2. Meeting Salvatore

David;

It all started one chaotic night. My job was to rob him. Dimitri sent me to do it, and when Dimitri gives an order, you don’t ask questions. You follow it, no matter the risks. So, I didn't ask questions. I just obeyed. Taking the risk.

However, the risk I was taking for Dimitri that night was higher than anything else I had ever had to do for him. I wasn't just on another mission. No. This time, I was playing a game of peekaboo with death. I was sneaking through Salvatore's home, to rob him!

One would think I was mad for agreeing to do such a thing, but it would also be madness to disobey Dimitri. So, what could I have done?

For three years, I had belonged to Dimitri. I got tangled with him when I borrowed money from his men to treat my sister’s cancer. And when the time came to pay him back, I couldn't. Dimitri would have killed me, but he kept me alive with a preposition. My loyal service to him, in exchange for my life. It wasn't mercy. It was business.

That monster knew everything about everyone, and he knew everything about me. He knew I could hack into anywhere, steal anything and get into places others couldn’t. That made me useful to him.

So, he kept me.

I was to work for him till I paid off my debt, but that all changed when Salvatore came into my life. Or rather, when I waltzed into his life. The only reason I was so loyal to Dimitri was because if he killed me, my sister would have had no one to look after her. The little girl had stage four cancer and was battling for her life like the little champ that she was. She was fighting for her life, and I had to stay alive to keep getting money for her treatments.

I was all she had, and she was all I had. So, I had to keep her safe. And keep myself alive for her. She was the only family I had left, and so was I to her. Dimitri could hurt her to get to me, and hurting me would affect her. We were connected because we were dependent on each other.

There may have been better ways to do things, but I had gotten myself so deep in the Mafia business that I didn't see a way out. And when my path crossed with Salvatore's, I just knew that there was never going to be a turning back. The mafia world would become my permanent home whether I liked it or not… And I had no say in it.

How did that happen? Well, I got caught by Salvatore's men during my mission, and from the next morning on, my life as I knew it changed... Drastically.

********

Morning After I Got Caught

******

I woke up gasping for air, as I tried to make sense of my surroundings. Someone had just thrown water at me to wake me up, and I just watched as a bald man walked out of the room with an empty bucket in his hand. I don't know how long I was out, but I groaned from having a stiff neck. My ankles and wrists felt sore and blinked as my eyes adjusted to the bright light coming in from a window, and that's when it struck me.

It's daytime! My sister's birthday was meant to be the next day after my mission at Salvatore's villa.

Today!

Vanessa's birthday is today!!

I tried to move but realized that my hands were bound above me, and my legs were bound apart on the ground. I looked above my head and swallowed in fear at the sight of my bound hands. It was at this moment that I came to my full senses. SALVATORE caught me.

I'm doomed. He is going to kill me. It's over. I'm done for. It's all over.

How did I fail so woefully? Did his men get informed that I would be there last night? How did they…

My panic is interrupted when someone walks into the room, and I freeze when I see him.

"You're finally awake. "His baritone voice says dryly, and fear sends shivers through me.

The depth and richness of his voice give a hint of how much power he possesses, and it is TERRIFYING. I have heard about him, and seen a few headshots, but nothing prepared me for what was in front of me. I feel like a rat in front of him… No, I feel like an ant!

His presence fills the room as his huge, form strides in. How can someone be so... huge? He looks like a bodybuilder. Does he do that too? I mean apart from his usual job of ripping people apart.

I don't need an introduction. I already know who this man is.

He is Salvatore Morano—the one and only.

He has long black hair that is neatly slicked back, and green eyes that are so intense they seem like they can see right into my soul. He is so massive he looks like he can cause a fuck load of destruction with just a snap of his fingers.

I know it seems like I'm exaggerating things, but that is exactly what his aura gives. Power. Raw, unfiltered, and boastful power. Power that needs no introduction or announcement.

Everything about him instils fear. And the scar across his left cheek isn't helping matters.

I watch as he sits on the chair behind the desk close to the centre of the room, leaning back with the ease of a predator who knows there is no escape for his prey... Me...

I feel sweat begin to form along my back, and my heart starts pounding. I'm dead. This is. My end.

"I'll make things quick. Who sent you? How did you get past my security? And what did you plan to do with the item in my safe? "He questions, and I swallow. Although his voice is calm, I can sense the danger underneath. A storm waiting for a chance to unleash itself.

I don’t have answers to his questions. At least, not the right ones. But if I don't give him something, he’ll make my death a horrible one.

"Look, boy. You've been out for three days. If you waste my time any further, I'll make sure you never see the light of day again. Start talking. "He speaks again, and my jaw drops.

"Three days?? "I question aloud in shock, and he leans back in his chair.

"Roughly. My boys beat you into a mild coma, and you finally came around today. "He explains, and I freeze.

I've been out for three days!?!

I missed Vanessa's birthday. She'll be so worried.

"Why do you look so pale? Have somewhere to be? "Salvatore then questions mockingly, and I come back to earth. I need to see my sister. I can’t imagine how scared she must be. At least one last time before this man kills me.

She must be so worried. I need to get out of here. But how the hell do I do that?

"I see you've decided to waste my time. I was hoping to have a simple day today. Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty squeezing answers out of you. "Salvatore says as he stands up, and I watch him pull his shirt off.

As the cloth slides off his shoulders, my eyes travel over his bare torso, and I gulp for some reason.

He has tattoos almost everywhere on his body. A dragon that spirals around his left arm, and different drawings and writings I can't decipher on his back. I suddenly begin to feel hot, in a way I have never felt before, and I draw a deep breath, unable to understand what I’m feeling.

He drags a whip off the table, and just looking at the leather weapon, I know it will cause damage. A LOT of damage.

"This isn't my best toy, but since you look so frail, I think it's best to start small. I wouldn't want to rush into things and kill you too fast. It will take the fun out of things. "He says as he begins to run his fingers over the leather of the whip in his hands, and although his words alarm me, I can’t stop staring at his hands. My eyes traced the lines of his forearms, the veins that stand out against his skin, And then his fingers.

I know I ought to be scared. No. I am scared. But at the same time, I find myself wondering what his hands feel like. Rough? Calloused? Or surprisingly soft. It is insane. I know. I can not explain it, but studying this man has suddenly become more interesting than the fear that is burning at the back of my mind.

I stare at his neat, properly kept fingernails, and in general, I can tell that he's a neat man. A well-kept man.

Snap out of it, David. He’s about to torture you!

"I hate repeating myself, but I'll ask you again. Who sent you? How did you get past my security, and what did you plan to do with what's in my safe? How do you even know what it is? "He questions as he faces me and leans against his table. Causing his muscles to flex and I hold my breath at the sight.

How can someone be so perfect? His eyes… His green eyes are so fervid, they just might cut through a diamond if he stares hard enough. His nose is pointed and straight. A perfect detail sitting above his cupid bow-shaped lips. Lips that are pink but so pink they're utmost red. His long-shaped face screams intimidation and perfection. Who are this man's parents? Do they know how good a job they've done? He doesn't look human. He looks like some kind of mystical being. An incubus maybe. I wonder how many women he has in a chokehold. His love life must be a chaotic mess.

"Are you just going to gawk at me? "He suddenly questions, and I come back to earth. Shit! I've been gawking at him like a fool. I look away in embarrassment and for some Godforsaken reason, I feel my cheeks heat up.

"Is that an erection? "

I freeze on hearing the question, and the amusement in his voice forces me to turn back to look at him. I see a small smirk on his face and I feel horror consume me. I look down at my pants in fear, and to my horror, I find a furious bulge pressed against my pants.

What!?

"You're gay. "Salvatore then says as if stating a fact, and I look up at him, appalled by his words. His tone was almost amused, but his eyes gleamed with something else... something darker... Something. dangerous.

I open my mouth to protest, to deny it, but no words come out. Instead, I feel my embarrassment intensify as his piercing gaze pins me in place.

I was tearing apart in shame, and Salvatore Morano was holding ALL the pieces.