Mafia Obsession

Ellie

Bruce stands in the center of the room, clapping his hands to draw everyone’s attention. At first, no one listens to him, carrying on with what they were doing or their conversations. He whistles

next and still no one pays him any attention. I can’t help but smirk at how much of an ass he looks right now.

His face twists with rage and he pulls his gun out of his waistband. I watch as he aims it in the air and shoots it. Many of the guys flinch at the sound and everyone turns their attention to him.

“It is time,” he shouts, tucking his gun back into his waistband. “All of you should know the plan and your roles. I expect no cock ups or there will be hell to pay.” He nods toward the mezzanine above us. “To your posts now.”

I watch as everyone disperses, collecting their possessions and clearing the warehouse. A lot of the men walk toward the stairs, leading up to the mezzanine floor. All of them are leaving the main floor, except for Bruce. He is walking toward me, smirking at me with a sickening smile that churns my stomach. A smile I’ve seen far too often of late in his cruel treatment of me.

He delves into his pocket, pulling a thick gag out. He forces it into my mouth, before I can so much as ask what is happening. “No fucking this up,” he warns, tying the gag so tight around the back of my head it makes my jaw ache.

He says nothing else, checking the restraints around my wrists, ankles and stomach that are holding me to the chair, before turning toward the staircase up to the mezzanine. I let my gaze float up there, swallowing hard at the sight of at least fifty men staring down at me. All of them have their guns drawn. I don’t need to be a genius to know something fucking bad is about to happen-it gets to me that I have no idea what it is.

There’s no way to prepare myself for this mentally or gain any control over the situation. I tremble as fear slices through me like a knife through butter. My hands shake against the hard wood of the chair, cutting the rope deeper into my cuts.

I let my eyes return to the mezzanine to find Bruce’s evil, dark eyes fix on mine. His lips quirk into a smirk as he recognizes the fear in my eyes, reveling in it like he always does.

The roar of an engine pulling up outside floods the otherwise silent warehouse. The prospect of learning what I’m here for edging even closer.

A grating screech of the warehouse door being pried open echoes through the empty, metal structure. A flood of quick footsteps follows, making my heart rate spike. What the hell is happening?

Although it’s a whisper, a voice cuts through clear as day, “She has got to be in here.”

I blink a few times, wondering if I truly heard the voice I never thought I’d hear again.

Leo’s voice.

There’s a quiet grunt in response as the footsteps get closer.

I panic when I realize he’s walking right into a trap-they intend to kill him. There’s nothing I can do to stop him or warn him. The gag is bound so tightly around my mouth, I can’t move my jaw. I can’t warn him by making a noise.

I glance up to the balcony, and Bruce is smirking down at me. His gun snug in his hand as he points it toward me. He’s loving this. Leo isn’t stupid but he can’t be expecting the ambush waiting for him. I can’t let him die, but I’m powerless. He’s walking into a warehouse with at least fifty armed men waiting for him.

Bruce is using me as bait to get to Leo. I keep my eyes fixed on the entrance to the warehouse, waiting to see him. The prospect of seeing his face still excites me despite everything.

When the footsteps stop and someone appears at the entrance, it isn’t Leo. Kane Romano stands in the doorway, shoulders wide. It’s two beats before Leo appears by his side, eyes meeting mine within a second. It feels like my heart soars, seeing him again. There’s a moment of pure longing that passes between us as we stare at each other.

I shake my head, trying to warn him. Instead, he starts forward. My eyes fix on Kane’s attention and I shake my head, trying to get him to understand. He reads my panic, grabbing Leo’s arm and pulling him to a stop.

“What the fuck-”

Kane claps his hand over Leo’s mouth, warning in his gaze. Leo’s eyes widen as Kane whispers something to him.

They’re both out of view of the men waiting above me. One wrong step could end in death for both of them. It doesn’t look like they’ve bought any backup with them. They may be Romanos, but, they’re not invincible-no one is.RêAd lat𝙚St chapters at Novel(D)ra/ma.Org Only

Both Leo and Kane search the warehouse, scanning for something. I glance up at the mezzanine, noticing Bruce glaring down at me. He has his pistol aimed at me head, warning in his eyes. I can tell he’s itching to shout at me to tell me to stay still. He can’t though. Not without giving away their position and their entire plan.

I tear my eyes away from him, shifting my gaze over to Kane and Leo. They’re no longer there and my heart sinks. Maybe they’ve decided it’s too much of a risk. My chest aches as I realize I will never be back in Leo’s arms-everything is against us. To be honest, I never expected to see him again.

Why did he come here?

The Romano Mafia don’t like people taking what is theirs. Leo could have come here to claim his possession and assert his family’s dominance. That’s all this could be-a load of macho mafia bullshit.

I don’t dare allow myself to hope that he cares about me the way I care about him. Even if the prospect makes my heart soar, I know it’s an unlikely scenario. Bruce broke into their home and disrespected their family. This isn’t something they can allow to go unpunished.

I tremble in anticipation, feeling so useless. Bruce knows how to tie a bind that I can’t slip, and today is no different. All I want to do is get out of this chair and go to him, even if this is only about revenge. I don’t care. I’ve lost my heart to him, and I need to see him more than anything, hold him tight.

Bruce clears his throat, forcing my attention back to him. He lifts a finger to his lips and then drags his thumb across his throat, threatening me in silence. I swallow hard and focus my attention on my lap. I don’t trust myself to keep my eyes on the doorway, knowing my reaction could give away their return.

Perhaps they will return with backup. They can’t have come all this way just the two of them. Leo appears again in the doorway, drawing my attention to them. Kane is next to him and both of them are holding devices and wearing thick goggles on their heads.

Leo’s bright gaze locks with mine again, sending a shiver through my spine. Despite myself, I flood with warmth. There’s a loud commotion as Kane sets off his devices and Leo does the same, both of them pulling their goggles down over their eyes.

It’s only a few moments, until it’s clear what the devices were. The room floods with smoke, making it impossible to see. My eyes sting as the smoke floods around me, forcing me to shut them tight. I’m hopeless in all of this.

My heart pounds faster, as gunshots go off around me, making me sick to the stomach. There’s no way those guys shooting can see. They’re just setting off rounds blind, which is fucking absurd.

The fact Bruce tied my legs to the chair legs makes it impossible for me to stand up. At least if they’d been free, I could have forced myself to the floor. Instead, I’m a sitting duck while these assholes fire rounds left right and center. I gasp as one bullet misses me by inches, taking a chunk out of the chair behind me.

A tremble runs through my spine as I realize just how likely it is I’ll get hit. I clamp my eyes shut, praying Leo gets to me before anyone else down. He can’t have made it to me only for one of us to be shot, but it would be my luck.

The prospect of touching the man I’ve longed for these past two months is so close to my grasp, but yet so far away. The man who kept me fighting despite not knowing if he cares about me the way I care for him. Fate has a way of playing cruel tricks on you, and all I can do is pray this isn’t one of those times.