Library
Maghanap
Home / Romance / Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King / 124. Letting Go

Share

124. Letting Go

Author: Erika Lana Bell
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-07-10 22:42:10

Cali’s pov.

Belle doesn’t sit at first.

She stares at me like she already knows what I’m about to say, and some part of her just doesn’t want to hear it. But her legs tremble, and eventually she lowers herself onto the edge of the leather couch, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle like she’s bracing for a punch.

I stay standing.

Because sitting would make this feel too… gentle. Too safe. And what I’m about to say isn’t either of those things.

“It wasn’t Hale,” I say quietly. “He didn’t kill Mom.”

Belle’s lips press into a thin line. Her jaw works like she’s trying to hold herself together with nothing but tension and breath.

“Then who did?”

I hesitate.

She sees it. “Cali,” she snaps, voice cracking. “Tell me.”

“It was Dad.”

Silence.

The kind that doesn’t land like a bomb—but like a confirmation.

Belle exhales, slow and sharp, her fingers tightening around her ribs.

“I figured.”

I blink. “What?”

“I figured it was him,” she says softly. “Part of me has always known. He lied too e
Patuloy na basahin ang aklat na ito nang libre
I-scan ang code upang i-download ang App
Locked Chapter
Nakaraang Kabanata Susunod na kabanata

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   128. The Bracelet

    Cali’s pov.I haven’t stopped thinking about it since Hale told me.The box.The bracelet.The message.You stole from me.I sit curled in one of the chairs near the conservatory windows, nursing a second cup of lukewarm tea, watching the light change over the treetops as the sun dips lower in the sky. Late afternoon bleeds across the floor in soft amber waves, painting long shadows over the marble.Belle is upstairs, sleeping. Hale had one of the maids bring her tea, a stack of soft clothes, and noise-cancelling headphones. She didn’t ask questions. Just smiled faintly and accepted them.It’s the first time she’s looked like a teenager in weeks.But my thoughts are miles away.What could she have taken?She left so fast. No bag. No documents. Not even a jacket.I think back to when we found her. Limping. Covered in dirt and blood. Too dazed to even speak. She was barefoot.There was nothing on her.Unless…Unless it was something Burke gave her first.Maybe a gift. Something disguise

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   127. Mysterious Note

    Hale’s pov.The second Rook says “I’ve got something,” I know this won’t be about a plate number.His tone is too calm and clipped.He’s holding something back.I get up from the table without a word. Cali watches me go, fork halfway to her mouth, her brow knitting with concern.I don’t tell her to stay seated. I don’t need to. She knows when to follow and when to wait.This time, I want her to wait.The hallway outside the dining room is lined with tall windows and glass display cases, antique sculptures standing silent sentry. I take the call on the move, heading toward the inner corridor that leads to my office.“Tell me.”Rook exhales through the line, the sound scratchy over the encrypted channel. “One of the perimeter sweepers spotted something while resetting the gate grid. About fifty yards from the outer wall, east side.”I stop walking.“What kind of something?”“A box. Small. Black. Looked like trash until he saw the seal.”My stomach tightens.“What seal?”“Ford crest. Old

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   126. Gaining Trust

    Cali’s pov.The alarm may have stopped echoing through the house, but the noise it left behind is still inside my chest.It’s the kind of sound that leaves a bruise. That lingers long after the echo dies, vibrating along my ribs like an aftershock. I can feel it in the soles of my feet, in the tension of my neck, in the way Belle’s hand hasn’t let go of mine since they told us it was safe.She doesn’t speak when the steel door of the stairwell creaks open.She just stares out at the hallway like it’s a trap waiting to spring.Marcus, one of Hale’s security men, nods at me from the threshold. He’s calm, composed, probably already sweeping the building with his team. “We’ve confirmed the car is gone. There was no breach of the interior. The system’s reset. You’re free to come up.”Belle doesn’t move.Her fingers tighten around mine.I glance down at her—tucked into the corner of the steps, knees drawn up, hoodie swallowing her frame—and my heart twists. She hasn’t said a word since the

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   125. Alarm

    Hale’s pov.The second the alarm goes off, I’m on my feet.The sound tears through the estate like a blade—sharp, piercing, unmistakable. The shriek of the east gate perimeter alarm is different than the rest. Deeper pitch. Different tempo. It means something—someone—breached the outermost line.I drop my mug where it is. It shatters across the marble floor, coffee streaking the grout. Doesn’t matter.I’m already moving.“Lock down the main house,” I bark into the comm on my wrist. “I want visual on the gate now. Where’s Madsen?”“Coming from south garage,” my comm crackles. “Camera three has movement—one vehicle. Black sedan. Speeding off.”I take the stairs two at a time, heading straight for the command room tucked behind the library. Two guards flank the hallway, already on high alert. I don’t stop. I punch in the security code, the steel door unlocking with a metallic hiss.Three of my men are inside, already clustered around the live feed monitors.“What do we have?” I ask.“Pul

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   124. Letting Go

    Cali’s pov.Belle doesn’t sit at first.She stares at me like she already knows what I’m about to say, and some part of her just doesn’t want to hear it. But her legs tremble, and eventually she lowers herself onto the edge of the leather couch, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle like she’s bracing for a punch.I stay standing.Because sitting would make this feel too… gentle. Too safe. And what I’m about to say isn’t either of those things.“It wasn’t Hale,” I say quietly. “He didn’t kill Mom.”Belle’s lips press into a thin line. Her jaw works like she’s trying to hold herself together with nothing but tension and breath.“Then who did?”I hesitate.She sees it. “Cali,” she snaps, voice cracking. “Tell me.”“It was Dad.”Silence.The kind that doesn’t land like a bomb—but like a confirmation.Belle exhales, slow and sharp, her fingers tightening around her ribs.“I figured.”I blink. “What?”“I figured it was him,” she says softly. “Part of me has always known. He lied too e

  • Burn For Me : Bound By The Mafia King   123. Complication

    Cali’s pov. Something’s wrong.The moment I open my eyes, I feel it.I sit up slowly, pushing back the warm sheets. A shaft of light filters in through the curtains, dust motes dancing in the air like they’re trying to distract me—but they don’t.It’s that silence again. The kind that doesn’t just feel empty, but loud. Like a vacuum sucking up sound and replacing it with dread.My first thought is Belle.I toss on my robe and move barefoot into the hallway, heart already picking up speed. She’s a light sleeper. Maybe she just went downstairs to get tea or find the kitchen. But some part of me—some part that’s been trained to anticipate bad things before they happen—knows better.I head for her room.The door is ajar. Too open.I knock once, softly. “Belle?”No answer.I push the door wide.The bed is empty.Blankets tossed. Her pillow still holds the dent from where her head rested. The oversized hoodie I gave her is gone.There’s no note. No shoes. No sounds of water running.Just t

Higit pang Kabanata

Maaari mong magustuhan

Galugarin at basahin ang magagandang nobela
Libreng basahin ang magagandang nobela sa GoodNovel app. I-download ang mga librong gusto mo at basahin kahit saan at anumang oras.
Libreng basahin ang mga aklat sa app
I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App
DMCA.com Protection Status