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• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter seventeen

  Chapter Seventeen Eilleen was scared and so confused of what to do. With each step Mike took, her fear grew. What should I do? she kept asking herself. She gently pulled away from Steve’s grip.“Who are you?” she asked loudly, hoping Steve would understand her signal. She grabbed her phone and headed toward the exit, praying Mike would follow and that Steve would stay behind.But Steve didn’t. He was so blind with his emotions. He He reached for her hand. “Mia, I don’t understand. What do you mean, ‘Who am I?’ What’s going on? Talk to me,” he said, tears filling his eyes.She glanced quickly at Mike. He was almost upon them. Her signals weren’t working. Steve couldn’t see past his emotions.Before she could speak, Mike reached them and yanked Steve from behind, throwing a sharp punch at his face. Eilleen wished Steve fell so they could leave before he would get up. Steve stumbled backward. His nose bleeding.“I’m just trying to talk to her!” Steve shouted, confused and bleeding.“W

• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter sixteen

  Chapter sixteenIt had been two days since Josh’s birthday. He and the little puppy had become inseparable—best friends in such a short time. After much thought, Josh finally named her Nunu. The puppy was full of life, always jumping around and wagging her tiny tail. Josh did everything with Nunu. Eilleen was glad she'd finally found a way to pull Josh away from his iPad. This puppy was good for him—it made him happy. And Josh being happy made her happy, too.But beneath that happiness was fear.Jose hadn’t called since the last message he sent. That silence scared her more than any threat. She wished he was ranting or screaming—anything that would give her a hint about what he was planning. But the silence? The silence was dangerous.Eilleen was in her room when she saw Jose’s convoy drive into the compound. He was back.Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands began to tremble. She prayed, over and over again, that if punishment was coming, let it be hers alone.She stepped slowly

• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter fifteen

  Chapter fifteen The bar was almost empty when Steve arrived. He looked around as he walked in. The bartender was cleaning up, clearly about to close for the night. A shiver ran through Steve’s body as his eyes landed on the spot where Mia had been sitting in the video. His Mia had been here.“Sir, we’re closed,” the bartender said.“Okay,” Steve replied, stepping closer. “Have you seen this woman?” he asked, showing him the video on his phone.The bartender barely glanced at it. “No,” he replied, uninterested.“Can you please look again?” Steve insisted. “She comes here, I know it.”“If she does, then I didn’t notice—or maybe it wasn’t during my shift,” the bartender replied, rinsing glasses with the same indifference.Steve didn’t argue. He booked a hotel nearby on 5th Avenue. He had made up his mind: he wasn’t going to miss a single night at that bar. He would find her.—Eilleen scrolled through her phone, searching for the perfect puppy. Josh’s birthday was less than a week away,

• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter fourteen

  Chapter fourteen Eileen wore her robe as soon as she woke up. It was time to do something—no more waiting around. She was determined. If she didn’t hear from the detective today, she’d take the risk and go to the station herself. It had already been three days since José last spent the night at the house. His absence gave her room to breathe, to think clearly for the first time.She tiptoed to Josh’s room before going downstairs, peeking through the door. A soft smile spread across her face when she saw him still sleeping peacefully, his toy train still rolling in circles on the track he built. Her heart swelled at the sight.In the kitchen, she reached for the secret phone and held her breath, silently praying that the detective had finally responded. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she saw a message notification.I'm sorry for not replying. My phone fell during the chase and was faulty—I just got it fixed.She quickly texted back:Thank God you’re okay. I was beginning to th

• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter thirteen

  The mall was lively and filled with people—happy family faces everywhere. Josh went to the toy section to pick a toy, and Mrs. Maya headed to the grocery aisle to grab some vegetables. Eileen stood beside him as he scanned through the shelves. She picked up a toy robot.“Do you like this?” she asked, handing the toy to him.He shook his head and handed it back to her.A dark man in a black hat walked past her. She froze—she had seen his face earlier in a different section. Her instincts kicked in. She pulled out her phone and texted José:Are you following us?His reply came instantly:Why? Should I?If it wasn’t José following them, then who? Or was she just overthinking?She turned back to Josh, who had a toy train in his hands, reading the packaging. She looked around again and spotted the man at the cashier’s desk, paying for his items. She let out a deep breath. Just a coincidence, she hoped.When she looked back—Josh was gone.“Josh?... Josh?” she called out, panic rising in her

• Bound to be with the ruthless mafia    Chapter twelve

  Chapter twelve Eileen and Mrs. Maya stayed up late, sitting in the kitchen, hoping to get a message from Detective Alvarez. Eileen also turned on the news, trying to see if there was any information about what happened the night before, but there was nothing. That morning, she woke up late, her entire body aching from all the pain Jose had inflicted on her. She stood naked in front of the mirror, scanning the burns, scratches, and bite marks he gave her.Jose was right—pain did make her stronger. Looking at all these scars gave her the strength to keep fighting for her freedom.Josh sat at the dining table, playing his game on his iPad with his headset on. Eileen passed behind him, mouthing the words good morning with a smile. He nodded softly at her. It was a relief that they weren’t always fighting. She knew their relationship was far from what a mother and son should have, but still, she was grateful for this little peace.She met Mrs. Maya in the kitchen, who was preparing some m