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Burning History
Last Updated:
2024-12-31 06:50:53
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Indebted to the Mafia King Holiday Attack
Five Minutes Earlier… *Cal*“Come on, Boss. Let’s go outside. I need to have a smoke,” Sam grumbles as he brushes past me. “People are fucking crazy tonight. I can’t deal with this sober.”I actually agree with him. The bar is fucking crowded tonight, and truthfully, I could use a smoke too. I need to breathe some fresh air besides the smell of alcohol and sweat for a change.It doesn’t usually bother me, but some days it’s hard to run this sort of business. Christmas Eve is one of them.I follow Sam outside, pulling my pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and lightning one up, offering it to light Sam’s next. I shouldn’t be smoking. I quit a long time ago, but with all the cartel bullshit we’ve been dealing with this year… I’m back to old habits.“I don’t know why they have to be so loud all the fucking time,” he continues to complain. “They’re just lonely, sad people who have too much shit to deal with during the holidays,” I explain darkly. “It’s just easier to drown themselves in
Last Updated : 2025-01-01Indebted to the Mafia King Damage Control
*Cal*Normally, I’d hesitate before jumping through a curtain of flames. Even to save someone’s life. If it was one of my men in there, what would I do? I wouldn’t think twice before trying to save them.Why am I seriously considering letting that pretty girl die by herself, a victim of something she shouldn’t even be involved with in the first place?That thought seems to renew my determination, and finding a breach in the fire, I climb through the broken window and step inside the store, immediately covering my nose with my arm.The place is a fucking mess already, thick black smoke covering the tall shelves of books. I look around, frantically searching for the woman who was in this exact spot a few minutes ago. Did she manage to escape before the explosion? Did she even see it coming?The front door and the back door seem to be blocked, so I don’t see how she could’ve escaped in time to avoid the fire.I wish I knew her name so I could call for her, but when I was in here a few
Last Updated : 2025-01-02Indebted to the Mafia King Change of Plans
*Heidi*I open my eyes, struggling to adjust to the bright, white walls and ceiling surrounding me. I have a major headache, my eyes sting, and I feel a tightness in my chest that makes it hard to breathe.I inhale sharply, and that makes me cough. A lot.My throat burns, and when I think I can’t handle it anymore, someone walks into my room, offering me a glass of water.There’s some sort of oxygen mask in the way, so I move it aside a bit and take the glass, gulping down the liquid, instantly feeling relief. “How are you feeling?” the kind nurse asks in a sweet voice.I cough a few more times and return the glass to her. She sets it on the table next to my bed.“My chest feels heavy, and I have this awful headache. My throat is also bothering me, but other than that, I feel okay,” I tell her.“That’s expected since you inhaled a lot of smoke. The doctor said you should recover soon, but you will need to spend the night in observation,” the nurse explains. That’s when my memory sta
Last Updated : 2025-01-03Indebted to the Mafia King First Meeting
*Cal*It’s been almost a week since the fire, and every day I’ve been coming and going to the bar, sitting in the same chair in the corner, just across from the window where I can watch the bookstore that is now just a pile of ashes and burned wood on the other side of the street.The police surrounded the place with yellow tape, which in my opinion serves no purpose; it only attracts more attention than the burnt out building already did by itself.New Year’s is around the corner, and ever since I saved that woman on Christmas Eve, I can’t make myself relax or move past the explosion. To say I’m pissed would be an understatement.My men still haven’t figured out who attacked us, and even though I have my own suspicions, I can’t act on instinct. I need proof to make a move. I can’t afford to make more enemies by blindly attacking in the name of revenge.Ever since that day, I haven’t heard from “Book girl”. Hell, I don’t even know if she survived. She hasn’t come to check on the shop
Last Updated : 2025-01-04Indebted to the Mafia King Someone to Blame
*Heidi*I wasn’t planning on barging through the bar door across the street when I left my aunt’s apartment this morning. My initial goal was to stop by the bookstore and see if there was anything I could do to make the insurance company just give us the money faster so we can start rebuilding it as soon as possible, or at the very least, relocate. They are taking so long to get back to us, to let us know what can and will be done to help us rebuild the store. I don’t even know if they will pay us or not. I know that the end of the year is slow and bad to get things done, and no one is really making an effort to solve things quickly. Not to mention that getting someone to rebuild an entire establishment during the holidays won’t be easy. If possible at all.That’s why I’m getting so worked up and anxious.Other than the fact that I lost everything. That’s why, as soon as my eyes fell on what used to be my grandfather’s biggest achievement in life, an anger I’ve never felt before was
Last Updated : 2025-01-06Indebted to the Mafia King Unexpected Feelings
*Cal*I have never been good with people crying.Let alone women.To have Heidi sobbing in front of me was not something I was expecting to have to deal with after seeing how fiery and determined she looked a minute ago.I don’t know how to react. I don’t know what to do to make her feel better.The way the tears are pooling in her beautiful eyes is enough to make me want to go after whoever did that to her store and just make them disappear from the earth once and for all.It’s absurd how simply watching her cry is making me visit emotions I’ve never felt before.She is trying to be strong, wiping the tears from her eyes aggressively, but one more look at me, and all her walls break down.I glance at Ian, who is now pretending he isn’t even here, and I consider what to do. I don’t want to invade her privacy or do something she might find disrespectful, but I feel like she needs comfort right now.And if I can do that for her, it might be worth a try.“Come on, let’s have a seat,” I s
Last Updated : 2025-01-07Indebted to the Mafia King Hitting a Dead End
*Heidi*I would never imagine Cal to be the type of man who is attentive and kind while looking so intimidating and cold on the outside. If anything, I imagined him as a grumpy, arrogant, stupid man who thinks he runs the world and that everything needs to be done according to his rules and demands.But barging into his bar and crying in front of him–even though it almost made me die of embarrassment–has proven to be somewhat worth it. I’ve never been the type of woman who was the object of desire for any man. I did have some boyfriends here and there while I was in college, but none of them ended up forming a serious relationship. And all of them eventually cheated on me. Good thing was that I was never in love with any of them, so I can’t say I suffered immensely. But it did some damage to my self-esteem. No man has piqued my interest after I graduated, and it’s been like that for years. But something in Cal makes me feel different. The way his eyes drink me in makes me feel like
Last Updated : 2025-01-08Indebted to the Mafia King Making Arrangements
*Cal*Heidi follows me as I take her to my office. We stroll across the hallway, heading for the last door on our right. Our footsteps are the only thing I can hear as I guide her, her tiny frame following me closely.I’m trying hard to ignore how good she smells. Her sweet perfume inebriates my senses and makes it hard for me to think clearly.And I have to figure out what I can do for her now that she finally seems willing to accept my help.Seeing how defensive Heidi can get has turned me on more than I’d like to admit, but I can’t say I don’t like it. Ever since she crossed the doorway of my bar, she’s done nothing but surprise me.She yelled, cried, stood defensively and suspiciously before me, showing multiple sides of her in less than an hour. Teasing and flirting with her felt good, but considering how different Heidi is from the women I’m used to dating, I need to be cautious. And more respectful than ever. The last thing I want is to scare her away.Her retorts only added fu
Last Updated : 2025-01-09
Latest chapter
Indebted to the Mafia King Is This a Date?
*Heidi*Needless to say, I barely closed my eyes last night. I don’t know why I feel so anxious to have dinner with Cal. He never once mentioned this was a date. Not officially, at least. Would I be wrong to assume it is if he didn’t expressly say the word ‘date’? In my experience, if a man wants to spend New Year’s Eve with a woman, he probably has romantic intentions.No matter how polite and respectful Cal is, I don’t believe for a second that this is strictly a business meeting. Or, maybe I’m just thinking about it too deeply.I’m probably not the type of woman he’s used to dating. I imagine him with someone who has tattoos, piercings, and isn’t afraid to hop on a bar and dance… But the way he looked at me the past few times we came into contact makes me wonder if he might be interested in me, the way he’s constantly orbiting around me, wanting to know more about me…. There’s no way I’m imagining it.I shake my head and look around. I’ve finished unpacking my things and organize
Indebted to the Mafia King Is This a Date?
*Heidi*Needless to say, I barely closed my eyes last night. I don’t know why I feel so anxious to have dinner with Cal tonight. He never once mentioned this was a date. Not officially at least. Would I be wrong to assume it is if he didn’t expressly say the word ‘date’? In my experience, if a man wants to spend New Year’s Eve with a woman, he probably has romantic intentions.No matter how polite and respectful Cal is, I don’t believe for a second that this is strictly a business meeting. Maybe I’m just thinking about it too hard.I’m probably not the type of woman he’s used to dating, but the way he’s looked at me ever since we met, the way he’s constantly orbiting around me, wanting to know more about me…. There’s no way I’m imagining it.I shake my head and look around. I’ve finished unpacking my only luggage and organized everything in the closet in my bedroom. I also organized the groceries I bought this morning and cleaned the entire apartment, so it feels like I’m finally re
Indebted to the Mafia King Invitation
*Heidi*I lug my only suitcase inside the new apartment. It’s stuffed with new clothes that I bought over the week.Since nothing was salvaged from the fire, I had to make a list of priorities of what to buy. My computer is gone, and I’ve yet to replace it. I spent an entire day at City Hall getting a new social security card, then the DMV for my driver’s license despite the fact I never use it to drive. Getting a transit card for the subway was easy, at least, but I had no clothes to wear that didn’t smell like smoke, and I also had to do grocery shopping so I’ll have something to eat at home.Since I left the hospital, I’ve been eating only fast food–quick slices of pizza and hot-ham-and-cheese from the corner bodega. Sometimes my aunt would offer to cook something for us, but I knew she was only doing it because I was there. She’s not very fond of the kitchen, and if I weren’t at her house, I’m sure she would be eating out, too, and I didn’t want to be any trouble. I grunt as I pu
Indebted to the Mafia King A New Direction
*Cal*“What is it, Boss?” Sam asks, but his voice sounds distant and muffled.When he moves to stand in front of me, his eyes studying me cautiously, I realize I was so angry, I wasn’t paying any attention to him at all.“Who is it? What happened?” he insists, his gaze darting to my phone and back to my face.I turn the screen for him to see the picture, but by the way his brows crease, I can tell he doesn’t understand what it means.“This is Heidi leaving the bar,” I explain expressionlessly, my mind numb with a type of fury I’ve never felt before..I’m doing everything in my power to suppress the outrage threatening to overcome me.I shouldn’t have reason to be afraid for Heidi. If someone’s watching her, which is evident by this photo, I could, in theory, shrug it off as someone trying to bait me by thinking the hottest girl to ever set foot in my bar is someone attached to me. A girlfriend, perhaps. A mistress. It wouldn’t be the first time another group has pulled a stunt like t
Indebted to the Mafia King Work it Out
*Cal*Having Heidi in the same room as me this entire time has proven to be nothing but a bad idea. Even though she’s left, her scent lingers in the air, which makes it almost impossible for me to focus on anything other than her right now.I’m glad she accepted my help. Giving her a new apartment isn’t the only thing I wanted to do for her, but it does lessen my guilt to know she’ll be safe and able to get back on her feet with a roof over her head.I wish things hadn’t gone bad for her in the first place, but since I have no control over the past, I might as well accept this is all I can do for her–for now.Sure, I can give her way more than just an apartment, but considering how hard it was for her to accept that, I doubt she will even listen to any other offers. I think I can get her to open up to me eventually, although I have to be patient and careful.She doesn’t seem to trust people easily, and I can’t pretend I didn’t notice how skeptical and suspicious she was around me the
Indebted to the Mafia King Do We Have a Deal?
*Heidi*Cal takes me to his office, and I find myself slightly suspicious while at the same time, an anticipation builds within me that has everything to do with the fact that he’s taking me somewhere private to have a conversation.While we were talking at the bar, his barkeep pretended he wasn’t listening to us, but I’m sure he was.Now, we’ll be alone in his office, and that seems… weird. I’m not supposed to be feeling like this. Cal is everything I should keep myself away from in a man. He’s handsome, intimidating, sexy, flirtatious, not to mention he’s mysterious in a way that keeps me wanting to know more about him. If the novels I read have taught me anything, I should know better than to want to have any kind of relationship with Call. I know I came after him for help, but in my defense, I had no idea who he was. After I was already here and made a scene out of myself, demanding to talk to him, well… I couldn’t back down.I’m waiting in his office, admiring his decor and the
Indebted to the Mafia King Making Arrangements
*Cal*Heidi follows me as I take her to my office. We stroll across the hallway, heading for the last door on our right. Our footsteps are the only thing I can hear as I guide her, her tiny frame following me closely.I’m trying hard to ignore how good she smells. Her sweet perfume inebriates my senses and makes it hard for me to think clearly.And I have to figure out what I can do for her now that she finally seems willing to accept my help.Seeing how defensive Heidi can get has turned me on more than I’d like to admit, but I can’t say I don’t like it. Ever since she crossed the doorway of my bar, she’s done nothing but surprise me.She yelled, cried, stood defensively and suspiciously before me, showing multiple sides of her in less than an hour. Teasing and flirting with her felt good, but considering how different Heidi is from the women I’m used to dating, I need to be cautious. And more respectful than ever. The last thing I want is to scare her away.Her retorts only added fu
Indebted to the Mafia King Hitting a Dead End
*Heidi*I would never imagine Cal to be the type of man who is attentive and kind while looking so intimidating and cold on the outside. If anything, I imagined him as a grumpy, arrogant, stupid man who thinks he runs the world and that everything needs to be done according to his rules and demands.But barging into his bar and crying in front of him–even though it almost made me die of embarrassment–has proven to be somewhat worth it. I’ve never been the type of woman who was the object of desire for any man. I did have some boyfriends here and there while I was in college, but none of them ended up forming a serious relationship. And all of them eventually cheated on me. Good thing was that I was never in love with any of them, so I can’t say I suffered immensely. But it did some damage to my self-esteem. No man has piqued my interest after I graduated, and it’s been like that for years. But something in Cal makes me feel different. The way his eyes drink me in makes me feel like
Indebted to the Mafia King Unexpected Feelings
*Cal*I have never been good with people crying.Let alone women.To have Heidi sobbing in front of me was not something I was expecting to have to deal with after seeing how fiery and determined she looked a minute ago.I don’t know how to react. I don’t know what to do to make her feel better.The way the tears are pooling in her beautiful eyes is enough to make me want to go after whoever did that to her store and just make them disappear from the earth once and for all.It’s absurd how simply watching her cry is making me visit emotions I’ve never felt before.She is trying to be strong, wiping the tears from her eyes aggressively, but one more look at me, and all her walls break down.I glance at Ian, who is now pretending he isn’t even here, and I consider what to do. I don’t want to invade her privacy or do something she might find disrespectful, but I feel like she needs comfort right now.And if I can do that for her, it might be worth a try.“Come on, let’s have a seat,” I s
