Page 65 of Mafia Boss

Laying on the horn, I sat back and cursed that I hadn’t left Chiara sooner. I should’ve left Roxie in the house just outside the city today. But it was easier for me to sleep in my high-rise instead of heading back forty minutes each morning and night.

After concluding that I wouldn’t be able to get back before Alessa could head up to my place with Roxie, I balled my hands into fists and called the head of security in the building.

The phone rang for a few moments, and then he answered, “Boss.”

“Make sure that Alessa stays away from Roxie. I don’t want them socializing.”

“I’ll get someone on it.”

Once I ended the call, I pulled up Roxie’s contact, something inside of me screaming to text her to make sure that she was okay because I knew how fucking crazy Alessa was. When we had been together, she’d threaten to end someone’s life just for looking at me. I couldn’t fucking imagine what she’d do to Roxie.

I should’ve thrown her out of the building sooner. I should’ve, but I hadn’t.

Before Roxie had told me that she wanted me, I’d thought that she’d never ever think about me the way I thought and felt about her. I didn’t think I’d actually get this far with her and have her love me back too. Part of me had always used Alessa to fall back on whenever things didn’t work out with anyone else.

Now, I was going to fucking pay for it.

Me: Where are you?

No response.

Me: Stay away from Alessa.

No response.

Me: Fucking answer me, Roxie.

A few moments later, Roxie messaged me back, her response not sassy, like it usually was, which made me nervous. Roxie always had a sassy comeback, a remark that made me hot with anger, and I fucking loved it. Now … nothing like that.

Roxie: How many people has Alessa killed for you?

Instead of messaging her back, I dialed her number and waited for her to answer.

“Roxie,” I said when she finally answered, my heart racing.

Alessa kept things on the down-low even if it had to do with me. It was how this family worked. Nobody spoke about killing someone else—we just did it. It kept cops out of our hair.

“How the fuck did you find out that she’s killed anyone?”

“How many women, Cristian? And were you even going to tell me?”

“I don’t keep track of who she kills, Roxie. Just stay away from her.”

“How do you not fucking know?” Roxie asked me, voice harsh. “These women were your ex-girlfriends or flings or something to you. They just disappear, and you don’t ask any questions about it?”

“I don’t keep up with my ex-girlfriends.”

“But you keep up with Alessa,” Roxie said quietly. “You let her stay in your apartment building. You let her come to your parties. You haven’t done anything about her, even when you say that you want to be with me.”

My hand tightened on the steering wheel. “She’s my sister’s best friend.”

“I don’t care what she is to your sister. She isyourex-girlfriend, and she’s threatenedmeone too many times now. You should fucking care, Cristian. I knew that you fucking killed people and tortured them, but I didn’t fucking ask for this and for her to constantly show up around you.”

I slammed my fist into the steering wheel. “She’s threatened you? Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner, Roxie? I would’ve taken care of her.”

“I shouldn’t have to tell you to take care of your ex-girlfriend. She shouldn’t even be around you, and you fucking let her! I don’t fucking understand you, Cristian. I fucking don’t. I thought I could hold out a little longer, brush this aside, pretend like everything was fine, and … and … fucking do this, but I can’t. She’s killed so many girls, Cristian, and I refuse to be another one of them.”

“How do you know about who she’s killed?” I asked, trying to calm her down because she sounded like she was having a damn panic attack, like she had the night that I told her what her grandfather had done to her.

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