UNTAMED BY THE BRUTAL MAFIA BOSS

“Hey, Tiny! Grab as many bags as you can. Hurry the hell up!” Luka’s voice rang like thunder behind my ears, my hands shaking as I remained pinned to the floor. My eyes darted around, searching for anyone; anything alive to witness this brutal crime. I was afraid, but Luka wasn’t. He stuffed more bills into his bag, dragging another one forward before turning to me—still frozen in place. “f*****g b***h!!!” I heard him mutter. He rushed at me, grabbed a fistful of my hair—not hard, but firm enough to make me wince. He yanked me close, his breath hot against my ear. “Save me some goddamn time, i***t. We agreed, remember? We do this, we’re free. You live comfortably, and I—” He exhaled sharply, voice lowering. “Alright? Got it? Baby, pick up the pace, will you?” I nodded. He let go, and I blinked hard, forcing back a tear as he returned to his frantic looting. Clean bills slipped from his hands, falling carelessly to the floor. He spat, cursed, and shoved them into the bags with rough, jerky movements. I met Luka when I was sixteen at the orphanage. We’d been dating for a few years, and even though my friends never liked him, I loved him. When I turned nineteen, we snuck out and left the orphanage behind. We rented a tiny car with our savings, drove around town, and slept in it until the night Luka did too many drugs and crashed it. Somehow, he found his way to the streets and started working for Dustin Salvatore, a well-known crime boss. We lived on the cash he made from that relationship, and even though I knew Luka was reckless, I never thought he’d be crazy enough to steal from Dustin. When he first joked about it two days ago, I laughed. Now, standing in the middle of a storage house stuffing his bags with stolen cash, I wondered if this was how it would end for us. If we got caught… "Well! Who do we have here?" A voice echoed through the room, and I froze. Shit. “Boss!!! Not what it looks like, boss!” Luka’s voice cracked. I turned slowly, my stomach knotting. A man stood blocking the only exit, flanked by a crowd of armed men. Dustin Salvatore. He didn’t look angry. Didn’t even look surprised. That was worse. He had a deadly yet calm demeanor, his broad frame cloaked in shadows. The only light in the room—a loosely dangling bulb—flickered above him. “And who’s she?” His voice was smooth, dangerously quiet. Luka had already dropped to his knees. “She’s my gal. You know what? It was all her idea. I’m sorry, boss, but you know these ladies…” I stopped listening. My head pounded as my life flashed before my eyes. The first time I took responsibility for Luka, he’d stolen from a convenience store, and I took the fall. I spent a night in a jail cell for him. Since then, it has become a subtle, constant pattern. But this was different. This was huge. Dustin stepped forward, entering the dim light, and I finally saw him clearly. A sharp jawline. Cruel lips. Light gray eyes flecked with darkness. And that smirk. Like he knew everything before it even happened. Luka whimpered as one of Dustin’s men yanked him to his feet. Dustin’s gaze slid back to me. “Very well, then.” His voice was almost amused. “I’m gonna keep her. Teach her not to steal from a mafia boss. I’ll return her when she’s learned her lesson.” I held my breath. His smirk deepened as he stepped closer, eyes locking onto mine. Something flickered in them—dark, teasing, deliberate. The stash of money I was holding slipped from my trembling fingers, hitting the floor. His gaze trailed down, slowly, deliberately, and I followed until it rested on my chest—my loose shirt slightly unbuttoned, the soft swell of my skin teasing through the gap. His smirk didn’t fade. “I’ll keep her until she learns thoroughly what it means to take what is mine.” His eyes met mine again, then flicked back to Luka, who shriveled on the floor. Overwhelmed by his own cowardice, Luka didn’t fight. Didn’t beg for me. Didn’t even look at me. My eyes burned. Any second now, I’d break. Dustin tilted his head. “Every class will be a thorough, detailed lesson.” Then, he turned and walked off. Two men grabbed me. I screamed. Thrashed. Luka still didn’t look at me. He was led in the opposite direction while another man locked the storage doors. And then I saw it. The bastard smiled. He actually smiled. “You f*****g bastard!” My voice cracked as I struggled against the hands dragging me away. Tiny. I actually am tiny. A stupid nickname Luka gave me for my small, petite frame. He used to say it like I was his little prize, something he won at the orphanage. A f*****g trophy. The thought made my chest tighten. I breathed harder, tried to find my voice again. “I’m gonna kill you! I’ll f*****g find you, and I’ll kill you! I hate you!!!” But it was too late. A bag dropped over my head. I fought, kicked, but it didn’t matter. I was thrown into the back of a truck, the rough floor knocking the wind out of me. Tears blurred my vision. I cried so hard my body weakened, my throat raw from screaming. The truck lurched forward. The road was bumpy, my body bouncing with its rhythm. I thrashed, hoping for something, anything, to change. Nothing did. Exhaustion crept in, numbing my limbs. Warm streams of tears rolled freely down my face. I took a deep, shaky breath and finally let go. Darkness claimed me. The last thing I remembered before I blacked out was that the nightmare had only just begun. And when I woke up, the first thing I saw was Dustin. I blinked hard, rubbing my eyes, trying to make sense of it. Was he—? Wait. Is he naked?