Filed to story: Sold to The Possessive Mafia Boss Book (Xavier & Jane) Free Online >>
Blindly, I stumble into the nearest refuge, a stark, impersonal bathroom, and lock myself away from the world.
The walls of the cubicle feel like the only thing keeping me upright as I slide to the floor, my body wracked with sobs that tear through me with the force of a tempest.
My father is still talking. I fumble with the phone, cutting off the call. He rings back at once. I hurl my phone at the wall where it smashes into a thousand pieces.
Xavier’s POV
The dim light of the warehouse casts long shadows across the concrete floor, the echo of distant city sounds barely penetrating the thick walls that enclose us. I stand over the man tied to the chair.
His face is bruised from our earlier altercation, a vivid reminder of the trap that was waiting for me—a trap I walked into with eyes wide open, expecting to confront Garibaldi, only to find this hitman waiting for me instead.
He’s already confessed to being the one who gave Catherine the pills. The only reason he’s still alive is because I need to know where Garibaldi is hiding.
When she called, her light broke into my darkness and I was furious. The two versions of me vied for supremacy when I heard her voice.
I looked at my victim and I wanted to show compassion, like she would have done. But compassion would give me no answers so I hung up as quickly as possible.
I clench my fists so tightly my knuckles turn white, my breaths coming in short, controlled bursts. Fury courses through my soul.
Garibaldi has made this personal, and in doing so, he’s signed his own death warrant. I lean in closer to the hitman, my voice low and menacing. “Where is he?”
He hesitates, eyes darting around the room, looking for an escape that doesn’t exist. I tighten my grip on his shoulder, a clear reminder of his predicament. “Talk. Now.”
He refuses. For a while. Eventually he breaks. They always do. “I don’t know where he is. He called me and told me to be here, to take you out the minute you arrived. He said to make it hurt.”
“His spite got you killed. You should have taken me out from a distance, like a professional.”
“He didn’t want to risk hitting Jane.”
My heart feels like it’s been dunked in a bucket of ice. “What about my wife?”
“I was supposed to call him when I had her.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
I slam my fist into his nose. “I don’t know, I swear!”
I slice his cheek open with the knife and he roars with pain. “The truth,” I say. “Or I make you beg for death.”
A flicker of uncertainty crossing his bleeding face. “I’m telling you the truth. I told him you were here alone. He expected her to come with you. Said her dad called her to stay away, that she’d be sure to come after that, hide under your wing.”
“What did he say when you told him she wasn’t with me?”
“He’s sent someone else to France to bring her back. Please, I’ve told you everything. I need a doctor. I’m dying here.”
“Wrong,” I reply, pulling out my gun. “You’re already dead.” I pull the trigger, the sound making my ears ring. I turn to face Tony. “Deal with that. I need to get back to Jane.”
He nods, understanding flashing in his eyes.
I look down at the gun in my hand. If Jane were here, would she understand why I did this? Would she see that this is for her protection? Or would she only see a killer with a gun in his hand?
“What about Garibaldi?” Tony asks, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I wash my hands in the sink in the corner, the water running crimson, each drop a reminder of the cost of this war. I used to think I could compartmentalize, keep my hands clean when I came home to Jane.
But now, I see there’s no escaping the stain of my actions. How do I hold her, knowing these hands bring more destruction than safety?
I pause, the weight of my next order heavy on my tongue. “Burn his house down. Leave nothing standing. Burn everything that fucker owns. Sending the man who killed Catherine to kill me and take my wife? He’ll suffer for that.”
The urgency to protect Jane, to ensure her safety, overrides everything else. I pull out my phone, attempting to reach her, only to find it switched off. A knot of fear tightens in my stomach.
Without hesitation, I arrange for my private jet to be ready, each second away from Jane now more agonizing than the last. I call Matteo and Lucas. No answer. I check the GPS tracker. Not activated. Fuck, I should have switched it on, not left the decision up to her.
I’ve fought battles, brokered peace, and navigated betrayals, but nothing compares to the fear of losing her.
Garibaldi has crossed a line, and in doing so, he’s unleashed a fury he can’t comprehend. I’m not just a man with an empire to protect; I’m a husband, and I’ll burn the world down to keep my wife safe.
The private jet’s engines hum steadily, a soothing backdrop to the maelstrom of thoughts swirling in my head as we slice through the night sky.
My fingers tap an impatient rhythm on the armrest, the only outward sign of the tension gripping me. The staff are nowhere to be seen. I’ve snapped at them enough for them to keep their distance.
I’ve tried calling Jane several times, to no avail. Her phone remains off, a fact that sends waves of worry crashing over me.
The possibility that Garibaldi’s man might have already reached her sends a chill through my veins, the kind of fear I’ve never known before Jane entered my life. She’s changed everything, and the thought of her in danger, because of me, is unbearable.