Bound by Secrets (Deadly Isles Special Ops Book 2)
Page 14
Chapter 2
Stone
After spending most of the night tossing and turning, sleep came in the early morning hours. Slumber’s smothering embrace held me tight, dragging me into a dream that had replayed often since my arrival in Verona. A time long gone eclipsed the present, and I stepped into the life of another, no longer the hotel owner, but a busboy living with his father in the basement of this very building.
My arms laden with guests’ luggage, I sidestepped a group of people checking into the hotel. My father was employed here, too, and happy with his lot in life. I was not. My dreams were bigger. This place, although extravagant, was not how I wanted to exist—fetching and carrying things for people with a better station than mine. One day, I vowed to make my fortune. I’d toyed with the idea of owning an inn. Perhaps not as grand as this one, but a successful business nonetheless.
“Mi scusi.” I maneuvered around a group of gentlemen. That’s when I saw her—a vision. Long, honey-blond hair artfully arranged with a few wavy tendrils around the face of an angel. My heart skipped a beat then sped up, thundering in my ears.
An older couple stood beside her. They paled in comparison, despite their similar build and facial features. Slowing my stride, I caught snippets of their conversation, discovering her name was Francesca. I tore my attention from her for a brief second to scan for a suitor, a husband. There was no ring on her finger, no man by her side. But everyone noticed her.
She looked to be of similar age to me, perhaps a year or two younger than my nineteen years. As if in quicksand, I forced myself to move forward, the burden of the luggage nearly forgotten. Look at me, I implored her with my thoughts.
When her brilliant blue gaze collided with mine, she froze. Lush lips parted on a gasp, and an enchanting pink infused her high cheekbones. She had to have felt the connection too.
Her stunning features seared into my mind. I had to talk to her. If only I could. One look at those around her made it clear that it would not happen, at least, not at this moment. But I was inventive. I’d find the perfect opportunity to steal time with her.
Everything in my being pulled me toward her. She’s the one. I was sure of it. Electricity charged the air. I recognized this moment for what it was—one where everything would change. Destiny.
The shrill beep of my alarm screeched, and I jackknifed in bed, ruthlessly ripped from sleep. I scrubbed my face with the palms of my hands before taking in the deep-red chairs, dresser, and double wood doors all visible from where I sat on the four-poster bed. I was in my room at the hotel, my latest project.
It was just another dream. She wasn’t real. Even though my heart beat sluggishly from the loss of Francesca’s presence—from the possibility of her.
Even with the physical grounding of my room—the hotel I owned rather than being employed in—I couldn’t shake the haunting dreams, the vision of the girl, nor the chains of despair whenever I went anywhere near the basement. That, I avoided at all costs.
Continue reading Fake Fiancé: A Second Chance Office Romance, or check out more of Amy’s books with Broken Circle, book one in the Gray Ghost romantic suspense thriller series.
Also by Amy McKinley
Gray Ghost Novels
Moments That Define Us
Broken Circle
Eye of the Storm
Beneath the Surface
Vantage Point
Covert Threat
Marked for Death
Deadly Isles Special Ops
Hidden Secrets
Twisted Secrets
Bound by Secrets
Forged by Secrets
Standalone Titles
Shattered Melody
Siren’s Call: Cursed Seas
Fake Fiancé (A Second Chance Office Romance)
Moonlit Destination Series
Moonlit Whisper
Moonlit Kiss
Moonlit Mirage
Five Fates Series
Hidden
Taken
Covert Recruits (coming soon)
Irina
Sasha
Zena
Nadia
Katya
About the Author
Amy McKinley is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the romantic suspense thriller Gray Ghost Novels, Deadly Isles Special Ops, Covert Recruits, Moonlit Destination Series, the Five Fates paranormal romance books, and several standalone titles. Her edge-of-your-seat books are filled with surprising twists and just the right amount of heat and danger. She lives in Illinois with her husband, two daughters, two sons, and three mischievous cats.
You can find her at: www.AmyMcKinley.com
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