Page 44 of Make Me Your Hitta

I nodded stiffly, not daring to hope. “I live to serve the Hawthorne family, sir.”

He leaned back, hands steepled. “And now you wish to truly become family… to claim my Xenobia as your own, seeing as you’ve already claimed her womb.”

Shit. Here it comes.I braced myself for his wrath, for banishment, for a bullet between the eyes. But instead, a wry smile touched his lips. “You have my blessing.”

For a moment, I couldn’t breathe. Was this some cruel joke? But no, his eyes held no malice, only a weary resignation.

I cleared my throat. “Thank you, Don,” I managed, my voice rough. “I swear I’ll protect her and our unborn child with my life.”

He waved a hand. “I know you will. That’s the only reason why I’m entrusting them to you. Our family needs strength now more than ever.”

Relief flooded through me, followed quickly by a surge of fierce protectiveness over Xenobia. My Xenobia. Knowing that she was carrying my seed meant I wouldn’t hesitate to tear the world apart to make the world a safer place for her and our child.

“I won’t let you down,” I vowed, meaning every word.

He nodded, his expression grave. “See that you don’t. Now go. There’s still a lot of work to be done.”

I turned to leave, my mind already racing with plans. But as I reached the door, his voice stopped me cold.

“And Adonis? Remember, blood is thicker than water. But love can be the deadliest bond of all.”

A shiver ran down my spine as I tried to process the message behind his cryptic words, which echoed in my head. He was right. Love was a weakness, a chink in my armor. But for Xenobia and my heir, I’d risk it all and bear any burden.

The weight of her father’s blessing settled on my shoulders like a bulletproof vest—heavy but necessary. I stood a little straighter; my jaw clenched as I turned back, meeting his steely gaze with a nod.

“I’m not done yet, son. There’s another matter, Adonis.” His voice cut through my thoughts. “Our family’s security has clearly been compromised.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“Interrogate everyone. And I mean everyone,” he confirmed, eyes narrowed to slits. “Trust only those you’ve personally vetted. We can’t afford another breach.”

Fuck.This is gonna be messy.But I nodded, already cataloging potential threats in my mind. The staff was clean, but Don Hawthorne had men outside the ranks, off the books, that would need to come in and undergo questioning.

“Consider it done,” I said, my voice low and determined.

He leaned back, shadows deepening the lines on his brown face. “This task is not for the faint of heart. You understand what I’m asking?”

Of course, I did. It meant sleepless nights, bloodied knuckles, and the constant paranoia of not knowing who the fuck to trust. But I’d do it.

“I won’t let you down,” I promised, my hand instinctively reaching for the gun at my hip. “I’ll make sure anyone who’s betrayed us will wish they’d never been fuckin’ born.”

He nodded, a glimmer of approval in his eyes as he handed me a list of his men. “Good. Now go. Time is of the essence.”

The weight of responsibility was crushing. Who to question first? Who could I trust to help besides Titus? I was about to leave when Xenobia’s father’s hand landed on my shoulder. It caught me off guard, I’d admit. He wasn’t exactly the touchy-feely type.

“Adonis,” he said, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it before. “You’ve done more than I ever thought. I was wrong to be so hard on you. I trust you with this… and with my daughter.”

Something tightened in my chest. All these years, busting my ass to belong, to prove I was more than just some stray they’d picked up due to loyalty, and now…

“Thank you, sir,” I acknowledged with the dip of my chin. “I won’t let you down.”

As I prowled forward, my head spun. Worthy. Trusted. I felt like I’d finally found my place in the Hawthorne family. But I couldn’t dwell on it. I had a job to do and someone I needed to see.

I found myself outside Xenobia’s studio, somehow knowing where she’d be. The scent of fresh paint hit me like a punch to the gut as I pushed the door open. The place was a mess with canvases everywhere, splashes of color like blood spatter on the walls. And there she was, in the middle of it all—my beautiful angel.

“Xenobia,” I called out, voice echoing against the windows.

She turned, her eyes meeting mine with that fierce defiance I’d come to expect. But there was something else there too—a vulnerability that made my chest ache in the most beautiful way. She wasn’t even showing and was already glowing in my eyes.

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