Filed to story: Sold to The Possessive Mafia Boss Book (Xavier & Jane) Free Online >>
I use Matteo’s still warm finger to unlock his phone, my hands trembling as I dial Xavier. No service. I wave my hand around and there’s a click. By the window, it rings. He answers immediately, his voice crackling and faint.
“Xavier,” I choke out, “something’s wrong. Matteo’s dead, and someone’s coming. Help me.” Thoughts of Xavier hurting someone are gone. I need him to save me.
“Stay calm, Jane,” His voice cuts through my panic, an island of calm in the storm of my fear. “Have you got any kind of weapon?”
“I’ve got Matteo’s gun.”
“Good. Check the safety. On the side. Is it switched on or off?”
I glance at both sides of the gun. “It says off.”
“That’s good. Remember, squeeze it gently. Be prepared for the kick back. Unload the whole lot into him. You’ll only get one chance. Make it count.”
My hands tremble as I grip the gun. “I will.”
“Good. Now, find somewhere to hide, somewhere you can see the door but stay out of sight,” he continues, his tone steady and reassuring.
I nod, even though he can’t see me, and move to a corner of the room that offers a clear view of the entrance. “I’m hidden. How soon can you be here?”
“I’m on my way. Stay hidden, and don’t come out until you see me, understand?” His voice is firm, leaving no room for argument.
“Okay,” I whisper into the phone, my body tensed in the shadows. The space around me feels too open, too exposed. “Xavier, there’s a better spot. Near the back, a hidden alcove. I’m going to move.”
His voice comes through, firm and commanding. “No, Jane, stay where you are. He could find you out in the open.”
I can’t suppress the frustration boiling inside me. “I can’t just sit here when there’s a better place to hide. You’re not here, you can’t see what I can see.”
“Damn it, stay where you are.”
“I’m moving. It’s safer over there.”
There’s a pause on the line, a moment that stretches out, filled with unsaid fears and silent prayers. “Jane,” he finally says, his voice softer, laced with something like resignation, “Move to the alcove. But be silent. Keep the line open.”
Heart racing, I clutch the phone tighter. I make a dash for the alcove as I hear a door opening downstairs.
The realization hits me, not like a thought but a tidal wave, washing over me with cold certainty. This is the life I’ve stepped into, a world where love is intertwined with danger, where every moment shared is precious because it’s not guaranteed.
I understand now, more than ever, why Xavier does what he does, why he wraps me in layers of protection, why his decisions weigh heavy with the burden of our safety.
In the stark clarity of danger, I find an unfamiliar resolve blossoming within me.
It’s not the fear that defines this moment but my determination to survive it, to be more than a pawn in a game played by men with power. This isn’t about defiance or proving a point; it’s about embracing the strength I’ve always had but never acknowledged.
If Xavier’s world demands resilience, then I will meet it not with fear, but with a resolve as unyielding as his own.
This epiphany doesn’t diminish the terror of the moment, but it sharpens my focus, turning fear into a tool, not a cage.
With Matteo’s gun in my hand, I realize this is what Xavier feels every time he makes a decision to protect us.
The weight of responsibility, the cold edge of necessity. I used to see it as control, a way to keep me under his thumb, but now I see it for what it truly is: an act of love, fierce and unrelenting.
As I wait, the gun no longer foreign but a part of my resolve, I understand that to love Xavier is to accept all of his world, not just the parts that are easy to bear.
It’s a vow to stand with him, to face the darkness together, not as a victim, but as his equal, his partner.
I will do what must be done, with a heart full of love and hands ready to protect it. This is my new reality, and I embrace it, not because I have no other choice, but because I choose it, with every beat of my heart, with every breath in my body.
The door swings open with a jarring creak, and a figure steps into the dimly lit room, his presence casting an imposing shadow. He’s tall, broad-shouldered, with a cruel twist to his mouth and eyes that gleam with malice.
A scar runs down his left cheek, giving him a menacing appearance that chills me to the core. He fires a shot at where I was been hiding before, the sound echoing off the walls.
His laugh is low and menacing as he stalks closer, his steps measured and confident. “Clever girl,” he mocks, his voice dripping with contempt. “But you’re just like all women. Frozen by fear. You won’t shoot me. You’d have done it by now.”
I clutch the gun tighter, trying to control the tremor in my hands. His taunts are meant to unnerve me, and I hate that it’s working.
“You think you’re different?” he sneers, coming to a stop a few feet away, peering around the corner straight into my hiding place. “You’re not. I’ve seen that look in the eyes of every woman I’ve killed. Paralyzed, waiting for someone to save them. But no one’s coming for you.”
Anger flares within me, burning through the fear. “I’m not like the others,” I retort, my voice steadier than I feel.
He laughs, a sound devoid of any warmth. “Sure, you are. You’re scared, aren’t you? Afraid to pull the trigger. Because deep down, you know you can’t do it. You’re not a killer. Me, I’ve taken the lives of more men than I can count. You, you’re no killer.”
I remember Xavier’s instructions, his belief in my strength. “Maybe I am scared,” I admit, letting his words fuel my resolve rather than diminish it. “But being scared doesn’t mean I won’t fight back.”
He takes a step closer, his smile twisted. “Put the gun down, little girl. Come with me to your father. He’s waiting for his little girl.”
The mention of my father, the realization of his betrayal, it ignites something within me. “Why did you kill Lucas and Matteo? Why are you doing this?”