Indebted to the Mafia King

*Cal*

Heidi follows me as I take her to my office. We stroll across the hallway, heading for the last door on our right. Our footsteps are the only thing I can hear as I guide her, her tiny frame following me closely. I'm trying hard to ignore how good she smells. Her sweet perfume inebriates my senses and makes it hard for me to think clearly.

And I have to figure out what I can do for her now that she finally seems willing to accept my help.

Seeing how defensive Heidi can get has turned me on more than I'd like to admit, but I can't say I don't like it. Ever since she crossed the doorway of my bar, she's done nothing but surprise me.

She yelled, cried, stood defensively and suspiciously before me, showing multiple sides of her in less than an hour. Teasing and flirting with her felt good, but considering how different Heidi is from the women I'm used to dating, I need to be cautious. And more respectful than ever. The last thing I want is to scare her away.

Her retorts only added fuel to the fire I'm feeling within me, but I don't want to take her pain for granted. I know she's going through a hard period in her life-and that's at least partially my fault. I don't want to be insensitive. So, I need to learn to control myself better when I'm around her.

"Where are we going?" Her voice echoes from behind me, and I notice a hint of suspicion and fear in her tone.

"Relax, I'm not kidnapping you or anything. I'm just taking you to my office so we can talk privately and solve your situation in the best way possible," I tell her, hoping to reassure her.

When we finally get to my office, I open the door and step to the side, making space for her to enter. "Come on in, please," I offer, gesturing for her to go before me.

Heidi passes by me, that floral fragrance leaving a trail like an intoxicating drug I can't seem to get enough of. I take a deep breath, cursing myself inwardly, then I close the door, heading for my leather chair behind my large oak desk. "You can sit on the couch or here," I point to the chair across from me, "wherever you prefer."

Heidi seems a bit distracted with my office's decor, which I'm more than proud of. From the mini-bar, to the vinyl station where I keep my album collection; this is the place I feel most at home at, other than my apartment. "Heidi?" I call, noticing she hasn't heard me.

"What?" Her head snaps toward me, her beautiful eyes still wide with admiration.

"I said you can take a seat if you'd like," I repeat. "Do you like what you see?"

"Yes, this place is amazing. You have an incredible collection here," she says, gesturing at my albums.

"Thank you. I'm very proud of it."

She finally seems to realize she's been standing in the middle of the room this whole time, so she hesitantly heads for the couch, her cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment. She sits on the other edge, her purse in her lap. "Can I get you something to drink?" I offer. Then I realize that might have sounded ambiguous, so I add, "Water or maybe a soda?" I don't want her to think I'm trying to get her drunk or anything. It's better that we're all sober for this conversation.

"Water is fine," she answers softly.

I go to the mini-bar in the right corner of the room and pour her a glass of water. She drinks it slowly, her eyes darting from one side to another of the office, clearly still mesmerized.noveldrama

"I need to make a phone call real quickly. You can stay here and wait for me," I inform her. "Take your time looking around if you want."

"Oh, okay..."

Her eyes find mine, and my stomach twists aggressively. How the fuck does she do that? Good Lord.... I shake my head, shoving aside all the dirty thoughts that pop into my mind uninvited, and head out of the office, closing the door behind

me.

I lean against the wall in the hallway, taking my phone out of my pocket, dialing Jackson's number, my realtor in New York. He picks up after the second ring.

"Hey, my man. What gives me the honor of getting a call from you before New Year's Eve?" he greets me

"I need your help with something," I reply straightforwardly.

Jackson has helped me acquire and sell many buildings and establishments throughout the years, and if anyone can get a nice place for Heidi on such short notice, that someone would be him. "Of course. What can I do for you?"

"I need an apartment by tomorrow. Good security, best neighborhood, my territory, of course," I explain, although he's already aware of that last part. "It doesn't need to be too large, just something cozy. I know I'm not giving you much time, but I'm sure you can pull some strings for me."

"I'm sure I can find something," Jackson replies. "Is it for you?"

"No," I answer. I consider keeping it a secret, but I guess there's no point in hiding it from him. It's not like I'm trying to hide Heidi anyway, and Jackson is trustworthy. "Someone lost their store and apartment in the explosion on Christmas Eve. I'm trying to help them get back on their feet, since you know, I was partially responsible for them losing everything."

"Oh, I see... I'll make sure to have a place for you by tomorrow morning. I'll text you some pictures and the address, then you can tell me what you think."

"Sounds good," I say.

"Is there anything else I can do for you? What about the shop? Should I look for a new place as well?" Jackson offers.

I hum, considering his question. "They're still waiting for the insurance to settle with them. I don't think they would be willing to move to another place, though. It seems they might want to rebuild or something. I'll let you know as soon as I have more information about that," I explain.

"Okay, man. I'll work on finding the apartment first then."

Jackson hangs up, and I turn to get back to my office to tell Heidi the news. But my phone buzzes almost immediately, revealing the name of the last person I was expecting to call me today. "Tony?" I answer.

"Hey. Can you talk?" His voice is contained as usual, but the head of the Saints of Staten Island calling me is not a good sign. That much I know. "Sure, what's up?"

"I heard your bar was blown up," he starts. "Or something like that. I was out of town, and I just got word of it. What happened?"

"Ah," I murmur. "They fucked up and didn't hit my bar but took out the shop across the street."

"Do you know who did it?" Tony presses, his tone dark.

"I know what you're thinking, and I won't tell you that the thought didn't cross my mind, but we have nothing yet," I tell him. "My men didn't find any clues about who was behind it, and the street cameras didn't manage to pick up the plates." "It's not far-fetched to think it could be the cartel. Some of Mateo's men tried to seek revenge after his death, remember?"

I do remember. I crashed Tony's wedding to let him know about it a few months ago, right after the head of the Cartel De La Cruz was killed by Tony. I helped him with that mission, and some of Mateo's men were not happy about it, making me a target also.

But that was an easy problem to solve.

Tony and I barely had to lift a finger.

The truth is, after Mateo's death, word on the street is that his men have been fighting to take his place. But as far as we're concerned, none of them have had the guts or the power to take full control.

Until now.

The idea that some of them are responsible for the attack on my bar has rippled through my mind ever since it happened. But since none of my men managed to get any evidence, we're still stuck at square one. "Until they try something again, we can't do anything, lad," I point out. "You know that."

"Yeah. Well, it doesn't hurt to be prepared. Let me know if you hear anything or if you need my help," Tony insists. "I owe you one. For everything you did for me and Chloe."

"I'll keep that in mind. Now, go enjoy your family," I say gratefully.

Tony has become a great friend, one I'm proud to have by my side-personally and professionally.

"Okay, fine. Keep me posted. Happy New Year's, man," he replies.

"Happy New Year's, lad!"