Chapter 4

The mafia leader’s grip on the gun wavered.

Using the girl as bait was pointless, Rafael wasn’t backing down. No backup was coming for either of them, and the leader knew it. Fear crept into his eyes.

With a sharp breath, he yanked the gun away from Celia’s head, shifting his aim to Rafael.

Too late.

Bang.

Rafael fired first. The bullet slammed into the man’s chest. Another followed before he could even react. A third sent him crashing to the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

His own shot went off, barely grazing Rafael’s shoulder. The wound stung, but Rafael didn’t flinch.

The man coughed, struggling to breathe, his hands weakly pressing against his wounds.

Rafael stepped forward, towering over him.

"Go to hell," he muttered.

The man’s lips parted, a desperate plea forming….

Bang.

A bullet to the head ended him.

Celia's entire body was trembling. Her breaths came in short, panicked gasps as she stared at the lifeless body on the floor. Blood pooled beneath the man's head, the metallic scent thick in the air, making her stomach churn.

Her ears rang from the gunshots. She could still hear the final one echoing in her skull, see the way Rafael had pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Her pulse pounded.

She should have been relieved that it was over. She was alive. But instead, a different kind of fear gripped her.

Not for the man lying dead at her feet.

For the one standing in front of her.

Rafael Mercer.

His expression was unreadable, his gun still gripped tightly in his hand. The same hand that had just ended a life like it was nothing. Like it was second nature.

Celia swallowed hard, trying to speak, to move, to do anything, but her body refused to cooperate.

Her voice was barely a whisper. “You…you really killed him.”

Rafael turned his head slightly, his cold eyes meeting hers. “Was that wrong?”

Celia’s breath hitched. Her throat was dry, her limbs frozen. The truth was, she didn’t know what she expected, mercy? A last-minute change of heart? But the way Rafael had pulled the trigger so effortlessly, without a flicker of hesitation, sent a chill down her spine.

Her lips parted, but the words tangled in her throat. “I…"She swallowed, forcing herself to speak. "No…but you didn’t even think twice, considering that he was your boss.”

Rafael took a slow step toward her, tilting his head. “Would it have made a difference if I did?"

Celia flinched, her pulse hammering in her ears. He was right. The man would have killed her without a second thought. Still, something about the ease, the cold precision of it, unnerved her.

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “You scare me."

For a moment, Rafael said nothing. Then, his lips curved into the faintest smirk. “Good."

Rafael turned away from the lifeless body, unbothered. He crouched down, retrieving his glove from the dusty floor, inspecting it briefly before slipping it back on like nothing had happened.

Celia, on the other hand, was still rooted in place, her breath uneven, her entire body shaking. The reality of what had just happened was crashing down on her all at once. She swallowed hard, trying to push back the nausea. She had been minutes-seconds, from death. If Rafael had been even a little slower, she wouldn’t be standing there.

Not that she was about to thank him.

He turned to her, his expression as unreadable as ever. “Let’s go.”

Celia’s brows furrowed. “Go?”

“You’re coming with me.”

She let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh. “The hell I am.”

Rafael exhaled through his nose, as if he had been expecting her resistance. “Don’t make this difficult.”

Celia crossed her arms, standing her ground despite the weakness in her legs. “Difficult? You think I’m just going to walk out of here with you after everything that just happened?”

Rafael met her glare with an air of indifference. “That’s exactly what you’re going to do.”

Celia clenched her fists. “I don’t even know you.”

He took a slow step toward her, and despite herself, she felt the urge to move back. “Then consider this our first introduction.” His voice was low, almost mocking. “I’m Rafael Mercer, and you just got caught in the middle of something you don’t understand. Now, let’s go before more of them show up.”

Celia’s heart pounded. She didn’t trust him, not even a little, but staying there alone after what just happened? That felt even more dangerous.

Still, she lifted her chin stubbornly. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

Rafael sighed, rolling his shoulders like this was nothing more than an inconvenience.

Then, before she could react, he closed the distance, grabbed her wrist, and slung her over his shoulder.

Celia gasped, kicking and struggling against his grip. “Put me down, you psycho!”

Rafael barely reacted. “I told you not to make this difficult.”

He adjusted his hold on her effortlessly and strode toward the exit, not sparing another glance at the bloodied warehouse behind them.

Rafael drove with one hand, the other pressed against his shoulder, trying to slow the bleeding. The bastard had managed to graze him before dying, and while it wasn’t deep, the constant loss of blood was starting to piss him off. He had no time to wait until they got home, he needed to patch himself up on the way.

His jaw clenched as he pulled into a small, discreet hospital on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t the kind of place that asked questions. He had been there before when a job went sideways, and he knew exactly where to find what he needed.

Killing the engine, he turned to Celia, who was glaring at him with barely concealed fury.

“Stay here.”

She scoffed. “Not a chance.”

Rafael’s lips twitched, almost amused. Without another word, he hit the lock button on the dashboard. The sound of the doors securing with a heavy click echoed through the car.

Celia’s eyes widened slightly. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

He didn’t humor her with a response. Instead, he swung the door open and stepped out, shutting it behind him.

Celia immediately reached for the handle, trying to yank it open. I

She hit the glass with her palm. “Hey! You can’t just lock me in here like some damn prisoner!”