Drawn to the mafia evely.., p.1
Drawn to the Mafia (Evelyn Sinclair Psychic Mystery Romance Book 2), page 1
DRAWN TO THE MAFIA
EVELYN SINCLAIR PSYCHIC MYSTERY ROMANCE
KAT SHEHATA
Copyright © 2023 by Kat Shehata
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Cover design by Deranged Doctor
For Ash
CONTENTS
Prologue—Nicoletta
1. Freedom—Evelyn
2. Ghosts in the Graveyard—Evelyn
3. Heavenly—Evelyn
4. Memory—Evelyn
5. Crashed—Leo
6. Headlights—Leo
7. Haunted—Evelyn
8. These Walls Have Eyes—Leo
9. Like the Devil—Leo
10. Bubbles—Evelyn
11. The Pointing Woman—Leo
12. Lady in the Lake—Evelyn
13. Bloodline—Leo
14. Childhood Memory—Evelyn
15. Unsavory—Evelyn
16. Banged—Evelyn
17. Captive—Evelyn
18. Suspicious—Leo
19. Don’t Breathe—Evelyn
20. Ground Rules—Leo
21. Connected—Evelyn
22. Mixed Signals—Evelyn
23. Rattled—Leo
24. Charming—Evelyn
25. Public Enemy—Evelyn
26. Out of Control—Leo
27. Attached—Evelyn
28. Wicked—Leo
29. Secret—Leo
30. Sext of Shame—Evelyn
31. Trouble—Leo
32. Forbidden Attraction—Evelyn
33. Mystery Boyfriend—Leo
34. Escape—Evelyn
35. Disturbed—Leo
36. Stay Away—Evelyn
37. No Control—Leo
38. Escape—Evelyn
39. Abstract Images—Leo
40. Spooked—Evelyn
41. Sweet & Sexy—Leo
42. Bold Move—Evelyn
43. Snitch—Leo
44. Bargaining Chip—Leo
45. Warning Signs—Evelyn
46. One Last Time—Evelyn
47. Deception—Leo
48. Insurance Policy—Evelyn
49. Italian Curse—Leo
50. Séance—Evelyn
51. Premonitions—Leo
52. Murky Water—Leo
53. The Rules—Evelyn
54. Into the Grave—Evelyn
55. Shot to Hell—Leo
56. The Smoking Gun—Leo
57. Revenge—Leo
58. Cloudy Image—Evelyn
59. Headstrong—Leo
60. Surprise—Evelyn
61. Judgment Day—Leo
62. Deception—Evelyn
63. Burned—Evelyn
64. Fatal Mistake—Leo
65. Fantasma—Evelyn
66. Line of Fire—Leo
67. Killer Instincts—Evelyn
68. Blue—Leo
69. Watery Grave—Evelyn
70. Upward—Leo
71. Her Path—Evelyn
72. The Package—Leo
73. Glitch—Evelyn
Epilogue
Enjoyed Drawn to the Mafia?
Want to Read More?
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Kat Shehata
PROLOGUE—NICOLETTA
I had three hours to get the job done.
As I drove across the border from Chicago into Wisconsin, I loosened my grip on the steering wheel. It was the middle of the night, and traffic was light. No phone calls from my husband, which meant he hadn't discovered I had left our hotel room.
If he happened to wake, he’d find my note explaining I couldn't sleep and went to the rooftop to enjoy some fresh air. He would be angered when I wasn't there, but my reason for lying would soon be clear.
Everything was going according to my plan—except the weather.
The windshield wipers slapped away a wintery mix of snow and icy rain. Not ideal conditions, but tonight gave me an opportunity to execute my plan, and there was no room for adjustments in my schedule.
Luckily, the lake had not frozen over yet.
Thank God for this small miracle.
No other drivers were in sight when I drove off the highway onto a rural road. At this hour, that was to be expected. The road to our lake house was lined by trees illuminated only by the moonlight and my car's headlights.
I checked the rearview mirror—still no other drivers in sight.
My hands trembled with a mix of nerves and excitement. Everything I had worked for was about to come to fruition. A few more steps. A few more strategic moves, and we would finally have our freedom.
My husband will be shocked at first. Then his Italian rage will settle over him from the betrayal. I had planned everything behind his back, and he had no idea what I was about to set into motion.
As I drove down the winding road, I checked the rearview mirror.
Headlights.
There hadn't been another car for miles. It seemed strange that another driver had caught up with me on the icy road.
Stay calm, Nicoletta.
I pressed my foot to the gas to put distance between us.
I rechecked the rearview mirror. The car was now a safe distance behind. No one had followed me. There was no way anyone could have known my plan. I covered my tracks.
Breathe.
Tonight, after my charity ball, was the only night I could make this work. The only night when I could sneak away. The only night to stop the terror. The only time to right the wrongs. The lies and deception end tonight.
Once I retrieved the briefcase and set everything into motion, the guilty will fall.
Headlights shined in the rearview mirror.
The car behind me was closing in.
The lake house was minutes away. One more turn, and I would cross the covered bridge that led to my family's private estate on the lake.
I pressed the gas pedal. My car skidded on the icy road, but I did not lose control. I was too close now to make a mistake. Freedom was within my grasp.
Focus on your future, Nicoletta.
The covered bridge was just ahead. I checked the mirror. The driver behind me flashed his headlights to get my attention.
My cell phone rang.
Fear chilled my blood when I saw his name on the screen.
No, no, no. He knows. Is he the driver behind me, flashing his headlights?
“Cazzo,” I swore in my native tongue.
As I approached the bridge, there was a stop sign. The road across was one-way, and habit told me to slow down to check for oncoming cars, but that pezzo di merda was behind me.
With all the snow accumulating on the road, no one else would be stupid enough to be out here, so to hell with habit. I needed to get the job done. I kept my foot on the gas and sped toward the narrow opening.
A set of headlights appeared under the bridge as I was about to pass through—a car was parked under the bridge, blocking the road.
I slammed the brakes to avoid a head-on collision, but I lost control, and instead of slowing the car down, it skidded off the road and—
Crash! The impact into the tree left me stunned.
The car horn blasted as I pushed away the airbag. What was happening? I guessed the airbag had saved my life, but my head was throbbing, and I was having trouble concentrating.
I grasped the handle, pushed the door open, and crawled out of the car. My legs wobbled on the snow-covered grass as I stood. The road. I had to get to the road. Get to the lake house. To the briefcase.
The car was totaled—impossible to drive. No matter. The lake house was a mile away. I would walk there, get the briefcase, and drive one of the other cars parked in the garage to make my getaway.
After I managed to trek back to the road, headlights blinded me.
In my state of confusion, I had forgotten why I had driven off the road.
“Need a hand, Mrs. Vanzetti?” A burst of adrenaline pumped through my veins. Three shadows spread across the road before me. Which one spoke my name? No matter, I didn't recognize the voice. They knew me, and I knew who had sent them.
The adrenaline was clearing my head, so I considered my next move. There was no going back now. Failure was not an option.
Stick to the plan, Nicoletta. This is your only way out.
I checked the road behind me. The car that had been following me was still there. The driver had blocked me in. Even if I could start my car, I would never get past them.
A shadowy figure stepped out of the black Mercedes and stalked toward me. When the man stepped into the light, I saw his face.
Oh, God. It's him.
“You thought you could leave me?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes as my betrayal seeped into his blood. “I know your every move, Nicoletta. You disappoint me. Get in the car, and I'll give you a second chance.”
“Never.” I spat on the ground at his feet as I backed away.
The only way to survive his retaliation was to run. The lake house was just beyond the bridge. If I cut through the woods, I could elude the men. Once I got the briefcase and retrieved the p
As I backed away, the shadows closed in on me.
Sensing my plan, the leader stepped forward. “No one wants to hurt you, Mrs. Vanzetti. Get in the car, tell us where you hid the package, and we'll take you home. Give us what we want, and we'll forget this ever happened.”
Lies. My famiglia was unforgiving. The penalty for desertion was death. If I surrendered, I would not live to see the sunrise.
Run, Nicoletta!
I choked back my fear and ran down the hill toward the woods. Once I crossed the creek, I would break into a sprint. They knew my plan, but no one on this earth knew where I stashed the briefcase.
There were six houses on the estate. By the time the men were done searching the property to find me, I would already be gone.
The men yelled in Italian as they chased after me.
“You're only making this harder on yourself.”
“You won't get away from us.”
“Stop running now, and no harm will come to you.”
As I neared the creek, I slipped on the icy embankment and lost my footing. I skidded down the hill on my back and crash-landed on the rocks that lined the water.
I crawled toward the bank as blood and ice dripped down my forehead. I tried to stand so I could run, but my body was not strong enough. As I lay there, stunned, a mob of shadows surrounded me.
The moonlight illuminated the faces of my killers. Of the four men, I only recognized one of them—the man hovering over me with a jagged rock in his hand.
“Tell us where the package is, and we'll let you live,” the shadow leader said.
I clamped my mouth shut. No more would I cave to their demands. I had been controlled and manipulated since I married into the family, and my last act against them would be defiance.
No more would I do their bidding. No more would I bow at their feet. No more would I turn a blind eye to their illegal activities.
In this life, I have no power over these men…but in the next, they will fear my wrath.
“We could've been happy, Nicoletta. This is all your fault.” The man I once trusted lifted the rock above my head. His face held no remorse as he prepared to take my life.
Finally, I saw him for what he was—a soulless monster.
As I took my last breath, I screamed an Italian curse:
“Fantasma!”
FREEDOM—EVELYN
I placed the tip of my pencil on a clean sheet of paper and began to draw. My subject was seated by the window a few tables away, gazing at the steady flow of commuters cruising in and out of the coffee shop.
Regulars greeted him by name, but this cool customer acted aloof and uninterested in the attention.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my boyfriend, Leo, stealing glances at me as he checked his phone. Dating a detective had its advantages, but never being able to keep a secret from him was not one of them.
Nothing gets past him.
His gaze shifted between my untouched cappuccino and half-eaten pastry to the sketchbook on my lap. On a typical day, I drank my coffee steaming hot and never let a crumb of my breakfast go to waste.
Although it was normal for me to draw and for him to check his phone as he prepared for work, my subtle change in routine had not gone unnoticed.
I was hiding something—and Detective Ricci knew it.
The tension between us was palpable. Something important was weighing on my mind, but I had been reluctant to talk to him about it because he wouldn't like what I had to say. Instead of opening up and starting a conversation, I was being evasive.
Not something I could get away with in our relationship.
I was quiet. Too quiet. My silence had officially piqued the detective's interest.
Leo placed his phone on the table next to his healthy green smoothie cup, crossed his muscular arms, and focused all his attention on me. I bit my lip to suppress a smile at my incoming interrogation.
His body rocked, and his big arms, tight abs, and broad chest distracted me as I tried to think of something to say to thwart his suspicions. What I had to talk to him about wasn't a bad thing. It was good for me. But knowing how overprotective my sexy boyfriend was, he would not share my enthusiasm.
“Something you want to say, Evelyn?” Detective Ricci's piercing dark eyes were locked and loaded on mine. He knew I found his domineering persona incredibly attractive and was pouring on his alpha male energy to intimidate me.
“You must've read my mind.” I peeked through my curtain of sandy brown hair and smiled at him. “I have some good news to share.” I put my sketchpad face down on the table and gave him all my attention. Maybe if I breached the subject with an optimistic spin, I might soften the blow.
“I'm going on an adventure today. Something I've been wanting to do for a while, but when I woke up this morning, I felt today was the day to move forward.”
“Forward with what?” Leo eyed me skeptically.
“Life. I'm not afraid anymore.”
Since my abduction, Leo and I had never spent more than a workday away from each other. He had introduced me to every cop in the city and never let me go anywhere or meet with potential new clients until he had thoroughly run a background check.
In the months after the attack, I craved his attention, and our relationship blossomed from friendship into a deep and passionate love for one another. But now that I was healing from my trauma, Leo and I needed to work toward a new normal.
A life where I wasn't under his surveillance twenty-four-seven, and I was free to walk the city streets of Chicago without Leo serving as my bodyguard. I wanted my boyfriend to walk me to work because we loved each other and enjoyed our morning coffee routine—not because he was afraid someone would abduct me and steal me away from him again.
Leo processed my news silently. Part of him was probably relieved I was healing, but the street-smart homicide detective side of him never wanted me to let my guard down in the Windy City ever again.
I reached across the table and touched his hand. “I'm going out today. I don't know where or what I'll do, and I don't know who I will meet along the way.” I inhaled a cleansing breath.
“But whatever happens, I’ll be grateful to the universe for leading me into a new adventure.”
Leo's expression sharpened. The two of us were on opposite ends of the personality scale. I was a free-spirited artist who let the will of the universe guide me, while Leo was a calculated, no-nonsense alpha male who controlled every situation based on facts.
As I waited for his response, I imagined Leo was mentally tallying all the things that could happen to me as I headed out alone into the city without a weapon, a plan, or the training necessary to get myself out of a dangerous situation.
Today was a milestone moment in our relationship. I was excited to move forward, but the worried expression on Leo's face suggested we were not in agreement.
“If there's a dead person on that page, the deal is off,” Leo finally broke his silence.
I shot my gaze back to Leo and smirked at his dark humor. He was right, and that was one thing we wholeheartedly agreed on. I didn't want to break free so that I could run out and get myself into trouble again.
All I wanted was the freedom to make my own decisions.
