Page 46 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

“She’s fine,” I grit out.

His stance turns confrontational, which makes me scoff. What does he think he’s going to do? Take me down? It would be a cold day in hell before he could pull that off.

“How about you let her speak for herself?” Kenneth states. “I’ve been watching you, Hale, and it’s pretty clear you’ve got her mixed up in something—and from where I’m standing, she doesn’t seem like a willing participant. So I think you’d better leave her alone.”

My lips curl up in a smirk. “You have no idea what she’s willing to do or not. So how about you just fuck off and mind your business?”

He’s about to say something else that will inevitably make me even angrier but Madelyn speaks up first.

“Hey, big scary alphas, I think I can take care of myself. How about the both of you whip out your dicks and measure them somewhere else? I’m leaving. I’ve got better things to do.”

I turn around to watch her walk away, her hair swishing behind her. After she’s gone, I look back at the irritating menace.

“This is your first and last warning, Pratt. Stay away from me and my business.”

With those words, I’m about to walk away, but of course he has to open his big mouth again.

“As long as you stay away from her, we won’t have a problem.”

My fists clench and before I realize it, I’m slamming him into the wall behind him.

“Listen and listen carefully. Madelyn’s not yours. She’s not yours to worry about, or think about. As a matter of fact, don’t even fucking look at her. Stay the hell away from her or I’ll break your face, do you understand?”

He probably has a death wish because instead of nodding like an obedient little soldier, he glares instead.

“You’re only going to hurt her and she doesn’t deserve that. She’s a good person.”

“That’s heartwarming and all, but you don’t get to tell me what to do with what’s mine,” I grit out.

He snarls, “She’s not yours.”

“She will be,” I state—an assurance, a fucking promise.

I’ll do whatever it fucking takes to make Madelyn mine. She was always meant to be right beside me, and I’m ready to bleed to make that happen.

I step back from Kenneth before I actually punch him and fix the cuffs of my shirt and my tie. I’m annoyed that he pushed me into losing it like that. I usually have more chill. Shadows are subtle when it comes to destroying the people who cross them.

“Let’s not have this conversation again,” I tell the other man before walking away.

As soon as I leave the stairwell, I’m heading toward Joshua’s office. I half-expect Madelyn to already be there, but I guess she needed a moment to unwind on her own. Which suits me perfectly, because I have a lot of questions for my friend.

He’s unsurprised when I walk through the door of his opened office before shutting it behind me.

“What does she know about the mafia?” I ask as soon as I’m seated on the chair in front of him.

Joshua runs a hand through his hair, his expression tired.

“As far as I know, nothing,” he replies. “She’s been itching to go after them since she joined the Bureau, though. Every attempt has been blocked but she’s been at it insistently. I have no idea if it’s because of the person she wants to find or if she genuinely wants to take y’all down.”

I’d wager it’s both. I rub a hand over my jaw as I consider the next course of action.

“Do you think this is why she joined the FBI?”

He shrugs. “Either that or to find her mother’s murderer. I’m guessing it’s both.”

I arch an eyebrow. “Her mother’s murder wasn’t a part of the file you gave me.”

“That’s because it’s confidential information. It happened a long time ago, Dom. I only know bits and pieces because my father was in charge of her case. Apparently after her mother died, Madelyn had to be put in witness protection. She went underground for years, living practically as a ghost until it was deemed safe enough for her to resurface.”

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