Chapter 8

NO ONE'S SAFE

Pov: Carmela Carlo

I didn’t expect it to feel like this.

It was supposed to be easy—get the job done, make him understand where his loyalties lie, and walk away without any more complications. That’s how it should’ve been. But Xavier Brooks was anything but easy.

I hadn’t planned on seeing him again after last night. I wanted to keep things simple, professional. But then he texted me, and my body responded before my brain could catch up.

“I need to see you. It's important.”

I didn’t know why I answered. Maybe it was because something about him made it impossible to ignore the pull. Maybe it was because I didn’t know how much longer I could pretend like this was just business.

I stood in my penthouse, looking out over the city. The wind from the open balcony door was cold against my skin, but it didn’t matter. The cold inside me was far worse than anything the night air could bring.

A knock on the door broke my thoughts.

I took one last breath, smoothing my dress and my expression, before walking toward the door. As I opened it, Xavier stood in front of me, his jaw tight, eyes dark with something unspoken. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating in the most confusing way.

“What do you want, Xavier?” I asked, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.

He pushed past me without waiting for an invitation, his broad shoulders brushing against mine. “We need to talk.”

I stepped back, closing the door behind him. He looked around at the luxurious apartment, the gleaming marble floors, and the gleaming gold fixtures.

“You’re not here to talk about how much money I make, are you?” I snapped, trying to regain control of the situation.

Xavier turned to face me, his gaze flicking over my face with a barely contained frustration. “No. I’m here because I’m tired of being kept in the dark, Carmela. I deserve to know what the hell I’m getting myself into.”

I took a step closer to him, crossing my arms over my chest. “You know exactly what you’re getting yourself into, Xavier. Or at least, you should. You signed the contract.”

“That’s not what I’m talking about, and you know it,” he replied, his voice rising. “I’m talking about the real reason you brought me into this mess. I’ve been working for you for weeks, and the only thing you’ve told me is that I’m just another damn pawn in your game. But now? Now you want me to get my hands dirty.”

I raised my chin, refusing to back down. “And what’s wrong with that? You knew exactly what you were agreeing to when you signed on.”

“I didn’t know this,” he spat. “I didn’t know I’d be part of some twisted power struggle between you and your family. I didn’t know your brother’s death would be used as an excuse to drag me into this—into your mess.”

I flinched, the mention of Tony hitting harder than I expected. I didn’t let it show, though. I refused to.

“You don’t get to act like you’re some innocent bystander in all of this,” I said, my voice cold. “You’re here because you made a deal. You’re here because you wanted something.”

“I wanted a damn chance to save my mother,” he fired back, taking a step closer, closing the distance between us. “But now it feels like I’m just playing a game, Carmela. A game where the stakes keep changing, and I don’t even know the rules anymore.”

His words hit too close to the truth. He didn’t know the rules. He didn’t know what it meant to play a game with the Carlo family. And now, he was questioning everything. The nerve of him.

“Why are you acting like this?” I asked, my voice softer now, a mix of frustration and confusion. “You knew who I was when you signed up for this. Hell, you knew my family. You knew what they did.”

“I didn’t know you,” he said, his voice low, but there was an edge to it. “I didn’t know what you were capable of. I didn’t know how much of a damn liar you could be.”

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. “You think I’m a liar?”

“You’ve lied to me since the first moment we met,” he shot back, anger and hurt flashing across his face. “I don’t even know what the truth is with you anymore.”

His words stung. They weren’t just words—they were a slap in the face, a reminder of the distance between us. A reminder that I was just another ruthless businesswoman in his eyes. And maybe, for a moment, I was. But I wasn’t just that. I couldn’t let myself be.

“You think I wanted to lie to you?” I said, my voice trembling with emotion I was trying to suppress. “You think I wanted to bring you into this mess, knowing how dangerous it is?”

“I didn’t want to be in this, Carmela,” he said, his voice breaking just a little. “I didn’t want to have to choose between saving my mother and—” He stopped himself. The pause was heavy. “I didn’t want to be in your world. But now I am, and I can’t trust you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. For a moment, I just stood there, staring at him.

Xavier looked at me—really looked at me. His gaze softened just a little, but the anger was still there, raw and palpable. “I don’t know who you are, Carmela. I thought I did. But now, I don’t know where you end and the mafia begins.”

I shook my head. “You think I’m just some mob princess? Someone who does everything by the book?” I laughed bitterly, the sound sharp and bitter. “You think I don’t struggle with this? You think I don’t hate this life? This isn’t a game, Xavier. This is who I am. This is all I’ve ever known.”

“And that’s the problem, isn’t it?” he said, his voice cold now. “I’m not part of your world. And you don’t want me to be. You just want me to cook your damn meals and pretend everything is fine.”

“You think I wanted this?” I snapped. “You think I wanted you to be just another pawn in this damn chess game? You think I wanted to pull you in, to make you part of my family’s business?”

I took a step toward him, not caring about the anger burning through me anymore. “I’m trying to protect you, Xavier. But maybe you don’t want to be protected. Maybe you’re just too damn stubborn to see it.”

We stood there in silence for a long moment, both of us too proud to speak. The tension between us was thick enough to cut with a knife.

Finally, Xavier broke the silence. “I can’t do this anymore, Carmela.”

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my face neutral. “Then leave,” I said, trying to hide the hurt in my voice. “Walk away.”

He turned to leave, his back to me, and for a moment, I thought he might actually go. But then, just before he reached the door, he stopped.

“You’re not as untouchable as you think you are,” he said, his voice soft but filled with finality.

And then, he was gone.

I stood there, staring at the door. My chest ached