Page 32 of Make Me Your Hitta

“Xenobia.” Adonis’s stern voice snapped me out of my daze. He was suddenly in front of me, his hands gripping my shoulders. “Are you alright?”

I nodded numbly, unable to tear my eyes away from the gruesome display. “The Toussaints… your father again?”

His jaw clenched. “This is his style—brutal and direct.”

“What do we do? And who… who was that?”

Adonis’s gaze hardened, a determination I’d never seen before blazing in them. “One of your dad’s guys. Mine would never go alive. Wash your hands of this shit, Xenobia. We’ll protect you. Your father is almost done finalizing plans, and then we will go on the attack.”

Despite everything, a warmth bloomed in my chest at his words. I wanted to say something, to tell him about his baby growing in my womb, to thank him, but the words caught in my throat. Instead, I just nodded, trying to convey everything I couldn’t say with my silent gaze.

“Come on. Back to bed, Nobi,” he instructed softly, grabbing my hand and pulling me upstairs as my father ran down the stairs and saw the head.

His eyes popped wide as he gripped the railing for balance. One look and I knew his stomach had soured on sight, just like mine.

“Ah fuck,” he said, “It’s Giovanni. Someone clean this fucking mess up. Adonis, get your ass to my fucking office! Now.”

Adonis dipped his chin as he ushered me into my room, leaning down to kiss me on the forehead. “Xenobia, I have to deal with this, but I will be in bed before the sun rises all the way, alright?”

“What time is it?”

He glanced at his gold watch. “Quarter to four.”

I nodded, halfway smiling up at him. “Okay, Adonis, just… be safe,” I said softly, needing him now more than ever.

He nodded stiffly, his eyes dark and stormy. “Always, Nobi. Sleep, alright? I’ll deal with this shit and your father.”

With that, he was gone, leaving me alone in my room, haunted by the image of that severed head and the knowledge that tomorrow would likely bring a whole new level of hell, all with the secret knowledge that I was carrying his baby.

Adonis

Like a statue carved from ice, I stood there as Don’s words lashed at me. The old man’s face was twisted, veins bulging in his neck as he railed about the security breach. My jaw clenched, muscles twitching as I fought to keep my expression neutral.

“You had one fucking job, Adonis! One job!” Don Hawthorne roared as he slammed his fist on the mahogany desk so hard the crystal decanter rattled. “How the fuck could you let this happen?”

The accusation stung like a fresh wasp puncture, but I didn’t flinch. Years of training had honed my self-control to a razor’s edge. Still, frustration simmered beneath the surface, threatening to boil over if he kept talking shit.

“With all due respect, Don,” I said, my voice low and measured, “I take full responsibility for what happened. But perhaps if Giovanni hadn’t insisted on that ill-advised outing—”

“Don’t you dare speak ill of the dead by blaming him.” Don Hawthorne’s fiery brown orbs flashed dangerously. “You are my head of security!Youfucked up.”

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “And if he hadn’t gone off on some solo fucking mission, he’d still be alive!”

The words hung in the air between us, charged with defiance. I knew I was treading on thin ice but refused to back down. Not when Xenobia’s safety was at stake.

Don Hawthorne’s face darkened. “Watch yourself, boy. You may belikea son to me, but don’t forget your fucking place, alright? That’s not all. You somehow allowed them to drop the fucking head in our estate. So what now? Huh? Have you caught the mole? From where I’m sitting, it might as well be fucking you. Your coming here has caused more grief than if I’d just left Giovanni in charge!”

The reminder of my outsider status stung more than I cared to admit. I’d given everything to the Hawthorne family—bled, killed, and deceived for them. Yet, in moments like this, I was acutely aware of the invisible barrier that would always separate us. I wasn’t blood. I was a secret friend of the family—a pet.

“Giovanni is dead, if I may remind you. And Don, with all due respect, I’m getting tired of hearing the same shit from you. Take the chip off your shoulder and understand what it’s taken for me to protect your family. I’m risking my life every day being here.”

He looked like I’d slapped him, slowly rising and placing his hands flat on his desk. “Mind your fuckin’ tongue, boy. If you’re referring to my daughter, I’ll never give you the permission you seek to tarnish her off the strength of who your father is. Her mother, may she rest in peace, would turn over in her grave if I allowed it. Yours too. Marrying my daughter is out of the question. Get the fuck back to work, and don’t let me catch you laying a hand on my princess. Mind your fucking place, or it’ll be your head my men clean up next.”

“My place,” I said, struggling to keep the bitterness from my voice, “is doing whatever it fuckin’ takes to keep this family safe. Even if that means telling hard truths.”

We glared at each other across the desk, neither willing to back down. The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds, eachstretching into eternity. His hard fist slammed onto the desk, making me flinch despite myself.

“Enough! I’ve had it with your insubordination, Adonis. You have twenty-four hours to resolve this security breach, or I’ll deal with your ass myself. Do I make myself fuckin’ clear?”

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