I Have a Date Tonight — Part 2
I Have a Date Tonight — Part 2
The restaurant was supposed to be safe.
That was what Hannah kept telling herself.
It was elegant without being intimidating, crowded without being noisy, and bright enough that she could see everyone around her.
Exactly what Lucy had recommended.
Hannah sat at the table near the window and nervously checked her phone.
7:02 p.m.
She was early.
Of course she was.
After three years working for Damian Moretti, Hannah had developed an almost pathological fear of being late.
She smiled at herself.
“Relax.”
Tonight wasn’t work.
Tonight, she was simply Hannah.
A woman on a date.
A normal woman.
She took a deep breath.
Then someone stopped beside her table.
“You must be Hannah.”
She looked up.
The man standing there was handsome.
Tall.
Well-dressed.
Dark hair.
Warm brown eyes.
He smiled in a way that immediately made people feel comfortable.
“Ethan?”
“Yes.”
He pulled out the chair for her.
“Sorry I’m a little early.”
Hannah smiled.
“That’s okay. So am I.”
They both laughed.
For the first few minutes, everything felt surprisingly easy.
Ethan asked about her interests.
She told him she loved baking.
He asked what she baked.
“Mostly bread.”
“Really?”
“Mostly because I keep destroying cakes.”
He laughed.
“I don’t believe that.”
“You should.”
She told him about the first cake she had attempted at the Moretti estate.
It had collapsed in the middle.
The kitchen staff had eaten it anyway.
Ethan listened.
Really listened.
Hannah found herself relaxing.
Maybe Lucy had been right.
Maybe she had been worrying too much.
Across the street, inside a black SUV, Damian Moretti watched through the tinted window.
Marco sat beside him.
Gabriel was in the front passenger seat.
Neither man had spoken for several minutes.
Finally, Marco sighed.
“Boss.”
Damian didn’t look away from the restaurant.
“What?”
“You’ve been staring at that window for twenty-seven minutes.”
“Twenty-six.”
Marco blinked.
“That’s somehow worse.”
Damian ignored him.
Inside the restaurant, Ethan leaned forward.
Hannah smiled.
Damian’s jaw tightened.
“He’s too close.”
Marco glanced at the restaurant.
“They’re sitting across a table.”
“He’s still too close.”
Gabriel turned slightly.
“Would you like me to move him?”
Damian looked at him.
“No.”
Gabriel nodded.
“Understood.”
Marco rubbed his forehead.
“This is painful to watch.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
“Then don’t watch.”
“I would love to.”
He paused.
“But unfortunately, you’re my boss.”
Inside, Hannah noticed Ethan looking at her differently.
“What?”
He smiled.
“Nothing.”
“You’re staring.”
“I was just thinking.”
“About what?”
He hesitated.
“You’re different from what I expected.”
Hannah laughed.
“Is that good?”
“Very.”
She lowered her eyes.
“Thank you.”
Ethan picked up his glass.
“So, you work at the Moretti estate?”
Hannah nodded.
“Yes.”
“It must be beautiful.”
“It is.”
“How many people live there?”
Hannah hesitated.
She suddenly remembered Damian’s endless rules about security.
Never discuss the estate.
Never reveal schedules.
Never give strangers personal information.
“I don’t really know.”
Ethan smiled.
“Of course.”
He didn’t push.
That made Hannah feel less suspicious.
But across the street, Damian noticed something else.
Ethan had asked the question too smoothly.
Gabriel’s voice came through the earpiece.
“Boss.”
“Talk.”
“We ran a deeper facial comparison.”
Damian’s eyes remained on Hannah.
“And?”
“The man sitting with her isn’t Ethan Cross.”
Damian went completely still.
“Explain.”
“We compared his face against international databases.”
A pause.
“His face belongs to someone named Adrian Vale.”
Marco turned.
“Who?”
Gabriel lowered his voice.
“An operative associated with Victor Salvatore.”
Damian’s expression changed.
“How dangerous?”
“Extremely.”
Damian reached for the door handle.
Marco grabbed his arm.
“Wait.”
Damian looked at him.
“She’s in there.”
“I know.”
“Then why are we waiting?”
“Because if you storm into that restaurant, Adrian knows we’re watching.”
Damian’s eyes hardened.
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
Marco pointed toward the restaurant.
“Look at Hannah.”
Damian did.
She was laughing.
Completely unaware.
“If you expose yourself now, they may use her as leverage.”
Damian’s hand slowly released the door.
Marco nodded.
“Let her finish the dinner.”
Damian stared at him.
“Then?”
“We take Adrian.”
A faint smile appeared on Damian’s face.
“Alive.”
Marco raised an eyebrow.
“Alive?”
“I want to know why Victor wants her.”
Dinner continued.
Hannah was beginning to enjoy herself.
Ethan was charming.
He made her laugh.
He remembered little things she had said.
And he never once looked at his phone.
It was almost perfect.
Almost.
Then he asked another question.
“What exactly do you do at the estate?”
“I’m a housekeeper.”
“For Mr. Moretti?”
“Yes.”
Ethan smiled.
“You must know him pretty well.”
Hannah looked down at her plate.
“I suppose.”
“What is he like?”
She looked up.
“Mr. Moretti?”
“Yes.”
Hannah thought about it.
“He’s complicated.”
Ethan smiled.
“How so?”
“He seems frightening to everyone else.”
“Because he is.”
Hannah frowned.
Ethan quickly corrected himself.
“I mean, that’s what people say.”
She smiled.
“But he’s not always like that.”
“Really?”
“He works too much.”
Ethan laughed softly.
“That’s not exactly a secret.”
“He forgets to eat.”
“Does he?”
“All the time.”
She smiled.
“So I remind him.”
Ethan’s expression became thoughtful.
“You care about him.”
Hannah’s smile disappeared.
“I care about everyone I work with.”
“Of course.”
But something about the way Ethan said it made her uncomfortable.
She changed the subject.
“What about you?”
He smiled.
“What about me?”
“Why did you agree to this date?”
He leaned back.
“My friend told me you were worth meeting.”
Hannah laughed.
“Your friend?”
“Someone who knows you.”
She frowned.
“I don’t think we have any friends in common.”
Ethan’s smile remained.
“Maybe you’d be surprised.”
A cold feeling moved through her.
“Who?”
Before Ethan could answer, a waiter arrived.
“Excuse me, ma’am.”
Hannah looked up.
“Yes?”
The waiter placed a small envelope beside her plate.
“This was left for you.”
She frowned.
“I didn’t order anything.”
The waiter shook his head.
“It’s just a message.”
Then he walked away.
Hannah stared at the envelope.
Her name was written across the front.
Hannah Brooks.
Her hands became cold.
Ethan watched her carefully.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know.”
She opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
Her apartment building.
Taken that morning.
On the back, someone had written:
YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED HOME.
Hannah’s breathing stopped.
Ethan reached across the table.
“What happened?”
She pulled the photograph away.
“Who sent this?”
“I don’t know.”
He looked genuinely concerned.
“Are you in danger?”
Hannah stared at him.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
She pushed her chair back.
“I need to leave.”
Ethan stood.
“Of course.”
He reached for her arm.
Hannah flinched.
“Don’t.”
He immediately released her.
“I’m sorry.”
Across the street, Damian was already moving.
“Something happened.”
Marco followed.
“Boss.”
“Get her out.”
Gabriel was already speaking into his radio.
“Team moving.”
Inside the restaurant, Hannah grabbed her purse.
“I think I should go home.”
Ethan nodded.
“I’ll take you.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“My friend can pick me up.”
Ethan’s expression changed for less than a second.
But Damian saw it through the window.
The warmth disappeared.
Something cold replaced it.
“You’re afraid of me now?”
Hannah looked at him.
“I don’t know you.”
Ethan smiled again.
“You’re right.”
Then he stepped closer.
“And that’s exactly the problem.”
He reached inside his jacket.
Hannah froze.
But before he could pull anything out—
The restaurant doors exploded open.
Three men in black suits entered.
Damian Moretti walked behind them.
The entire restaurant went silent.
His eyes went directly to Hannah.
Then to Ethan.
Damian’s voice was quiet.
“Hannah.”
She had never been so relieved to hear his voice.
“Mr. Moretti…”
“Come here.”
She immediately moved toward him.
Ethan smiled.
“So you’re Damian.”
Damian stopped.
“You’re not Ethan Cross.”
“No.”
Ethan’s hand slowly emerged from his jacket.
A gun appeared.
People screamed.
Damian stepped in front of Hannah.
“Put it down.”
Ethan smiled.
“You really do care about her.”
Damian’s eyes became murderous.
“You made one mistake.”
“What?”
“You touched someone under my protection.”
Ethan laughed.
“She’s not yours.”
Damian’s expression didn’t change.
“No.”
He glanced back at Hannah.
“Not yet.”
Hannah’s eyes widened.
Before she could respond, the lights suddenly went out.
Gunfire erupted through the darkness.
And when the emergency lights came on seconds later—
Ethan was gone.
So was Hannah.
Damian’s face went completely still.
“Where is she?”
Marco looked around.
“Boss…”
Damian turned.
Hannah’s purse was lying on the floor.
A single trail of blood led toward the back exit.
Damian’s eyes darkened.
“Lock down every street.”
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
“Nobody leaves this city.”
Then his phone rang.
Unknown number.
Damian answered.
A distorted voice spoke.
“If you want your maid alive…”
A pause.
“…come alone.”
Damian’s expression turned to stone.
The voice continued.
“And bring the truth about what happened to her family.”
The call ended.
Damian slowly lowered the phone.
Marco stared at him.
“What truth?”
Damian said nothing.
Because there was something he had never told anyone.
Not even Hannah.
Three years ago, before she came to work at the Moretti estate, her family had been connected to a war that Damian himself had started.
And suddenly, the woman he thought he was protecting…
might have been living inside his mansion for three years without knowing that Damian Moretti was the reason her life had fallen apart.
