Indebted to the Mafia King

*Cal*

"What is it, Boss?" Sam asks, but his voice sounds distant and muffled.

When he moves to stand in front of me, his eyes studying me cautiously, I realize I was so angry, I wasn't paying any attention to him at all.

"Who is it? What happened?" he insists, his gaze darting to my phone and back to my face.

I turn the screen for him to see the picture, but by the way his brows crease, I can tell he doesn't understand what it means.

"This is Heidi leaving the bar," I explain expressionlessly, my mind numb with a type of fury I've never felt before..

I'm doing everything in my power to suppress the outrage threatening to overcome me.

I shouldn't have reason to be afraid for Heidi. If someone's watching her, which is evident by this photo, I could, in theory, shrug it off as someone trying to bait me by thinking the hottest girl to ever set foot in my bar is someone attached to me. A girlfriend, perhaps. A mistress.

It wouldn't be the first time another group has pulled a stunt like this. Mafia wives and girlfriends are the easiest targets, the targets that hurt the most when something happens to them.

But I had a brief conversation with Heidi. My mistake was that most of the conversation took place within view of the street.

However, there's no reason for anyone to think she's significant to me. As far as everyone knows, we just met. I had never talked to her, or even crossed paths with her, before today. Before the day when I saved her from the fire, anyway. But that was different.

I would have done that for anyone.

Was someone watching me while I saved her and misunderstood my intentions? Is that what this is about?

"Why do you think they sent you that?" Sam asks out loud the same question in my mind.noveldrama

I shake my head, my brain still struggling to find the right answer for that.

"I have no idea," I finally confess. "I mean, we just met. Do you think someone saw me saving her that day?" It's a stupid question because, of course, we were seen. My guys and the fucking feds were crawling all over the street that day. I handed Heidi over to a paramedic in view of every highrise and apartment building within the block.

Sam seems to consider my question for a second, then shrugs. I don't need his answer.

My mind reels as he says, "Maybe. But why would they assume you have anything to do with her just because of that?"

"They could be trying to scare me, blindly aiming at people around me." It comes out more as a question than a proper suggestion, but I honestly can't understand why they would pick Heidi over anyone else. Even my men.

Then it hits me-like a ton of bricks.

I do care about her. I've been watching out the window nonstop ever since she was taken to the hospital, hoping, wishing to see her alive and well. Every time the bar door opened, I secretly hoped it was her walking through it. I have been drawn to her like a magnet ever since I first laid eyes on her, but it's not as if I ever acted on any of my feelings for her.

The eagerness to have her for myself, even for an hour, isn't like anything else I've ever felt for a woman before. Maybe it's the challenge of trying to get a different type of woman, someone who isn't interested in dating or my money, that has me like this-excited to see her.

But no one knows that.

It only came to me at this very moment.

Why would those motherfuckers who attacked me think otherwise when I hadn't even realized it myself?

"I can ask the guys if they've noticed anything different lately, people following them or shit like that, but it'd be expected that they would report it to us as soon as it happened," Sam notes, and I can almost hear the rusty gears in his brain turning as he tries to come up with an answer that makes sense.

"Do that," I order with a nod.

Sam's head rocks back and forth, but he doesn't move from his spot.

We remain in silence for a couple of minutes. My eyes are still glued to Heidi's picture on my phone, but I don't dare make a move without thinking it through.

I can't make any mistakes.

Especially since Heidi is now somehow involved.

I can't put her through any more shit. She's suffered a lot already. The last thing she needs is people following her and threatening her because of me.

But what if that's already happening?

"Do you think she's being followed?" I turn to Sam, the fear in my voice evident.

I don't even try to hide it this time. I'm too fucking on edge that something might happen to her while she's out of my sight that I can't think clearly. Let alone pretend I'm unbothered.

"I think that it could be a possibility. Maybe they're watching everyone involved with you, directly or indirectly," Sam tells me. "They might be keeping an eye on the bar and some of your other establishments, watching who's coming and going? Until they know for sure who you care about and who you don't, we need to be careful. Especially since we have no clue who is after you and why."

I hate the way my stomach twists with his words. He's right. It fucking sucks to be in the dark like this. Having a lot of enemies always leaves you on edge and prepared for shit to happen, but normally I know who is after me.

As I try to form a plan in my head for my next moves, Tony's words from a couple of days ago pop into my mind uninvited.

"It's not far-fetched to think it could be the cartel. Some of Mateo's men tried to act after his death, remember?"

The explosion and the attack was something that Mateo would do.

But he's buried six feet deep. And to think his men could be behind it isn't indeed far-fetched, but why would I be the one being targeted? Tony doesn't seem to be dealing with anything lately, or he would have told me. So, why would I be in the aim of Mateo's men?

"Forget about the Belgians," I order to Sam, my gaze still stuck on my phone screen.

"Do you have a better idea?" He sounds curious, and when I look at him, his face is turned down in an ugly frown.

"Keep an eye on the Cartel De La Cruz," I reply.

His frown deepens. "Do you think they're behind it? None of their guys have been seen in the city in a while."

"Maybe. I don't know." I shrug. "But they acted right after Tony's wedding, and they could be coming for us now since we had his back. Until we know for certain, we need to make sure we're not taken by surprise again."

"It makes sense. What do you want us to do?" Sam's voice becomes more serious and firm as he waits for my orders.

"Have Pirate and Mouse trace this number and track down the person who sent it." I hand him my phone. "Let's see if we can get any information that way since we got nothing from the cars on the day of the explosion. Maybe this will lead us somewhere."

I hope I'm right. I need something-anything-to guide me.

Because right now, it feels like I'm in the middle of a fucking black hole-blind, deaf, adrift, waiting for the next bullet to hit me.

I hate to feel like I don't have control of things. It leaves me fucking anxious.

And now that Heidi is being used to get to me, it's only making me angrier and more eager to find who is behind this.

"Consider it done, Boss." Sam straightens up, his grip on my phone tightening as he stares at me. "What are you going to do about Bookgirl? If they're really following her, she might be in danger."

I swallow the bitter taste in my mouth at the thought of Heidi being under their watch, vulnerable to them, and my fists clench beside me.

"I'll keep an eye on her myself," I inform him, the idea coming to me on the spot.

I don't trust anyone to watch over her. And I won't be at ease knowing she's out there being targeted by my enemies.

"Do you think she'll accept it? If the way she dealt with everything that's happened is any indication of her character, it might be an issue for you to be on her tail," Sam wisely observes. "Or do you intend on doing it behind her back?" I take a deep breath, determined to protect her no matter what. "I'll do it anyway, whether she wants it or not," I reply.