he comes on top of me, pinning me down.

“She's here!” he calls out.

I elbow him hard at the side of his mouth, which earns a curse from him but still pins me down with all his strength. I knee his crotch with force. He screams as he rolls off me.

His scream attracts the other guys, and they hasten their steps.

I manage to pull myself on my feet and start running again, faster.

One of my heels slips off. I instinctively turn to grab it, but their voices are already too close, sounding just behind me.

My breath catches, and I leave it behind without a second thought.

The streetlights blur as I run inside in the rain. I flag a car down, but it honks past me. I feel heat flooding my body. Betraying me more as my breath hitches and my eyes blur.

The only thing that keeps my eyes half-open is the scream my thoughts make to focus, to move, and to never look back.

I stumble into the street and see a black limousine parked under a flickering streetlight.

My chest heaves.

My knees threaten to give out.

What if that's their car?

I can’t …

The footsteps in the corner behind me interrupt my thoughts.

“Where did she go?!”

“She couldn't have gone far.”

I cross the street blindly and duck beside the parked black limousine. I press my back to the cold metal of the car, biting down on a sob.

My fingers dig into the seam of my revealing skirt as heat and dizziness crash through me again. Focus. You just need to hide.

“Check behind the cars.” Their voices grow much closer now.

A shadow stops right in front of me.

My heart slams, but I hold my breath.

I sense the car door open, and strong masculine fingers clamp around my mouth as I turn around. I gasp as I'm yanked off my feet and dragged… pulled straight into the dark interior of the limousine. The door slams shut.

The silence swallows me whole.

“She was right here.”

I hear the men say as they stop right at the side of the car, unaware.

Inside, I’m pressed against leather seats, my breath coming apart as my pulse screams.

A low voice cuts through the dark as the shape shifts beside me, with the strong fingers still clamped on my mouth.

“Stay still.”

My body freezes.

It's not from fear alone, but because the hand still holding me hasn’t let go.

And whoever pulled me inside hasn’t said who he is.

Evelyn's POV

“Don’t make a sound,” the voice says, low and controlled as he releases his hand from my mouth.

I nod frantically.

The men curse and walk away.

The car stays still; it doesn't move.

What if this is all an act to get me inside this car for them to take me away?

I turn towards him, hitting my back on the door.

“Please. I'm begging you,” I choke. “Don’t do this to me…”

“I’m not with them. You should relax,” the voice says in the meanest tone ever.

I stare at him in the dark. I can’t see his face clearly, but enough to see he has broad shoulders and a calm posture.

“Who are you?” I whisper.

The car light flicks on. He has a ocean blue eyes, a strong jaw, and a calm face, like he owns the night. He looks at me like I just fell into his world.

“You’re safe now,” he says, much like a whisper.

My hands shake and my skin burns, even though I was running in the rain just some minutes ago.