Filed to story: Sold to The Possessive Mafia Boss Book (Xavier & Jane) Free Online >>
Xavier’s POV
Thirty minutes earlier…
“You have to understand something,” I say, reaching into my jacket. “This is nothing personal, it’s just business. Now, I’ve got two minutes before I need to be someplace very important. I need to get this dealt with quickly.” I pull out my gun.
He gulps, opening his mouth to start whining again. “But, Xavier,” he pleads. “We went to school together. We grew up together. Have mercy.”
I nod. “I treated you like a brother, Teddy. My father brought you over for dinner at our home many times. And how do you repay my family’s generosity? You borrow money you don’t repay. You go to work for Angelo Garibaldi behind my back. You think I wouldn’t notice when a man I trusted betrays me?”
“Please,” he begs, his eyes wide with the realization that it’s all over. “I was just trying to—”
“Survive?” I cut him off, the word tasting like bile in my mouth. “We’re all trying to survive. Some of us retain our sense of honor, of family, of responsibility.”
He tries a different tactic. “You can’t kill me. The truce, remember?”
I smile coldly. “You believe your death will reignite the flames of war between me and Garibaldi?”
Reality crashes in and his face turns white.
I nod, pointing the gun at his face. “See, your new boss doesn’t give a shit about you, only the truce. I told him you went behind my back and he accepted this consequence. All he cares about is business, same as me. And that’s what this is, Teddy. Business.”
I pull the trigger. As Teddy slumps, a part of me wonders if I should have let him live. I’ve long stopped seeing murder as wrong but I don’t like anything that has the potential to disrupt my dealings.
There’s a slight chance this act will ripple out and affect profits. That is unacceptable. But owing me money? Taking a job with my only rival for more money? Losing all sense of what’s right and wrong? I couldn’t let that go. A man must have a code.
Stepping out of the alley, I climb into the car. Almost out of time. “Usual route, Luca,” I say.
He gives me a nod as he starts the engine. “Clean up crew is on their way to deal with the body.”
“Good.” My mind is already far from the dead man. It’s on her. My obsession. The only woman in the world who gets my heart rate elevated. I make sure I watch her going to work every single morning but it never gets old.
As we drive, the familiar sight of her store comes into view and my heart starts pumping. Soon, she’ll be here and I get to watch her.
It’s a ritual, this drive past her workplace, as much a part of my morning routine as the coffee I drink, the papers I read, or the men I kill.
We park in the usual spot and she comes into view, right on time.
I shouldn’t watch her but I do. I can’t resist this angel that walks among men. My tesoro. My treasure. The only thing in this world I desire more than money.
Her hair, a deep chestnut brown shot through with strands of gold where the sun catches it, cascades in loose waves down her back, framing a face of delicate beauty.
Her features are softly rounded, the kind of face that carries a natural innocence, eyes wide and alert, scanning her surroundings with an unconscious wariness.
She’s anxious, nervous, all the damn time. I want to tell her she doesn’t have to worry, that I’ll protect her. But I don’t. Get her involved in my world and she’s doomed. I won’t have her innocence crushed by the darkness of my life.
She’s clad in a simple white shirt and black knee length skirt, her uniform. The fabric clings to her form, hinting at the gorgeous curves beneath.
Over the shirt, she wears a jacket far too thin for the chill that lingers in the air. She’s got a book under her arm. History, again. All she ever reads.
She brushes a loose strand of hair from her face and my cock twitches. Everything she does makes me ache to be inside her. She pulls her jacket tighter around her as a breeze whispers down the street, a shiver passing through her.
I want to warm her up in my bed, crush her under my bulk, force those legs of hers apart and slide home.
As she nears the store, something’s amiss. She looks at something on the door and then spins on her heels, heading back the way she came.
Without thinking, I climb out. “Wait here,” I say to my driver, my decision made before I even fully comprehend its implications.
I climb out and read the note pinned to the door. Closed permanently due to tough economic conditions.
I follow her on foot, a silent guardian trailing just out of sight. It doesn’t take long to reach her place, a shitty little one story that reeks of poverty. I watch as she heads inside. She’s unaware of my presence.
I remain hidden, telling myself to turn back, to let her be. I can’t keep doing this. Sooner or later someone will see us together. That will make her a target for Garibaldi.
I need to leave, put her out of my mind. Get back to doing what I do best; business.
I’m about to walk away when I see a car pull up. Three men step out. My blood runs cold; they’re low level enforcers, debt collectors working for Garibaldi. What do they want with her place?
I call Luca, my voice low but firm. “Come to my location,” I instruct, giving him the address. “Tell Tony to get me another clean up crew.”
As I approach her house, they make their way around back. I follow them. I know this will change everything. The delicate balance I’ve maintained is about to tip.
I’m going to kill three of Garibaldi’s debt collectors. This could be the spark that reignites the war. Get dozens of good men killed.