4

Aiden's jaw dropped. His whole body went cold. This had to be the craziest day of his entire life. First, he'd lost his family. Now he was about to lose his life too, when all he had wanted was some goddamn help.

He knew it would probably cost the boss nothing to help him. A phone call. Maybe some money. But clearly, this was the kind of person who needed to make a game out of everything.

Aiden's hands curled into fists. He wanted to punch that infuriatingly sexy smirk right off his face.

Vito glanced at his watch with a bored expression, like Aiden was wasting his time. He waved one hand lazily at the guard standing behind Aiden.

"Go ahead," Vito said, his voice flat. "Pull the trigger."

"Wait!" Aiden's voice cracked as he shouted. "Wait, wait, stop! I'll do it! I'll do whatever you want!"

He hated how desperate he sounded, but he couldn't die here. Not now. Not when he still didn't know what had happened to his niece. She was only six, and she was out there somewhere, scared and alone. He had to find her. He couldn't lose her too.

Vito straightened up, and that smirk came back, satisfied now. Like he'd just won something. He took a slow step forward, his expensive shoes barely making a sound on the floor.

"Good," Vito said. "I thought you'd see reason."

He moved closer. "Do you have a name?" Vito asked, his eyes scanning Aiden's face like he was trying to memorize it.

Aiden pressed his lips together hard and looked away. He wasn't going to answer. He wasn't going to give this man anything more than he'd already taken.

Vito's eyebrows went up in amusement. Then, strangely, he smiled. Obviously entertained.

"You have a lot to learn," Vito said softly, shaking his head. "But we'll get there."

He turned to the guards standing around the room, all of them watching the scene like it was a movie they'd seen a hundred times before.

"Take him to the villa," Vito ordered. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid on the way."

"Wait, no–" Aiden started, but Vito moved fast.

His hand shot out and grabbed Aiden's chin, his fingers firm but not painful. His thumb brushed across Aiden's bottom lip, and suddenly all the words Aiden had cooked up for why he shouldn't be taken yet turned to mush. 

His mind went completely blank, and his body froze like someone had pressed pause on him. He mentally cursed, hating the effect the boss had on him.

"You made your choice," Vito said, his voice low and steady, his eyes locked on Aiden's. "So now you're going to listen. You're going to do what you're told. 

Also, don't you bother trying to run, because there is nowhere you go that I wouldn't find you. Do you understand?"

Aiden's heart pounded so hard he thought it might break through his ribs. He couldn't even nod. He just stood there, completely trapped in Vito's gaze, feeling his thumb still resting against his lip.

Vito finally let go and stepped back.

"Take him," he said to the guards, and then he walked away like nothing had happened.

***** 

Aiden paced back and forth across the living room for what felt like the hundredth time. His shoes were wearing a path into the fancy rug, but he didn't care. The house they'd dumped him in was huge. All marble floors and tall ceilings and furniture that looked like it belonged in a museum. Still, it felt more like a prison than a home.

He had peeped the windows. But it was obvious the place was heavily guarded. He'd seen at least four men outside when they arrived, and he was pretty sure there were more he hadn't seen.

He was trapped.

He was exhausted. His body ached. His eyes burned. But every time he sat down, his mind started racing again, and he had to get up and move.

It wasn't until a few minutes past midnight that he finally heard footsteps in the hallway.

The door opened, and Vito strode in with his dark and distant aura, that Aiden noticed he had on whenever he wasn't speaking. 

Vito stopped when he saw Aiden standing in the middle of the room. He looked mildly surprised, his eyebrows lifting just a little.

"You're still awake," Vito said.

"Yeah, well, it's hard to sleep when you've been kidnapped," Aiden shot back.

Vito's mouth twitched, almost like he was holding back a smile. He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it over the back of a chair.

"You'll make a good wife," Vito said casually. "Staying up late to wait for me like that."

Aiden's face went hot. "Excuse me?"

"Find a room," Vito said, ignoring the outburst. "Get some sleep. We'll talk in the morning."

He started to walk past Aiden, heading toward the stairs.

"Are you serious right now?" Aiden's voice came out louder than he meant it to. He was furious. Shaking with it. "If you wanted company, you could have just asked! You could have hired someone, paid someone, done literally anything else! There was absolutely no need to hold me hostage!"

Vito stopped walking. He stood there for a moment, his back to Aiden, and then slowly turned around.

"Aiden," Vito said calmly.

Aiden froze. The air left his lungs all at once.

"How–" His voice came out hoarse. "How do you know my name?"

Vito's eyes flicked up, sharp and unreadable. They stayed on Aiden's face for a long moment, like he was amazed to be asked such a dumb question. Then his gaze dropped, and his expression went smoothly to dark again.

"You're not being held hostage, Aiden," Vito said. His voice was soft, but there was something hard underneath it. "You belong to me now."

Aiden felt like the floor had disappeared beneath his feet.

"But…" he whispered.

"Find a room," Vito repeated, turning away again. "We'll talk at dawn."

And then he left, his footsteps echoing down the stairwell until they faded completely.

Aiden stood there in the middle of the living room, alone, his heart racing and his mind spinning. “What on earth have I gotten myself into?”