2. Nobble

Xavier's lips curled up wickedly as he watched Antonio and Rico torment the man who had tried to kill him surreptitiously just two nights ago. That night, Xavier had been invited to Valentino's ball held by Luciano Valentino, a close ally of his. He had let his guard down and had told Rico and Antonio he would attend alone. Luciano Valentino had come clean to him that one of his mobsters had turned against him and allowed the hitman to be present at the ball.

"Please-" the man whimpered in ferocious pain when Antonio had lashed out a few more whips on his back, more blood splattered on the ground.

"Tell us where's Vincenzo and we'll let you go." Rico demanded.

"I don't know where he is! I really don't. Please!" The man pleaded in cries.

"Then you're of no use to us now." Xavier said and stood up from his chair. His callous tone had made the man shivered in great fear for he knew what was coming.

"No no no!" The man shook his head strenuously before his cries slowly died down. Xavier smirked as he watched the man took his last breath beneath him. A sense of satisfaction washed over him as the pungent smell of metal and oil filled the chilly dark basement. He left the grimy, foul-smelling place with Rico while Antonio stayed back to deal with the body.

"Boss we all know Vincenzo too well. He won't rest until you're dead." Rico followed behind Xavier. Vincenzo was his former underboss, before Rico, who turned against him when money was no longer good enough for him. That greedy man wanted power and something more.

"He was a fool if he thought he could simply send a man to kill me. Killian will deal with him now."

He recalled finding Killian in London. When he had found him, the world's deadliest hitman, enjoying his 450th kill, he had stopped to watch as the man killed his victim mercilessly. Xavier had to admit, even he would grimace, witnessing the gruesome death. With Killian on his side, he could dominate the entire mafia world.

Killian's father had worked for Xavier's father back in the 1960s and 1970s. He owed his life to him. Ever since Killian's father passed on, Killian had taken over but was forced to take a break for a while because he had met the love of his life in London. Unfortunately, that only lasted for five years before his wife was brutally murdered by an urban drug lord.

Ever since then, Killian turned off his humanity and had gone on killing spree, killing every last drug lords he came across. He had a lot more surveillance apparatus on him when you compared it with most of the tech that the police had, not to mention a weapon store and any killer would covet.

"Boss the woman who saved you..." Rico paused for a moment to study Xavier's face, as if asking for permission to continue. Xavier nodded at him and he continued, "I ran a background check on her. Her full name is Megan Rose Zaccos. Twenty-one. Currently jobless. Turns out she's the daughter of Talos Zaccos. My men had managed to get some words from his men in London. She ran away from home because her father had forced her to marry his acquaintance."

"Talos Zaccos..." he drawled. The name sounded so familiar to him.

"He was one of your father's back in the days. He had resided in London ever since you took over. He has a good reputation there. The outside world called him a good man but he has a different reputation in the black market." Rico continued to explain.

"And yet his daughter saved my life. A stranger's life..." An impish smile planted on his face as he had recalled the beautiful brunette with her head laying on the bed beside him, her lips slightly pouted as she snored lightly in her sleep.

He let his gaze drift over her. Even when she had changed into her sweet little nightdress, resting in serenity, she still looked utterly irresistible. Fresh, and young and firm. He had wished he knew her well enough to take her straight to bed. Or at least to start kissing her. In actuality, he did. He had leaned in sneakily to steal a kiss from her. He had wanted to know if those honeyed, sensuous lips tasted as good as they looked, and he was pleased with the answer.

He was impressed because she had done a great job dressing his wounds. With that, he could not bring himself to wake her up as she looked worn out so he had only carried her to her own bed and left. He was dead settled on finding Vincenzo first and annihilate him so he would not pose as a threat to whatever he had wanted to do to Megan.

"Get Antonio to protect her. I don't want Vincenzo on her tail when Killian does his job." Rico nodded and left Xavier's study room, leaving him fantasising and romanticising over Megan's delicate body.

******

"Okay I'm gonna try this again." Megan stood in front of the fountain. Rummaging through her bag, she fished out a coin and closed her eyes shut, murmuring the words.

"Please-" before she could even finish her sentence, she felt another heavy bump on her shoulder.

Not again! What is wrong with the people here! She cursed inwardly as her belongings from her bag scattered on the ground. She looked down and gasped as she realised there was a cut on her bag.

"Oh hell no! Not my freaking LV!" She snapped and swivelled around to look at the thief who was already out of her sight, realising it was too late to chase after him.

"Bloody hell!" She cursed again and bent down to pick her things up. She noticed a man in her peripheral vision. He had bent and picked up her lip gloss and hand cream. She lifted her head up and gaped at the familiar face. It was the handsome man she had saved two days ago.

He looked fresh and clean now. She had remembered he was a sexy mess that night.

Wait, did I just say sexy?

"You!" Megan stood up abruptly and pointed at him, storming towards him like a kid. His smile slowly curled up into an amused smile, watching her unwaveringly.

She could see his mesmerising icy blue eyes crystal clear now that it's broad daylight. He was gorgeous and lethal. There was a sinister dangerous air about him that set her inner alarm bell ringing and buzzing, screaming at her to leave. But she was also thrilled at the thought of danger. She had wanted to be rebellious for once in her life. Explore something exciting. Something new. Something more.

She promptly shook the thoughts away and returned her focus to the man standing in front of her.

"You stole my wish! And I saved your life but you never even said thank you." Megan folded her arms and glared at the man. Her little outburst had caused Rico, who was standing behind Xavier to goggle at her in total disbelief.

Did I say something wrong? Megan thought to herself and scratched her head.

"Thank you." A very deep masculine voice sounded in her ear as he chuckled softly after.

Oh this thing speaks. And laughs too. Megan mused.

Rico's jaw widened as he stared at his boss in utter disbelief again. He wondered if somebody else had possessed his boss. He had never seen him smile in his entire life. Yet he was standing here, laughing at the woman in front of him.

"Where's Antonio?" Xavier turned back to ask Rico.

"Boss I'm here!" Antonio said as he approached them with Megan's purse and phone in his hands. He nodded at Xavier, letting him know that he had gotten rid of the thief.

Megan breathed a sign of relief as Antonio had passed her belongings to her.

"Thank you so much. I'd be damned if I lost my phone." Megan unlocked her phone to see if it was still functioning. To her relief, her photos were still there. She had photos of her mother in the phone just in case she missed her badly.

She shifted her gaze back to the man whom she had saved the other night and realised he was surveying her with eyes like burning gold. A small gasp escaped her as she felt the difficulty to breathe properly under his burning gaze. His insolent eyes seemed to undress her. A ripple of delicious shivers spiralled through her. She gulped audibly and dragged in a shaky breath, trying to clear her foggy brain and calm her thundering heartbeat.

"Well... thank you gentlemen. Now we're even so if you'd just-"

She tried to turn and walk away, obeying her inner voice this time but the man had grabbed her waist and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"What the! Put me down!" She screeched as his hands gripped her thighs tightly. The people around them gasped and murmured, throwing them unpleasant look as if wanting to tell them to get a room.

Was no one ever gonna call the cops? I'm being kidnapped in broad daylight by three men!

"What are you doing! Put me down now!" Megan panicked and tried to wiggle out of his tight grip.

Xavier had made his way to the jet black Dartz Prombron parked outside.

Wow. This car is gangster. Megan admired as the man placed her down gently in the backseat.

Wait! This isn't the right time to think about cars! This man has just kidnapped you! Megan shivered at the sheer realisation. She tried to open the door when the man had closed the door shut.

"Urghh! Damn this childlock!" She groaned and hit the window, releasing her frustration.

The man who returned her belongings earlier had turned around from the front seat and gawked at her, giving her a are-you-serious look. She scooted over to the side where she knew the man with blue eyes would get in. As soon as he opened the door, she had jumped out of the car ready to make her escape only to be caught in his arms again. He scooped her up in his arms and gazed down at her. A mischievous smile crept across his face as he shook his head.

"You're not going anywhere, little bird." His thick Italian accent never failed to send shivers down her spine.

What the actual hell? Who the hell would call someone a little bird? I wouldn't even mind if he calls me his little mama or little feisty kitten but bird? Seriously? Megan cursed inwardly as she glared at the man like he just grew two heads.

"Where are you taking me?" She finally asked when she realised the car had merged into the busy highway.

"To my place cara mia." He said, looking nonchalance next to her.

"Okay first it's little bird. Now it's cara..." she stopped for a moment, forgetting what was the word. "Cara what again?" She asked him.

"Cara mia." He trailed off, making sure she caught the word this time.

"No shit Sherlock I don't speak Italian." She frowned. He shook his head in silence.

"You look like a legit gangster. Are you gonna kill me? Please keep in mind that I just saved your ass two nights ago." She folded her arms and reminded him. He arched a fraction of his brows and watched her in levity.

"Is that what you called us? Gangster?"

"So you are then?"

His smile faded and he had gazed out the window, ignoring her question. Calling him a gangster felt like an insult to him. He was no gangster. The Italian mafia always detested when people had called them that. They were different, although their goals were somewhat similar. The Italian mafia would not bring harm to women and children. They would avoid killing civilians, non-affiliated people. But once you crossed into their world, usually by some business transactions, you are pretty much fair game. They had more clout, money, resources, and contacts than gangsters. They were respected by many individuals from various levels of society, including politicians.

"Wait... let me figure this whole thing out." She inhaled deeply. "So you took me." She snapped her finger in front of him. "Just like that..." and then added. "Against my will if I may add. When I'd just saved your life two days ago. But you're not telling me what you're gonna do with me. If you wanted to kill me, you would have in my hotel room." She started murmuring to herself and rubbed her temple, trying to make sense of what had happened.

"Oh and by the way, I stitched you up too. You're welcome." She mocked.

"You're one chatty bird, aren't you?"

"I bite too." She narrowed her eyes and scowled at him defiantly.

"Enlighten me please cara mia." She had noticed the corners of his lips curled up into a knowing, maddening smirk.

Is he flirting with me? So what now? I just saved this man's life and now he wants a piece of me?

"You can't be doing this just because you're interested in someone who had just saved your life... right?" She drawled tentatively.

"And why can't I?" He provoked. Her eyes grew wider in realisation.

"Wow! Hold your horses mister. I admit you're one handsome man but you can't just kidnap a girl and expect her to go out with you!" She asserted.

"The name's Xavier." He stated in a cool and composed tone.

"I don't care what your name is. I ain't going out with you! Not until you asked nicely!" Megan cringed inwardly at the surprise audible in her voice, but the man merely smiled, a dimple appearing in his cheek, making him seem slightly less fearsome

Not until you asked nicely? Seriously Megan? That's the best you could do? Megan wanted to hit her forehead.

Xavier sighed and rubbed his forehead, as if he was stressed out with this little woman in front of him.

"Would you like to join me for dinner then?" He finally asked.

Megan felt her lips slowly curled up but her smile instantly dropped as she recalled how this man had just taken her away against her will.

"Women don't like questions." Megan said as she lifted her chin up, feeling proud that she had just used a quote from The Tourist.

"Fair enough..." he cleared his throat and tried again. "I want you in my bed." He gave her an inquisitive look. Megan almost choked on her own saliva at his admission. She seemed taken aback that he did not play by the book. Totally did not see that one coming.