Fire

Annalissa Hale

It’s been a few days since Dante and I visited the Romano estate. He hasn’t touched me since, but he stalks me with his gaze, like a wolf circling meat he isn’t ready to eat yet.

Which is why, when Clarissa’s boss called asking why she hadn’t shown up for work in days, I couldn’t risk hesitation. I had left my phone back at the wedding hall and somehow ended up with Clarissa’s.

Mum and Dad think it’s best they hold on to my phone for now to avoid any slip ups. Dad has even dispersed a secret search party to find Clarissa.

Until then, my performance as Clarissa has a new stage: her job. Pretending to be my twin sister at home was hard enough. Doing it in a marketing office full of sharp eyes? That’s a fresh kind of hell.

Still, Dante wasn’t against me working so it would look suspicious if I chose not to. Suspicion was the last thing I could afford.

So here I am, walking into Maddox Global with my sister’s ID badge clipped to my shirt and my pulse drumming. I step into the elevator and while it takes me to the third floor, I stare at my reflection in the mirror.

Dark hair pulled into a tight bun. Light blue shirt and a pair of dark slacks. Clarissa’s name, my face. Her sins, my problem. Never thought I’d pay for my sister’s mess, but here I am, drowning in it.

The only silver lining? Ronan Maddox. One of my closest friends. Clarissa’s boss. The one person who knows the truth about the switch. I had to let him in because he’s been close to the Hales for decades. He can easily tell the difference between me and my sister even though we’re very identical twins.

The elevator dumps me on the third floor and I make my way towards Ronan’s office. I knock twice before stepping in.

He’s sitting behind his desk with a pile of documents in front of him. His gaze is fixated on his laptop. Brown hair. Broad-shoulders. Sharp jaw. Black button-down rolled to the elbows.

Ronan gives me a long hard look as I drop into the chair opposite his desk.

“You’re ten minutes late.” he says, looking up from his laptop.

“Sorry, boss.” I mock, taking the seat opposite his desk.

He sits up, his fingers drumming on his table. There’s a long pause. “Everything you told me over the phone. All true?”

I hesitate for a second before nodding.

He pinches the bridge of his nose.“Seriously, this is insane. First, Clarissa didn’t tell me she was getting married. And now you’re saying she fled and you’re pretending to be her?”

I nod again. “Yeah, that’s pretty much it.”

“And you married Dante Romano. In her place. The mafia don?”

I sigh, leaning back in my seat. “I thought my explanation was clear over the phone?”

Ronan rises to his feet and starts pacing the length of the room. My eyes follow him and I can already tell what’s running through his mind.

He’s worried…about me.

“This is crazy.” he curses under his breath, slamming a fist in his desk. “Do you have any idea what happens to people who cross Dante Romano? If he even suspects a thing, he won’t just kill you, he’ll erase everyone who ever helped you. Including me.”

“I’m well aware.” I affirm. “Nothing will go wrong.”

“You’re not safe with him, especially with the secret you’re hiding.” Ronan adds, searching my eyes for any sign of fear. “I can help you. Maybe flee the country, lay low for a while.”

I frown. “And have two runaway sisters being hunted down by a mafia Don? He won’t spare Mum and Dad either.”

“So how long do you intend to keep this up?” He runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“For as long as it takes to find Clarissa.”

Ronan takes a seat again, clasping his fingers together on his desk. “And what happens to Annalissa?”

“Well, Annalissa is on a vacation in Hawaii.” My family had already agreed that if anyone ever wondered my whereabouts—which is very unlikely—they’d be told I’m in Hawaii to unwind.

“And your job? You said nothing would ever separate you from teaching. I bet you haven’t seen the kids in days.”

I rub the back of my neck, avoiding his gaze. Maybe a part of me misses my boring life as a kindergarten with zero love life and just one friend.

I had dedicated more of my time to teaching right after Clarissa hooked up with my ex boyfriend a few months ago. That was one of the reasons my sister and I fell out and I didn’t want to attend her wedding.

But now, I can’t even live the life I want. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to see the kids again. Get to experience the joy of impacting young and innocent minds.

“Well, I can’t go back to teaching for now. Dante will know I’m an imposter.” I say, meeting Ronan’s gaze again.

He drags in a laboured breath. “Is this really the life you want to live, Anna?”

Anna. I bite back a sigh. It hurts to be reminded of who I really am.

“I don’t have a choice.”

Ronan doesn’t persist. He lets me breathe for a few moment as we sit there in silence. Eventually, he brings me up to speed on the little project the marketing team is working on. He thinks I’ll do great if his secretary helps me when needed.

As I’m about to exit his office, his voice stops me. “And, yeah, I forgot to mention…”

“What?”

He purses his lips. “Never mind. You’ll find out yourself.”

I roll my eyes at him before following his secretary out. The young lady gives me a strange look before pointing vaguely at Clarissa’s desk. I’m able to guess it correctly.

I spend the rest of the day trying to grasp what’s actually happening in the marketing department. Everyone seems nice to each other but are colder when it comes to interactions with me.

“She finally decided to show up? Must be nice having Maddox as your shield.” one of them says during coffee break.

Maybe Clarissa never really mingled with her co-workers?

By the end of the day, I’m exhausted. I grab my things and pop by Ronan’s office to say goodbye. The lobby is quiet by the time I step through. A hand clamps around my wrist and I whirl.

“Clarissa.”

My breath snags. Blue eyes, blonde hair, perfect cheekbones. It’s Charlie Wilson. My ex boyfriend, Charlie. Four years of my life, staring me in the face. My biggest heartbreak and mistake—and yet not really. His eyes search mine, but there’s no recognition.

For a second, the air leaves my lungs. Four years erased. He doesn’t even see me.

“Why the hell have you been ignoring me?” His grip tightens, hard enough to bruise.

I yank free, ice crawling through my veins. “Get away from me.”

I don’t wait for his answer. My heels strike harder as I stride toward the exit. But I hear him follow me. The soft thud of his sneakers move against the tile.

By the time I push into the cool air of the parking lot, his hand is on me again. My body jerks against the tug.

“I know why you’re avoiding me,” Charlie says. “It’s because of Annalissa. And…I heard you got married. Is that true?”

Rage boils low in my stomach. “Get the fuck away from me.”

But he doesn’t. His fingers dig into my skin further.

“Listen, Clarissa.” His voice softens. “I know your sister came between us, but it doesn’t matter. We can still be together. We can run away, just you and me.”

My feet go still. For a heartbeat, I’m not even in my body. Did I just hear him right? I gave him everything, and all along, I was just a consolation prize. My sister’s shadow.

“You bastard,” I breathe, my voice trembling, not with fear, but disgust. “Did you ever love Annalissa?”

He blinks. And then he gives me the truth with a shrug. “No. I’ve only ever wanted you. Even when I was with her.”

Bile floods my throat. My hand moves before I can think. The sound of my palm cracking against his cheek echoes across the empty lot. My palm stings as Charlie’s head snaps back. Then his face twists into something monstrous.

He slams me against the wall. My skull nearly cracks brick and sparks explode across my vision. Pain rips down my shoulder as it scrapes rough stone. His hand pins me as his body crowds mine.

“You’ll regret that.”

I thrash, shoving, but his weight crushes me in place. A car passes the far end of the lot and I think for one desperate moment that it’s slowing but the taillights shrink and fade into the dark.

Charlie’s grip tightens, leaning in until his breath scalds my cheek.

“You don’t get it,” he murmurs, his lips brushing dangerously near my mouth. “I’ve only ever wanted you, Clarissa.”

I twist, but his chest cages me in. His mouth grazes the corner of mine when I turn my face away. Revulsion claws down my spine. My stomach drops as his hand forces my chin back, angling me for more.

And then, headlights blaze across the lot.

Charlie freezes, half a breath away from claiming my mouth. A sleek black car slices the darkness. The driver’s door swings open, and my pulse stutters.

Of all the devils in the world, it had to be mine.

Dante Romano.

His eyes land on Charlie’s hands gripping me, and for the first time, fear flashes in Charlie’s perfect blue gaze.