Too Late...

Proserpina

My Mafia Don was speaking to his men and I caught the snippets of the conversation, as I leant against him tiredly, soaking in his strength.

‘…exhausted…’, ‘Can’t take the chance…’

He was talking about me, I thought and I straightened, placing my hand on his muscular chest,

‘I can walk, Lucien…” I said in a small voice and he gripped my hand, crushing my fingers as he turned to me, eyes glittering.

“You …,’ he began harshly when one of the men cried hoarsely,

‘BOSS!” and then, the sound of gunfire drowned out everything.

The grunt and muffled scream from one of the bodyguards alerted me; we had lost a couple of our men in the surprise attack.

I sobbed in terror, my hands over my ears as Lucien pulled me into his chest protectively, an arm around me, his gun in his hand.

A group of men emerged from the turning and I raised my head and saw, with sickening clarity, the face of the man who had pretended to be the son of my lover; Cole Brand.

And beside him, an ugly grimace on h