Chapter 4: A Calculated Risk

Latest chapter

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 44

  Elena Pov The word hung there—Syndicate—like a curse.My throat felt tight. I didn’t say anything. Couldn’t. The stranger’s voice still echoed in my ears, but all I could see was Alessandro lying pale and unmoving by the riverbank, his chest rising only slightly, like the air itself hesitated before entering his lungs.Back to that place?The place that haunted his nightmares, that twisted his voice into something hollow and sharp every time he spoke of it?Everything inside me screamed no.But there was no time to scream. No time to beg for another option. The whir of helicopters still lingered in the distance—closer, angrier. If I hesitated now, I’d lose him.“Let’s go,” I said, the words catching in my throat.The stranger didn’t smile. He just nodded once and turned back into the forest.I bent down, my arms trembling, and gathered Alessandro against me. His skin was cold against mine. My body felt like it had been shattered into pieces—but I moved anyway. I moved because I had t

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 43

  Elena Pov The helicopter’s roar cuts through the canopy above us, a violent sound that sends my heart racing. My first instinct is to hide—to get off the open ground and into cover. But the trees are no longer enough. The sound is closer, the engine low and vibrating the air. I look to the stranger, watching as he stiffens, curses under his breath. The look on his face shifts—utterly focused, eyes narrowing like a predator’s. His grip on his weapons tightens."We’ve been found," he mutters.My stomach drops like a rock.The forest around me feels like it’s closing in. We’ve only just made it this far, and now they’re here. I can’t lose Alessandro now. I won’t. The fear that gnaws at me is insatiable, but there’s no time for panic. Not yet. Not until we’re safe. But with every second that passes, I can feel the threat getting closer—coming for us."Go!" the stranger barks, his voice snapping through my frenzied thoughts. “We don’t have time! They’ve got thermal vision—we need cover!”

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 42

  Elena povThe figure in the cave entrance looms like a specter, cloaked in darkness. My heart stops, my breath catching in my throat. His voice cuts through the silence, commanding and chilling. “Come with me—if you want him to live.” The words reverberate in my mind, each one a jagged shard of fear, and I can’t move, can’t think. My eyes flick between him and Alessandro, who’s slumped against the cave wall. The weight of the moment is suffocating. My instincts scream at me to run, but where? My only choice is to decide—quickly—if I’m going to trust him, or if this is the trap I’ve been fearing.He doesn’t move, doesn’t even flinch as I stare at him, but his presence fills the entire space. It's overwhelming, suffocating, like the air itself has thickened. His eyes bore into me, but I can’t read him. The seconds stretch, dragging with the weight of everything hanging in the balance. Save Alessandro. But trust this man? My body is frozen between fear and desperation. I can’t afford t

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 41

  The air in the cave felt thick with tension, each breath Elena took a struggle against the weight of fear pressing on her chest. But it was the voice—her name, whispered through the trees—that was the true torment. It was familiar, a sound that should have been comforting. But instead, it rattled through her bones like a cold wind.“Elena…”Her heart stuttered in her chest. The voice was unmistakable, too clear to be mistaken. But it wasn’t a voice that should be calling her.“Elena…” The sound slithered through the darkened forest, soft and echoing, growing closer with each passing second.The breath caught in her throat as she tightened her grip on Alessandro’s hand. His fingers felt cold beneath hers, the warmth of life slipping away with every second. She couldn’t let fear paralyze her, not now, not when they were so close to safety.But she was terrified. Terrified of the voice—terrified of what it meant. It was the kind of fear that held her in place, immobilizing her, as if ans

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 40

  Elena Pov The forest is still.Still in that terrifying way—where silence feels too complete, too deliberate. Every leaf is holding its breath. Even the wind seems to hesitate.I crouch low beside Alessandro, his body slumped against the thick roots of a gnarled tree. His breath is shallow, ragged—each exhale a whisper against my ear. My hand trembles as I press against his chest, checking for warmth, for movement. He’s alive, but barely.Then I hear it.That voice.Calm. Icy. Controlled."Run all you want. We always find you."It’s not a threat. It’s a promise.My heart slams against my ribs like a trapped animal, and for a brief moment, I can’t breathe. I glance through the foliage. Nothing. Just darkness. Trees. Shadows that could be anything. Or anyone.But I feel it. We’re surrounded.I grip the dagger tighter in my hand and turn to Alessandro. “We have to move,” I whisper, though I know it’s a miracle he’s still conscious. His lips part, but no words come. Just a groan. Pain, f

• Trapped with the Mafia Boss   Chapter 39

  Elena povI hold my breath, the sound of the footsteps above the bunker reverberating through my entire body. The silence that follows feels heavier than anything I’ve ever known. Every muscle in me is tense, aching from exhaustion, but my mind is sharp. The knife in my hand is cold, and my fingers tremble against the handle. Stay calm, I tell myself.I press my ear to the floor of the bunker, straining to hear through the thick wood. Every second feels like an eternity. I wish I could see what’s happening above us—wish I could know who’s there. But I can’t. All I know is that they’ve found us. I hear the faint sound of something moving—a shift in the air, a shadow crossing the cracks in the ceiling. It’s not the hunter.My stomach drops. Shadow Blades. The very people I’ve feared for days now. They’ve come for us, and this time, there’s no running.I try to steady my breathing. The muffled sounds of their footsteps are precise, measured. Cold. They know what they’re doing. These are