Indebted to the Mafia King

*Cal*

I have never been good with people crying.

Let alone women.

To have Heidi sobbing in front of me was not something I was expecting to have to deal with after seeing how fiery and determined she looked a minute ago.

I don't know how to react. I don't know what to do to make her feel better.

The way the tears are pooling in her beautiful eyes is enough to make me want to go after whoever did that to her store and just make them disappear from the earth once and for all.

It's absurd how simply watching her cry is making me visit emotions I've never felt before.

She is trying to be strong, wiping the tears from her eyes aggressively, but one more look at me, and all her walls break down.

I glance at Ian, who is now pretending he isn't even here, and I consider what to do. I don't want to invade her privacy or do something she might find disrespectful, but I feel like she needs comfort right now. And if I can do that for her, it might be worth a try.noveldrama

"Come on, let's have a seat," I suggest in a low voice, putting my arm around her shoulders and guiding her toward the back table.

I pull the chair out for her and help her sit down, silently waiting as she recovers. She sniffles and wipes her nose in the cutest way possible, somehow managing to look hot while doing it.

I clench my jaw, cursing myself inwardly for thinking about the things I want to do to her at such a sensitive time.

Get a fucking grip, Cal.

Allowing her a moment to herself, I walk behind the counter and fill a glass of water for her. Placing it before Heidi on the table, I sit in the chair across from her and lean back, folding my arms across my chest and waiting for her to feel ready to talk.

I don't want to press her, but I do want her to tell me everything she needs from me willingly.

Whatever I can do to help her, and lessen my guilt, I'll do it in a heartbeat.

Blue, beautiful, and intense eyes finally look up at me, and I gulp, slightly uneasy under her gaze.

"I'm sorry for acting like this. I'm not usually this... unstable," Heidi begins, her cheeks slightly pink from embarrassment.

I shake my head, dismissing her apology. "No need to apologize for anything. I completely understand where you're coming from."

Heidi clears her throat and shifts in her chair uncomfortably. Selfishly, I want to believe she's doing it because she's uneasy with my presence, in a good way, but I don't want to get my hopes up.

I can feel something in the way she looks at me, but it could also be a figment of my imagination. She's clearly not in her right state of mind, so I shouldn't be imagining such things.

"Now that you're calmer, do you mind telling me what it is you need from me?" I press softly.

"Well, I don't believe my shop was blown up by accident, not entirely at least," Heidi explains, the intensity in her eyes returning. "I mean, I saw a commotion happening outside your bar before everything exploded, so am I right to assume it is related to you, or one of your customers maybe?"

I narrow my eyes, trying my best not to scare her. I'm interested in her, more than I've ever been in a woman before, but I can't make a wrong move. I can't pretend I know everything about her. I can't tell her everything because, for all I know, she has no idea what type of life I lead.

I don't want her sticking her beautiful nose in the wrong place. Also, as much as it pains me to say it, I have no idea what her true intentions are. She seems like a great person, but the underworld has proven me wrong so many times before that I simply can't completely trust my instincts about her.

"You are right to assume that, yes," I reply simply.

Heidi stares at me as if she was expecting me to say anything other than that. "Uh, okay... well, then, can I ask what really happened?" she pries curiously. Nothing in her tone or body language tells me otherwise. I don't think she's asking for other reasons other than trying to understand what happened.

"We had an issue with a gang from the city. They attacked us. Cowardly, I might add," I answer cautiously. "Attacking an establishment filled with people inside is already a shitty move, pardon my language, but in the middle of the street like that, not caring if innocent people are in the way, is inexcusable."

"I can't disagree with you on that," she allows. "Was anyone else hurt?"

The concern in her voice is so genuine that I instantly know I've been right all along. She is a good person. The best kind. There's not a single bone in this woman that is evil. I can't be wrong about it.

And that makes my heart shrink with guilt, knowing she got involved in all of this because of me.

"No, luckily not. I mean... only you. And for that, I am truly sorry," I tell her.

"I'm all right. I just had to be under observation because of all the smoke I inhaled. Nothing worse happened. Not physically anyway." Her gaze diverts to the store across the street, and she looks down at her lap. "We did lose everything, though. We couldn't save anything from the fire."

I swallow hard. I already know that, of course, but hearing it from her makes it a thousand times worse. I give her time and space to continue, remaining quiet while I look at her. She seems about to cry again, and even though I really hope she doesn't, I also find myself selfishly wanting to comfort her. She inhales deeply a couple of times, and I decide to do something bold for a change.

I reach for her hand across the table, grabbing it gently and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Heidi looks up at me, slightly surprised by my action, but she doesn't flinch or move back, allowing me to just hold onto her hand. "Does the store have insurance?" I ask.

She nods. "Yes. But they are taking their time in processing our claim. I can't continue to wait. I have no job, no home. I lost all of my clothes!" She whimpers, getting worked up again. "The few things that I owned are all gone." I grit my teeth, realizing how fucked up her situation actually is.

"I'm so sorry. I know I might sound crazy, first coming here and demanding you do something about it, and now crying and sobbing about how lame my life is," Heidi murmurs, evidently ashamed.

I hate that she feels this way. If I could, I'd just take her by the hand and get her to a mall to buy everything she wants. I'd give her a new house and a new store, no questions or conditions asked.

But considering how good of a person she is, I doubt she'd accept it. In fact, she might even be offended by my offer. That's why I need to tread carefully. I can't act on impulse. I need her to trust me and allow me to help her. "Your life is not lame," I counter. "None of this is your fault, and you sure the hell don't deserve anything like this."

Heidi looks at me, or better yet, stares into my soul. Her eyes pierce through me as if she wants to see what I'm thinking and feeling inside my head and heart. It makes me slightly uncomfortable. Not because I don't like being the center of her attention. The opposite actually.

I don't think anyone has ever made me feel this mix of emotions at once in my life.

The way she looks at me makes me want to pin her against the wall, but at the same time, to unravel all of my secrets and share all of my worries and feelings with her.

I don't know how to feel about it, and that's why it leaves me on edge.

How does she do this to me?

"I didn't mean to put the blame on you," she carries on. "Or maybe I did. But just because I was desperate. I might have misjudged you, too. You looked like trouble when I first saw you, but you are actually quite pleasant to talk to."

Even though I can't see it, I know my eyes just darkened at hearing her words. The amount of retorts I am thinking but can't say out loud is annoying. A grin forms on my lips, and I can't hold it back. "I can be both, sweetheart," I say instead, noticing her soft cheeks flush violently. "It depends on who I'm with and what they want from me."