Page 73 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

I stay up all night thinking of Jane and the meeting with Victor tomorrow. When I finally drift of to sleep, the only dream I have is filled with violence and bloodshed.

Chapter Seventeen

Jane

“Do you believe him?” Kim asks, her brows raised and her eyes fixed on me. She looks like she already knows the answer to my question, but she’s waiting for me to admit it to myself.

“I don’t know what I should or should not believe right now,” I say.

I’d tried to convince myself otherwise before I met with Marcus last night, but I can’t hate him, even after I found out about his role in my father’s death.

After I met him and he explained everything that happened, I felt a weight lift from my shoulders. I believed him like a fool even though I’d pretended not to. I couldn’t be anymore pathetic.

But deep down in my heart, I believed him. He could have been lying to me, but that didn’t change anything. Marcus may have kept the truth from me, but he didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who lies so he can get what he wants.

The café door opens and a man in a black trench coat walks in. He’s wearing black gloves and a hat which hides most of his face.

He’s tall and muscular, but not as much as Marcus. My eyes meet his and a cold shiver prickles down my spine. One of his eyes is dark brown. The other eye looks blind, it’s white and has a scar across it, as if someone had stabbed him in the eye.

Looking at him makes my heart race and I quickly look away.

Kim places her hand reassuringly on mine. “Believe your heart. If he said he didn’t do it, then he probably didn’t.”

“What if he did and I end up the fool who trusted a man after he killed her father? What would happen then?”

She heaves a sigh and pulls her hand away. “That wouldn’t be your fault. And it will be his loss if we’re being honest. He lied to you, not the other way round.”

“And I chose to believe his lie. It’s never that easy, Kim.”

“I know. I’ll support whatever choice you make, but you asked for my opinion and that is it.” She sips from her iced coffee.

We sit in silence for a moment and I battle with my thoughts. Maybe I overreacted with Marcus. I should’ve have heard him out and listened to his excuses before I reacted.

Maybe I should have trusted him a little more. What if he hates me now because he thinks I don’t trust him?

Goddammit!

Why am I worried about him when I should be worried about finding the person responsible for my father’s death?

He’d mentioned Victor Valentes. I need to find out who he is and if he really killed my father.

“What are you thinking?” Kim asks, her eyes narrowed on me.

“I need to return to the office. I have work to do.” I don’t tell her more. Whatever I’m about to dig into, my father did the same and he paid for it with his life. I don’t want either Kim or my sister getting involved and I’m not telling them anything about it until I’ve got my answers.

“Work? You’ve not even drunk your coffee or eaten your croissant.”

I grab my handbag and the cup of latte. “I’ll drink the coffee while I drive back to the office and you can have the croissant.”

I begin for the door when Kim calls me back. “Jane?”

Whirling around, I smile at her. “Yes?”

“Whatever you’re doing, make sure you stay safe and you come back. Your sister and I can’t live without you.”

I stick up my right pinky finger. “I’ll stay safe. I promise.”

Kim nods at me. She has a sad smile on her face I try to ignore as I turn around and continue out of the café.

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