5

My back pressed against the cold wall as the three men came closer. My chest rose and fell so fast I could hardly breathe.

This was it.

This was how my life would end.

I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, whispering in my mind. I’m sorry, Anna. I should have listened to you. I should never have dragged us to that club. Please, forgive me.

“Don’t cry now, little hero,” one of the men sneered. His voice was rough, like gravel. He held the knife up, letting the light glint off the blade. “You wanted to play brave? Then be brave.”

The others laughed. Their laughter echoed in the dark, cruel and mocking.

My knees trembled. My hands shook as I pressed them to the wall behind me, wishing it would just open up and swallow me whole.

Run. My mind screamed at me. Run!

But my body was frozen. My legs wouldn’t move. My heart pounded so loud I thought it might burst.

“Don’t kill her too fast,” the tallest one said. “Boss might want to see her first. She made quite a scene earlier .”

The one with the knife smirked. “Then maybe I will just cut her a little. Enough to make her scream.”

He stepped closer.

A sob tore from my throat as I pressed back against the wall. “Please… don’t,” I whispered, my voice breaking.

He didn’t listen. He raised the knife.

Then….

I heard a sound….

The sharp screech of tires.

Headlights blinded all of us as a black car swerved into the street and stopped with a hard brake.

“what the fuck !” The men cursed and shielded their eyes. I lifted my arm to block the light, blinking quickly to see.

The car door opened.

And then I saw him.

Christopher Romano.

He stepped out slowly, his presence was like a shadow swallowing the night. His crisp white shirt caught the light, his dark eyes locked on me, cold and burning at the same time.

The laughter stopped. The Cruz men stiffened and their bodies suddenly tense.

One of them whispered a curse. “Romano…”

Christopher didn’t speak at first. He just walked forward with his steps calm and steady, like he wasn’t afraid of anyone. Two men in black suits stepped out behind him, their faces blank, their movements sharp.

I stared at Christopher with my tears still wet on my cheeks. My heart leaps in confusion. Why was he here? Why did he follow me?

“You didn’t listen,” Christopher said finally, his voice low but clear in the quiet street. His eyes didn’t leave mine. “I warned you, Rosalina.”

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. “I… I just wanted to go home…”

He tilted his head slightly, his expression unreadable. Then he looked at the Cruz men. His gaze hardened like steel. “You made a mistake.”

The tallest Cruz man gripped his jacket tighter. “This is none of your business, Romano. The girl messed with us. She belongs to us now.”

Christopher’s lips curved into the faintest smirk, but his eyes stayed cold. “She stepped into my territory. That makes her mine.”

My stomach flipped at his words. Mine?

The man with the knife spat on the ground. “We don’t care about your territory. She humiliated us. She shot one of ours. Nobody gets away with that.”

Christopher took one slow step forward. His men behind him reached into their jackets. Guns. Shiny, deadly, ready.

The Cruz men froze, but they didn’t back down.

I held my breath because of the tension.,

The biggest mafia in the town were facing each other. I have a feeling that things might not end well.

Christopher’s voice dropped lower but colder. “Do you really want to test me tonight?”

The man with the knife hesitated with his jaw tight. His hand trembled slightly though he tried to hide it.

Christopher raised an eyebrow. “Drop it.”

Silence.

Then, slowly, the knife clattered to the ground.

Christopher’s smirk returned, but it was sharp, dangerous. “Smart choice.”

He turned his gaze back to me. His eyes locked on mine, pinning me in place. “Selena. Come here.”

I froze.

Every part of me wanted to run, to keep my distance, but my legs moved on their own. My body obeyed him, like I didn’t have control anymore.

Step by step, I walked toward him. My bare feet scraped against the cold street. My heart beat louder with every movement.

When I reached him, he didn’t touch me, but his presence wrapped around me like chains.

“Your stubbornness almost caused you your life few seconds ago,” he said softly, only loud enough for me to hear. “But you are under my protection now, whether you like it or not.”

My lips parted. “I… I never asked—”

His eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to ask. You are only alive right now because of me.”

The words cut deep. I wanted to argue, to shout, to tell him I didn’t want his protection. But the truth pressed heavy on me. He was right. Without him, I will be dead right now.

Behind us, one of his men stepped forward. “Boss, what do we do with them?” He nodded at the Cruz men, who stood stiff with their eyes darting nervously between us.

Christopher didn’t look away from me as he answered. “Send a message. Let them crawl back to their boss and remember what happens when they touch what is mine.”

My eyes widened. “What….”

But before I could finish, Christopher’s men moved. Fast. Guns raised.

The Cruz men cursed and stumbled back with their hands in the air. One of them shouted something in Italian with his voice shaking. I didn’t understand what he saidto him.

Christopher finally turned his head with his voice sharp as ice. “Get out of my sight. Now.”

They didn’t wait. They ran into the darkness, disappearing as quickly as they had come.

The street grew quiet again. Too quiet.

Christopher finally looked back at me.

For a second, I thought I saw something in his eyes.. something almost human…but then it was gone, replaced with cold control.

“Now,” he said with a final tone, “you will come with me.”

I shook my head quickly. “No… I can’t. Please. I just want to go home.”

His jaw tightened. “Home? You don’t even know where home is the moment you are out of my sight, they will come back for you. Do you want that? You don’t even have a choice, Rosalina.”

Tears burned my eyes. “I don’t belong here. I don’t belong with you. Please…”

He stepped closer, his height towering over me, his voice dropping lower. “You belong where you are safe. And right now, the only safe place for you is with me.”

I swallowed hard, trembling under his stare. My mind screamed to run, but my heart knew he was right.

Still, I whispered, “I don’t trust you.”

For the first time, his lips curved in a real smirk, dark and unreadable. “Good. Don’t. But you will still come with me.”

One of his men opened the car door. Christopher placed a hand lightly on my back. It was not rough, but firm, unyielding and guided me toward it.

My breath shook as I slid inside, the leather seats cold against my skin. Christopher followed, sitting beside me.

The car doors shut. The engine roared.

I stared out the window as the mansion gates appeared again. My reflection in the glass looked pale, terrified, lost.

Beside me, Christopher sat calm, powerful, silent. His presence filled the car, pressing against me no matter how far I leaned toward the door.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But all I could do was whisper to myself in my head.

What have I gotten myself into?

to be continued