Page 35 of Make Me Your Hitta

We held each other like that, two souls adrift in a world too dangerous for the love we’d found. But with her in the sanctuary of my arms, life was perfect, even if only for a stolen slice of time.

A few hours later, I woke with the world's weight on my shoulders and Xenobia’s warmth pressed against my side. When my lids lifted to see the sun peeking through the curtains, my mind started plotting out the day’s interrogations.

“Adonis?” Xenobia’s voice was sleep-rough, her hand reaching for me as I slipped out of bed.

“Gotta go, Nobi,” I murmured, kissing her forehead quickly. “Duty calls.”

She caught my wrist. “Kiss me first.” I smiled and leaned down, pressing my lips to hers as she moaned. “I wish you didn’t have to go. Spend the day with me. Make love to me until I can’t feel my legs.”

“I will. When this is over, I promise you can have as much dick as your heart desires. But right now, I have to figure thisout. I promise, after all this shit is sorted, it’s you and me. Fuck everybody else.”

She sighed and rolled over. As I dressed, I ran through my mental checklist. The staff was likely already gathered for breakfast, which was the perfect time to start shaking shit up. I’d start with the newer hires and work up to the older guards. Someone knew something, and I was gonna find out what, even if it killed me.

The kitchen was a beehive of nervous energy when I walked in. Conversations died mid-sentence, eyes flicking to me and then away.Good. Let ’em sweat.

“Morning, everyone,” I said, keeping my tone casual as I poured a cup of coffee. “Titus, a word?”

He appeared at my elbow, silent as always. We stepped into the hallway, and I lowered my voice. “I need eyes and ears everywhere today. You let me know anyone who acts out of character or falls out of step.”

Titus gave a barely perceptible nod. “Consider it done.”

I spent the next few hours circling the grounds like a shark, picking off staff members one by one. Some stammered, some glared, some looked ready to piss themselves. But nobody broke. Not yet.

“Where were you between midnight and four o’clock this morning?” I demanded to know from a maid who’d been with the family for years.

She wrung her hands, eyes darting from left to right. “In… in my room, Mr. Cardelo. Sleeping.”

“Anyone who can verify that?”

There was another shake of her head, and my gut twisted. Another dead end, or something more? By lunchtime, the whole house was on edge. I could practically smell the fear, thick as smoke.Good. Let that shit simmer. Someone will crack, eventually.

But all I could think about was Xenobia, alone in her room, vulnerable. My chest ached with the need to go to her and make sure she was safe. But I couldn’t. Not until I’d rooted out the fuckin’ rat. I’d burn the whole fucking place to the ground if that was what it took to keep her safe.

Hours later, I couldn’t take it anymore. I’d been interrogating everyone to no avail. I felt her father’s looming disapproval as if it were a physical brand on my skin. The walls were closing in, and I needed to see Nobi. To touch her. To make sure she was still real. I made my way to her room, my heart pounding like a jackhammer in my chest. When I opened the door, there she was. My Xenobia. My everything.

“Adonis,” she called out, relief flooding her expression.

I crossed the room in two strides and pulled Xenobia into my arms. She fit against me like she was made from my rib, all soft curves and warm skin. I buried my face in her dark curls, inhaling the scent that was uniquely her.

“I’m sorry. I wanted to come sooner, but…”

She pulled back, those fierce eyes searching my face. “Did you find anything?”

I shook my head, frustration gnawing at my gut. “Not yet. But I will.”

Xenobia’s hand came up to cup my cheek, her thumb tracing the scar on my jaw. “Talk to me, Donny. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

I closed my eyes for a brief second, leaning into her touch. “If I can’t find this mole…”

Her eyes softened, and for a moment, I saw a glimpse of the vulnerability she usually kept hidden. “You will,” she whispered. “You will because that’s who you are. And when you’re done, come back to me.”

I pulled her close again, my heart racing. “I couldn’t stay away from you, even if I tried,” I growled.

As I held her, my thoughts churned, piecing together the fragments of information I’d gathered. Someone in this house was a traitor. And I was going to find out who. A sharp knock at the door jolted me out of my thoughts. I tensed, instinctively pulling Xenobia closer.

“Boss, it’s Titus,” a muffled voice called out from the other side of the door.

I exhaled, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. “Enter,” I called out, my voice gruff.

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