All Chapters of Ruthless Devotion; Mafia's obsession : Chapter 11 - Chapter 17

ZarekWhen I returned to the room an hour later, she was already fast asleep, curled up like a child. Her skin was pale, cheeks blotched with dried tears, her lashes still wet. Her breaths came in ragged little pulls that made her chest rise and fall too fast for my liking. One arm was wrapped around her middle, the other limp beneath her.I exhaled slowly, jaw ticking with frustration and rage.I’d been on the phone all day, shouting at doctors, threatening that damn hospital director to ensure her mother was moved to a private wing with armed protection and the best care money could fucking buy.And what had she done while I burned through my resources for her?Tried to run.So foolish.She thought she could outsmart me. She thought she could run.I clenched my jaw, my hand twitching at my side. She had no fucking idea the world she was trying to step into. The wolves would rip her apart. She’d never survive a day out there without me.I knelt beside her, slipping an arm beneath her

After breakfast, I slept and when I woke up I realised that it was almost dark outside.I got tired of staying in bed and I decided to do something stupid.My heart pounded as I crept out of bed, bare feet hitting the cold marble floor. Zarek hadn't locked the door. Maybe he didn’t think I’d be brave or stupid enough to try again.He underestimated me.I pressed my ear against the door.When I heard nothing, I grabbed the door knob, turning it slowly, my heart hammering in my chest. The door opened with the faintest creak, and I slipped out into the hallway. It was darker than I expected. No guards. No staff. Just a stretch of hall lit dimly by golden sconces on the walls.I tiptoed barefoot down the corridor, turning toward the staircase I remembered from the day I arrived. The place was massive, a mansion no doubt, but even in the quiet, it felt haunted. I had no plan to run. Just one goal—find a phone, or anyone that could help me get across my mother.I passed a room with the doo

ZAREK“Are you even listening to me, you fucker?” Sandro snapped, yanking me out of the trance I’d drifted into for the third fucking time.I’d been thinking about her. About the scene from two hours ago. The way her body melted under my hands, how she moaned, the way her tight—The sharp sting across my cheek jerked me back to the present.My eyes widened as I grabbed my cheek, glaring at him. “What the fuck did you hit me for?”“If you zone out on me one more time, I fucking swear I’ll pull my gun,” he barked. “What the fuck is going on with you? This is a serious situation, and I’m trying to help your sorry ass.”“Yeah, go ahead, rub it in that I asked for your help,” I muttered.He scoffed. “It’s not like that. You’re my brother. You know I’d help you no matter what. I just don’t get what’s got you so fucking distracted.”Sandro and I—we were born into blood and bullets. Grew up in the shadows of different crime families, bound by blood oaths and loyalty our fathers would never un