The Mafia Boss Owns Me

Locked In

I kicked my bedroom door open and laid her down on the mattress. Marco was already standing there by the bed, holding a bunch of thick blankets. He looked super nervous, just watching me.

"Put them down and get the hell out," I said. My voice was flat and quiet, but he knew I was pissed.

"Yes, boss," Marco said. He dropped the blankets on the corner of the bed and practically ran out, closing the door behind him.

I looked down at Mia. She was still out cold, breathing really shallowly. Her skin was pale and her lips were a bit blue from the freezing basement air. I knew I had to get her warm right away. I picked her up again and carried her into my bathroom. I turned on the shower, adjusting the handle until the water was warm but not too hot, since I didn't want to shock her system.

I carefully unbuttoned my white shirt that she was wearing and tossed it onto the floor. Seeing her naked body again reminded me of how intense things were between us just hours ago on the couch, but right now, I just needed to take care of her. I took off my work clothes, stepped into the shower stall with her and held her under the warm water.

After a few minutes, the warmth started to bring some color back to her cheeks. She let out a soft groan and leaned her weight completely into me, but she didn't open her eyes yet. I washed the basement dust off her skin, grabbed a massive towel, and wrapped her up tightly.

I carried her back to the bed, laid her down, and covered her with three layers of heavy blankets. Just as I finished, there was a knock on the door. It was one of the kitchen staff holding a tray with a bowl of hot chicken soup and a large glass of water.

I took the tray, set it on the nightstand, and waved the maid away.

I sat on the edge of the bed and just watched Mia sleep for the next hour.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Marco told me. She saw the execution. She saw exactly how my men handle intruders. That meant she knew I wasn't just some tech billionaire. My guys were going to want her dead by the end of the day because of the mafia code.

Around 9:00 AM, Mia started moving under the blankets. She opened her eyes slowly, blinking against the morning light coming through the windows. For a second, she looked confused. But then she looked at me sitting right next to her, and I saw the exact moment she remembered everything.

Panic hit her instantly. She didn't say a single word. She just threw the blankets off her body, scrambled to the other side of the king-sized bed, and bolted for the bedroom door.

She was wearing one of my oversized black t-shirts I had put on her after the shower, and her bare feet hit the hardwood floor fast.

"Mia, stop!" I yelled, standing up.

She ignored me, yanked the bedroom door open, and ran down the long hallway. She was trying to get to the main staircase to find the front exit. I ran after her, my longer strides closing the distance easily.

She made it to the top of the giant staircase and started rushing down the marble steps, gripping the railing.

She was halfway down when I caught up to her. I grabbed her from behind, wrapping my arms around her waist, and lifted her off her feet.

"Let me go! Let me go!" she screamed, kicking her legs and scratching at my arms. She was fighting with everything she had, completely hysterical. "Please don't kill me! Just let me leave, I won't tell anyone, I swear to God!"

"Mia, calm down! I'm not going to hurt you!" I shouted over her screaming, holding her tight against my chest so she couldn't slip away.

I carried her back up the steps while she kept crying and struggling. I brought her back into the bedroom, closed the door, and set her down on her feet, but I kept my hands firmly on her shoulders so she couldn't run again. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, staring at me with huge, terrified eyes.

"Look at me," I said, making my voice as calm and serious as possible. "If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't have made it out of that basement. I saved you last night, and I'm protecting you now. But you need to understand something."

She wiped a tear from her cheek with the back of her hand, still shaking. "Understand what? You're a murderer. Your guys just killed a man in cold blood."

"That man was trying to steal from me," I said plainly. "And yes, that is my world. But because you saw what happened, you are in serious danger. The mafia has a strict secret code. It’s called Omertà. It means absolute silence. If anyone outside our circle finds out what happens here, it ruins everything. My men expect witnesses to be taken out permanently."

Mia’s face went totally pale. "So you're going to kill me then?"

"No"

"Then let me go"

"That's the thing. I can't kill you but you can't leave either"

"So you're just going to keep me locked in here?"

"I don't have a choice, Mia. If I let you walk out that front gate right now, my guys will track you down and kill you before you even make it to the road. I can't trust that you won't talk, and they definitely won't trust you."

I stepped a bit closer, looking directly into her eyes. "You are staying here where I can keep an eye on you. You're not going back to your old life."

"What about my mom?" she barked, her voice cracking. "She's sick! She needs her surgery, she needs me! I can't just disappear!"

"I will handle your mom. I just need you to trust me" I said.

Mia just stared at me, no response.

"You will call your family and tell them you got a high-paying, live-in job as my personal secretary at my tech firm. You will work with me during the day, and you will come back to this house with me at night. You'll have your own room, and you'll have everything you need. But you are not leaving my sight."

Mia stared at me, her jaw tight. The fear in her eyes was starting to turn into pure anger. "So I'm just your prisoner now."

"Think whatever you want," I said, letting go of her shoulders and walking back toward the door. "But this is the only way you stay alive. Eat your soup. A maid will bring you some proper clothes. We're leaving for the office in an hour."

I walked out of the room and locked the door from the outside, leaving her alone to process her new reality.