Page 39 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

“A private number.” I sigh, trying to ignore the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. “It said to stay away from you or die. They’re watching me, and they even…”

“Go on.”

“They heard us having sex.”

His grip on the steering wheel tightens and he grunts. “Fuck.” He pulls over in front of a fancy restaurant.The Nouveau Tableis written boldly on a steel plate at the top of the building next to the restaurant’s logo, which is a chef’s hat, a spoon and a fork.

He doesn’t give an actual response until we’re inside. A waitress leads us to the VIP section of the restaurant. It’s a red room, decorated with roses and scented candles.

There’s only one table in this room with two chairs. This would be a perfect spot for a dinner date.

We both sit down, place our orders with the waitress and she leaves.

“Let me see the text.”

I rummage my bag for my phone, silently cussing as my hand shoves keys, makeup, and other odds and ends out of the way until I eventually find the phone tucked away in the corner of the bag.

Unlocking the phone, I scroll to the message and hand the phone to Marcus.

A scowl grows on his face as he reads the messages and his fingers tighten around my phone.

“You might want to loosen your grip before my phone turns to dust in your hand.”

He lets out a breath as if he’s been holding it all along. “You need security, Jane. Whoever this bastard is, he’s really watching you.”

“I can’t ask for protection from my colleagues. That means I’ll have to admit I have a personal relationship with you. I could lose my job for it.”

“Who said anything about getting the police to protect you?” He stretches out his hand, returning my phone to me. I’m relieved when I inspect it and don’t notice a crack. “I’ll protect you.”

“How?”

“I’ll have my men do the job until I find out who is responsible for this garbage.” He narrows his eyes on me, his expression marred with concern. “You don’t mind, do you?”

It was already on the tip of my tongue to argue about it, but now I can’t. Marcus looks like he’s truly concerned about my safety, I’d be an idiot to piss him off for simply caring.

“I don’t mind, but they have to stay out of my sight as much as they can.”

He nods. “I’ll make sure they do.”

I put my phone back in my bag. “How are you going to find who sent the text? Do you have any idea who it might be?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t, but trust me to find out who it is. If anyone hurts you, they’ll die a slow and painful death.”

I shudder. I can’t tell if my lungs are burning because of the cruelness in his voice or because he’s willing to kill for me.

Heat prickles my neck, working its way down to my stomach. I should be terrified of Marcus. He’s part of the mafia and most likely a coldblooded killer—he wouldn’t be speaking of killing someone in a slow and painful way if he wasn’t.

I’ve heard stories, been in charge of cases where they murder people. It’s never a pretty scene.

My instincts should be kicking at me to run away from him because he’s dangerous, but my stupid heart won’t let me. I find him intriguing. I’m attracted to him even though it’s deadly for me.

A cop and a made man.

It’s never been heard of before. It’s forbidden and people will frown at our relationship if they find out. Still, I’m like a moth drawn to a flame, I might get burnt, but I don’t think I can stay away from him.

Maybe the urge to dance in the open flame will die. Maybe I could learn something about him that truly disgusts me. Something that isn’t about him being a member of the mafia.

I’ll grow a pair and stay away from him then.Maybe.

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