Page 20 of My Mafia King

He holds it, his eyes diving into mine.

“Your last name?”

“Leto. Carmina Leto.”

Still holding my hand, he looks in the direction of his men and mainly at one particular man––a guy with a cross tattooed on his cheek.

He is the shortest and bulkiest one.

The man in front of me tilts his chin toward him, and I don’t know what that means.

“What is your name?” I ask since he’s still holding my hand, and we’re not done introducing ourselves.

“Damaso.”

He gives me a slow smile as he takes me in again.

“Damaso Salla. Lunch, then?” he adds quickly, gently squeezing my hand.

“Yes.”

He slips his arm through mine, holding my hand captive while tossing words over his shoulder.

“Vito, call the people downstairs. I need a table for two in the Pavilion.”

With that, we're returning to the elevator that had brought me here.

4

CARMINA

The elevator descendswith a quiet rumble, highlighting the silence around us.

My arm is still tangled with his, and our fingers are still laced together, and from afar, we look like a couple, yet the tension in his frame makes me feel like a prisoner.

My‘baby'intuition tells me he'd block my retreat if I sprinted to the doors when they pulled open, and I have every reason to believe it.

But so far, the man has saved my life, and for this fleeting moment, I am safe.

There may be a price to pay, but that’s inevitable these days.

My mind goes to my albeit untested philosophy on life.

When dealing with a predator, you must find a bigger one to remove the first one.

The key is not to become collateral damage, and right now, that’s how I feel.Collateral damage.

I study him in the mirror, trying to confirm my suspicion, and something tells me he is aware of my untethered curiosity.

Despite him staring vacantly at the elevator doors and keeping his expression blank and his body still, a voice blares in my head he could finish me in a second.

But why would he do that?

My eyes move over his face like tiny drones collecting information.

His bedroom eyes look sexy like hell.

He is a handsome man––I’ll give him that––and his clothes fit him amazingly, but something wild and cruel lies dormant behind that polished look.

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