Filed to story: Sold to The Possessive Mafia Boss Book (Xavier & Jane) Free Online >>
For the first time, I allow myself to truly consider the magnitude of my desire, to acknowledge that what I feel for her transcends obsession, bordering on a need as vital as the air I breathe.
“Get in the car outside,” I order her. “You’re under my protection now.”
As I step into the cavernous space of the old mill, Angelo Garibaldi stands before me, his presence dominating the shadows.
The survivor of the attack on Jane hovers beside him, looking haunted. Angelo’s eyes, void of warmth, fixate on me with calculated precision.
“Glad you could come,” he begins, his voice laced with an undercurrent of annoyance. “Eddie here was quite enlightening. You’ve killed two of my men.”
I draw my gun and execute Eddie with a single shot between his eyes.
“Three,” I reply calmly, holstering my gun. A cold sense of justice fills me. They crossed a line with her; their fate was sealed by their actions, not by my hand.
Angelo, visibly taken aback by my audacity, fights for words. “Have you lost your damned mind? Executing one of my men right in front of me. What of the truce? Are you asking to be killed?”
“They targeted someone under my protection. I will compensate double the amount they were due to collect. That should settle this.”
His laugh, bitter and hollow, reverberates through the mill. “Generous,” he mocks. “But killing my men over some nobody? Why should a little cash this square things between us? They were worth far more to me alive than double that debt.”
“They violated a boundary they shouldn’t have,” I counter sharply. “Or is it common practice for your collectors to rape as they please?”
“You echo your father,” Angelo muses, attempting to steer the conversation. “He used honor as a way to maintain profit. Until he met your mother.”
I sidestep the bait, my focus unwavering. “Two hundred thousand by the end of the day and we both go back to work.”
Angelo dismisses the offer with a wave, his smile thinning. “Forget the cash. They overstepped, I acknowledge that.” His casual dismissal irks me; I sense the undercurrents of a deeper game at play. “Eddie mentioned the woman.”
“She is no one of consequence,” I lie, feeling the edge of a trap.
His laughter is cynical, mocking. “Fallen for her, have you? But we both know your heart beats for gold not love. When was the last time you gave a shit about anyone but your banker?”
My expression remains stone. “Sentiment is a liability,” I say, the bitter taste of truth in my words. “She means nothing to me.”
“Your father preached as much about his wife, yet he died because he cheated on her with a hooker. Passion over principle.”
Angelo crosses himself, a mocking gesture of reverence. “Died fighting her pimp. He thought he could control everything but one little bit of chaos walked in, killed him and your mother..”
He points at the corpse. “You tread the same path, Xavier. Needing to control everything and everyone, even when it spells your ruin.”
“The only thing that matters is that the money keeps rolling in. Remember, I bought her debt. She’s mine now. Under my protection.”
As I turn to leave, his parting words chase me. “Not all debts are paid in cash, Xavier.”
Jane’s POV
“Describe it to me,” Emma says to me down the phone. “While I sit here eating cold pizza I should have thrown out three days ago.”
I sit up, looking around the hotel room. “Bed big enough for a football team. Minibar that could get that entire football team drunk. I can see Central Park. Upper East Side sure has its advantages over Brooklyn. I do not belong here, let’s put it that way.”
I sink back against the pillows, acutely aware of how far I sink into the mattress. It’s not just the opulence that makes me feel out of place; it’s my curves on a bed like this.
“And he’s paying for the lot?” Emma asks.
“I hope so because I can’t afford one square of toilet paper in a place like this.”
“You sure he isn’t expecting something in return? Nudge nudge.”
“Jeez, you think?”
“I’ve been your best friend since kindergarten and I’ve tried my best to teach you the ways of the world but you’re still so sweet and innocent. A rich man sets you up in his hotel suite for free. He doesn’t do it out of the goodness of his heart. Trust me.”
“I didn’t think of that. I was too busy thinking about the men he killed right in front of me.”
“Sounds like he did you a favor. Hell, make the most of it, girl. Turn him into your sugar daddy. Milk him like a cash cow. Get yourself richer than, well, a very rich thing.” I can almost see the grin on her face. “Kerching.”
“I doubt I’m his type.” I can’t shake the fear that my fuller figure might not be what he’s accustomed to, or even wants.
The thought of undressing, of revealing myself fully, brings a flush of anxiety. Not because I’m ashamed of my body, but because I don’t know if he can see beauty in my curves.
The moment I saw him, things happened to me that have never happened before. Even with all the violence, I couldn’t stop thinking how handsome he looked.
I let out a sigh. “It’s not about the money. I just want to feel safe, you know?” My gaze drifts to the city below, the vast expanse echoing the emptiness I feel. “I don’t know if I want to go home after what happened.”
“So stay in the suite for a while. Let him pick up the tab. Hell, the way you describe him, why not let his royal gorgeousness take that V-card of yours and stick it right through his shredder.”
Her laughter rings through the phone, light and carefree. “Imagine that, Jane. Protection and pleasure all wrapped up in one gorgeous Italian package. Just make sure he uses protection, if you know what I mean.”