LOGINShare
Double crossed
Last Updated:
2024-10-29 19:42:56DANTE'S POV
The cool night air nipped at my skin the instant I stepped out of the car. The address from the tracker was some kilometers away: some abandoned apartment building on the outskirts of town. Dark, silent, almost too quiet for what we were about to pull.I turned and Alex was some feet away from me, his body silhouetted against the dark shadows. In quick strides, he reached me and leaned intently into my face."They're in there," he hissed jerking his head toward the darkened building. "I counted three men. All with guns. And I heard Jasper. He's crying."‘Jasper was crying,’ it was a blow to the solar plexus. My son. Every minute he was in their hands was a knife twisting deeper into me. I gritted my teeth, squeezing my eyes shut to clear my head."We move now," I growled low. "We get him out, no mistakes. Understood?"Alex nodded. "The rest of the team's already in position. Just waiting for your go.Related chapters
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Deadly Order
ELLA'S POV My trembling hand lifted the phone to my ear. The low hum of the line was almost a buzz in the quiet of the room. The voice on the other side was as cold and gruff as ice. My heartbeat fluttered with anxiety. "We have the boy," he said so quietly it was almost a whisper. "What are your instructions?" I slumped back in my chair, heart racing. Finally, Jasper was in their hands. It all had finally fallen into place. Now came the big part: the final act. "Kill him," I commanded, the tone shriller than I meant to. "No mistakes this time. Do it quick, before Dante can save him again." There was a pause on the line, and I could almost feel the weight of this man processing my words, the weight of what I was asking. It didn't faze me; it never had. Jasper was just collateral. A pawn in a much larger game. "Understood," he said, though I could hear the hesitance. "We'll make it clean." "You better
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Daddy’s Here
DANTE'S POVThe tires slid to a stop on the loose gravel, sending it flying in all directions as we came to an abrupt stop near the edge of the riverbank. I was out of the car before it had completely pulled to a stop, eyes scanning the dark waters ahead. It was a low glow over the rippling surface, but it was the movement near the edge that caught my eye, the silhouette of three men, one of them holding a small figure. Jasper.My heart was pounding against my chest. They were too close to the river, too close to it."They're gonna toss him in," I snarled, already moving toward them.In an instant, Alex was beside me, gun out, eyes keen and bright. "We can't let that happen."We didn't need a plan. Instinct took over.I sprinted forward, feet pounding wet dirt, the roar of my pulse loud in my ears. The two men standing at the edge of the water never even heard us coming. When they turned, it was already too late.I launched myself at the closest one, my fist connecting with his jaw wi
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS In my arms again
CAMILLA'S POVI paced the sitting room as my heart hovered over each elapsed second. The silent mansion choked me to a suffocating degree. Every ticking of the clock seemed to mock cruelly at my helpless situation. Anthony stood close by, his eyes scanning the room, as if he could, by will, usher Jasper safely back. Yet neither of us was able to do more than wait.My baby. Jasper.Where was he? Was he all right? Has Dante found him yet?I flexed my fists into my palms, digging my nails in as a mechanism to breathe. The worst thoughts crept in, my son, alone and scared, hurt, and it was just more than I could handle. Swallowing the lump in my throat, trying to steady my voice, I turned to Anthony. "Do you think Dante found him yet?”Anthony's jaw flexed. Of course, he didn't say it, but the fear lived in his eyes. "Dante won't stop until he does," he said, his tone unyielding. "He'll bring Jasper home."I nodded, but my nerves had finally started to come undone. "I should be out there
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Silenced
DANTE'S POVI watched Camilla sleep, her arms wrapped protectively around Jasper. Her face was serene, but there was something in the way she cuddled him that showed a residual fear that hadn't left her since we'd rescued him, it made my gut roil with emotion. I couldn't blame her; it had been too close-far too close. The thought of losing him again gnawed at me. I felt my heart constrict as I bent forward, pressing my lips against Jasper's small head. He slept on, after waking up for a brief moment. Camilla stirred but didn't wake. She hadn't let him go since I'd brought him back. I raked my fingers through my hair, fighting the urge to stand guard over them a little while longer. There was work to be done though. Somebody had tried to take my son from me, and I wanted answers. I wanted to know who dared make that move.I emerged out of the room and closed the door softly behind me. My feet went downstairs with a deliberate, measured air. Save for the creaking of the floorboards ben
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Calculated steps
TOM'S POV"Imbeciles!" My voice boomed in the darkened room, my fist connecting with the nearest table as I glared malevolently at the men across from me. They hunched their shoulders when my hand came up to strike again; my anger was boiling over. "You had one job, one lousy job, and you couldn't even get that right!”The tall one, the one who had a busted lip and a thin physique, spoke in a low mumbling tone as he forwarded his feet. "Boss, it wasn't our fault," he muttered. "Dante…he showed out of nowhere. We don't know how he found us. We were at the outskirts, miles away from the city. We covered every trace. I swear.""Dante. Dante!" I spat the venom momentarily dissolved by a tide of anger at every mention of his name. How often would this be a thorn in my side? How often would he steal victory from me after it seemed so close? I grasped the man by the collar, hauling him inches from my face. "You were supposed to be hiding, fool. No one was to know your whereabouts, not a livi
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Broken Serenity
DANTE'S POVThe hospital smell clung to me as I entered my office, fresh from seeing Alex. He was stable but pale, the image of his bandaged body gnawed at my senses. Since everything went down, I hadn't had time for anything but to dive back into work. Work was my respite, the only place I could control it all. Today, it wasn't helping. I was thinking of a traitor walking free in my home, putting my wife and my son in danger.Just managed to sit at my desk, when I heard a knock. Too tired even to respond to whoever it was.She came in heels clicking against the floor, then paused as her eyes caught the contours of my face. "Dante, what's wrong?" she asked softly, though low, unmistakably laced with a line of concern. Then she went further inside, closer to me, her eyes searching mine.I leaned back in my chair, massaging my temples. "Jasper was kidnapped." The words were weighted, heavy like I'd never spoken them aloud to another living soul. Of course, I knew that wasn't true since
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS The unseen shadows
DANTE'S POV The ride home seemed to take forever, my head spun flying down the highway to the racing heartbeat in time with each throb of the reviving car. Whatever Anthony found. It just didn't feel right. There was something in the tone with which he spoke over the phone, reserved as if he didn't say too much until I saw it myself. No sooner had I stepped into the mansion than Camilla and Anthony were waiting for me at the foyer. Camilla leaned casually against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest, but all the while her eyes had not left mine since the moment I came into their view. "Dante." Her voice was soft, yet a drop of concern was clearly indiscriminate in it. I walked up to them, and the feeling of tension in the air was as thick as an ax. "What did you find?" I asked Anthony in a voice as flat as possible, while my stomach seemed to have a storm brewing inside it. Anthony nodded toward the hallway. "Let's go to the control room, and I'll show you." It was a
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS Surprise connection
CAMILLA'S POVDays in the mansion had all started to blur together. Since the kidnapping attempt, Dante had been practically forcing me to take some time off from work to take care of Jasper, but being home was slowly eating me alive. Jasper, -was just so full of life, but weeks confined inside crippled me. I needed an outing.I turned back to Jasper, who lay on his play-mat staring in wonder at the dangling toys, his little hands swatting at them. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him. At the same time, part of me was really coveting fresh air and adult conversation. Whipping out my phone, I tapped out a quick text to Kate. We haven't had time to see each other since I started working at the company. She and I had only recently clicked, so it seemed nice catching up with her.*Hey Kate! Was thinking of getting out for a bit. Want to catch up over lunch?*It wasn't very long before she did reply. “Oh, absolutely! I could do with a break myself. How about that little Italian pl
Latest chapter
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 99: A Proposal of Peace
DANTE'S POVThe door softly shut behind us, nestling us into the silence of the hotel room. There was still friction from tonight hanging in the air, but at least some of the weight was off my shoulders at any rate. It was huge, and Rocco agreeing to go to Chicago was just a major first hurdle of many different obstacles going forward. Twenty years of hate and all the reasons that it had created were never going to get solved overnight.Camilla stood at the window, staring out at the Italian city below, where the lights sparked on like diamonds in a polished velvet case. That soft glow came alive in her silhouette, and for a moment, I simply looked at her. There was something about Camilla where convoluted situations seemed doable.She muttered to herself, in the otherwise silent room: "I just can't believe it. Rocco actually agreed to meet your father. It is not real."I crossed the room, leaning against the edge of the bed and folding my arms as I watched her. "Wouldn't have happene
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 98: Vengeance in the Shadows
CAMILLA'S POVI heard the sharp shatter of glass as the room froze in place; it was as if the air formed into ice. My pulse thundered in my chest as instinctively, I pulled Annie's arm back from this stumbling man and his predicted random movements. He sneered, his frame unsteadily swaying, but a dangerous mixture of arrogance and intoxication gleamed in his eyes.The scrape of a chair leg across the floor cut through the silence before I could get another word out. I whirled to see Dante storming toward us, an expression blacker than I'd ever seen on his face. Every step he took was deliberate, as if some sort of predator closing in on his prey."Dante…" I started, but the words died in my throat.In an instant, he was beside us, his towering figure completely blocking me from the man's line of vision. "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Dante said in a low, controlled voice full of threat.The man was either utterly unaware of the serious peril he found himself in or simply
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 97: FRIENDSHIP AND ALLIANCE
CAMILLA'S POVThe bar was in twilight, heavy with the smell of ages of whiskey and cigar smoke. The low murmurs of conversations and clinking glasses alike seemed to fade into the background, my attention was on Dante and Rocco - they sat at a corner table, but a single lamp cast sharp shadows across their faces. The tension between them was palpable from my seat: Dante hunched forward, his knuckles grazing the table; Rocco leaned back, his face impassive, save for the gleam of ice in his eyes.I sipped my wine slowly, the coolness of the glass a balm against the palm of my hand, but doing little to settle the queasy twist of my belly. Next to me, Annie seemed placid, but I noticed how her fingers gripped the stem of her glass just that little bit too tightly.“Why do they always look like they're about to kill each other?" I asked, trying to sound light.Annie smirked. "You're witnessing history in the making. Rocco doesn't listen to anyone-except me, sometimes. If he's even conside
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 96: SEEKING CLOSURE
CAMILLA'S POVThe moment the door to our room clicked shut, I blew out a very long, deep breath that I didn't realize I was holding. Dante sprawled across the room, yanking off his jacket to toss it onto the armchair in a spiky movement. His silence was deafening; the tension crackled between us in the air."Dante—" I began, but he sliced the word off.He whirled on me now, his eyes seething with anger and disbelief. "So you're saying she's the same woman" he snarled. "The Annie you practically threw yourself in front of a bullet for.” I crossed my arms over my chest and met his glare. "I didn't know who she was. She was just a woman in danger. I did what anybody with a conscience would have done."Dante snorted, passing a hand through his hair. "Anyone with a conscience wouldn't have flung themselves in front of a bullet!"The memory of that night tumbled back into my mind in a rush. "I didn't think," I whispered. "I just acted." Those words, like a threat of a storm, seemed to set
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 95: UNPLEASANT WEDDING GUEST
CAMILLA'S POVBefore us was the stretched Italian countryside-endless rolling hills of vineyards bathed in shades of gold by the afternoon sun. If anything, the villa where the wedding was held wasn't less than magnificent, a true melting pot of old-world charm and modern-day elegance. Marble columns framed the entrance, while a string quartet floated its music across the open courtyard.I really should have been utterly mesmerized by the view, but Dante's tense attitude was impossible to overlook."Relax," I whispered, tugging at the hem of my silk dress as I leaned in toward him. "Why are you so tense over a wedding?"Dante's jaw clenched, his sharp features lit for a moment by a flash of annoyance. "This isn't just some random wedding.""What do you mean?" I pressed, my curiosity getting the better of me as far as letting him stew in silence went.He said nothing for a second or two, his dark eyes scouring the crowd ahead of us. "This is Rocco Cafaro's domain." he finally said; his
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 94: MIND GAMES.
TOM'S POV.I had been confined to a wheelchair for weeks, because of these symptoms. Whereas earlier I used to tower above all others because of my unbridled force, now I sat in this damned chair, legs useless weights, arms losing strength day by day. Irony indeed was bitter. People feared my dominance; now they pitied me. I hated it. Hated them.My fists knotted, my nails digging into my palms. The pain anchored me in the now. It wasn't some random event that had happened. My body hadn't betrayed me of its own volition. There'd been a puppet master yanking on strings, and I knew full well who was on the other side of them.That afternoon, My assistant wheeled me into my office, her soft footfalls barely audible over the dull roar in my head. Now she treated me as if I were glass, her voice perpetually soft, and guarded, as if some wrong word might shatter me."Anything else for you, Mr. Lockwood?" she asked, honey dripping with pity from her tone. She jerked at the blanket on my lap
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 93: TOXIC ENCOUNTERS
TOM'S POVIt had started as no more than a whispered unease, a faint haze across my sight that cleaned itself a second later, and I'd been sure I'd just imagined it. But as days slid by, that haze grew darker, creeping into my mind, weaving itself into my body like a parasite.I sat in my office, staring down at the contract I'd spent the last hour trying to read; words on the page blurring and swimming before me until they finally dissolved into nonsense. Frustration prickled along my spine, and I closed my eyes, pressing my fingers into my temples. "Mr Lockwood?" I jerked my head up, to find my assistant, standing in the doorway with a look of concern."What?" I growled, sharper than I meant to, but I didn't care. There was just something wrong, off-the-charts disturbingly wrong-and I wasn't in the mood for questions.She stepped back, her hand releasing the door as she took a second to recompose herself. "You asked for the quarterly reports by this afternoon. I wanted to check to
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 92: FAMILY'S PEACE
Camilla's POVSoft light from the chandelier bathed the sitting room in a warmth that casts a gold sheen over plush furniture and polished hardwood floors. Jasper sat center of it all, his tiny fingers digging into the edge of the coffee table for balance as his eyes locked onto Dante and me with that determined glint I was starting to recognize as pure Draven spirit. My heart swelled as I looked at him-my beautiful boy.“Come on, Jasper," I cooed, holding my hands out to him. "You can do it, baby. Just one step."Dante knelt beside me and set his gaze in the middle of our son. "Just one, little man," he said softly, filled with excitement and warmth. "One step, and your mom and I will give you the biggest cheer of your life.”Jasper wobbled, holding onto the edge of the table with chubby hands and a fierce grasp that spoke volumes to someone who was determined not to fall. His great big grey eyes, mirrors of his father's, stared at us with such concentration and excitement. He wanted
SAVING MY MAFIA BOSS 91: CRACKS IN ALLIANCE
ELLA'S POVI slammed my glass down, the echo slicing through the silence of my apartment. Red wine splashed onto my fingers, but I didn't bother wiping it off. All that lined my vision was Tom's face, his smug expression, as if he held the upper hand—as if I was the one failing. As if I was the problem.How dare he.My phone buzzed on the coffee table, lighting up Tom's name. A single word text: "Meet me. Now!"I rolled my eyes and took another gulp of wine, reaching for my coat, the cabernet tasted bitter like the failure. If Tom wanted to talk, he better come prepared. Because I wasn't letting him brush off his failures on me.I found him waiting in the shaded corner booth of his favorite club, fingers drumming impatiently on the table. The sound of my footsteps made his head snap up. Dark eyes locked onto mine with that far-too-familiar spark of control he seemed to think he had over everybody. But tonight, I wasn't here to play nice."Ella," he greeted without preamble, the tensio
