The Mafia Boss’s Feisty Captive

XAVIER'S POV Arghhh. That was the sound I heard when I walked into the dark room. Not surprising. The man on the floor was screaming like a banshee. His cries filled the room, high-pitched and desperate. You would think after a few hits, he would get the memo and confess. But nope. He kept going. I settled into the chair offered to me by my assistant, watching the whole thing like it was a bad movie I had seen a hundred times. Same script, different actors. And as usual, my face showed no emotions. Boredom? Hidden. Disgust? Nothing . “Please! Let me go! What did I even do?!” he wailed, voice cracking like glass. They weren’t hitting him hard enough if he can still form a sentence. Marco, the head of my crew, looked over at me. One glance at my face and he knew I wasn’t impressed. I didn’t have to say a word. He just knew. “Yo! Hit him harder. What’s this? A pillow fight?” Marco barked at the guys. Raphael, my assistant, stepped forward. Smooth and calm as ever. He stepped up to the half-dead guy on the chair, adjusted his sleeves like he was about to order coffee instead of threatening someone’s life. “Where’s Don Matteo?” he said, voice flat, almost bored. Like he was asking about the weather. The guy snorted. “Why the hell would I tell you that?” I tilted my head. Really? With a leg that’s barely hanging on and blood all over the floor, that’s the attitude you are going with? I didn’t say a word. Just watched. Marco, clearly not in the mood for games, slammed his fist into the guy’s face. Hard. Blood splattered. He barely stayed upright. Now we were getting somewhere. Still, the guy chuckled, broken, bloody, but laughing. Ballsy. “You think I am scared of you? You can all burn in hell,” he muttered, then leaned forward and spit. Right at Raphael. The room went quiet. Now that was just plain stupid. “What the hell are you all waiting for? Beat him till he forgets his own name!” Marco’s voice exploded. And like a switch, the screams came again. Louder this time. Proof that he was at least feeling the pain. “Sir Xavier ” Raphael stepped beside me. “He is not talking. We have tried everything. What do we do now?” I didn’t answer right away. Just stared at the mess in front of me. It irritated the hell out of me. Not just the silence but the loyalty. That blind, stupid loyalty to Don Matteo. That name alone makes my blood boil. I wasn’t just anyone. I was the man people feared. Ruthless according to general knowledge. I had done things most people wouldn’t even dream of. Killed, tortured, built my empire from blood and broken rules. And yeah, I had earned every ounce of power I had. Enemies? That came with the territory. And Don Matteo? He wasn’t just an enemy. He was the enemy. The biggest threat to what I had built. He had power, real power. Just like me. We were two sides of the same bloody coin. And I needed information to bring him down. Every single scrap I could get. And this one happens to be one of his men that knows a lot about him. My men captured him but even half-dead, he wouldn’t budge. He sat there, face swollen, leg barely hanging on, but his lips stayed sealed. If this dog is this loyal, what the hell is he planning? Finally, I broke the silence. My breath came slow, a little shaky not from nerves, just from the pressure of patience running thin. “So, he’s still playing dumb?” I said, eyes still on the broken man in the chair. Raphael gave a quiet nod. “Chop off his fingers,” I said calmly, like I was ordering lunch. “Start slow. One by one.” That got a reaction. His bloodied face snapped up, eyes wide with panic. And there it was, that fear. That look of oh sht, this is real. Yeah. That look? I loved it. It never got old. “One finger at a time,” I said, a small smirk playing on my lips. “Let’s see how long his loyalty holds before his body gives out.” I didn’t say another word. I didn’t need to. I stood, adjusted my jacket, and walked out like I wasn’t leaving someone to get carved up behind me. And then screams. Loud, desperate. Good . But just as I was halfway down the hall, Raphael spoke up again. “Sir. I have got something you need to hear.” I paused. Just stood there for a second. I turned slightly, throwing him a quick side glance, the corner of my mouth lifting. “Talk.” “Giorgio didn’t make the payment,” he said. “The one due today.” That name flickered in my brain for a second before I connected the dots. “Giorgio?” I asked, eyebrows lifting. “Yes, sir. Giorgio. Club owner. Always late. Always with an excuse.” Ah, right. That Giorgio. Of course it’s him. The man owes me money and thinks the rules don’t apply just because he pours drinks for half the city’s elite. . “Tell the men to get ready,” I said. “We leave in ten.” . . A man asks to borrow millions. He begs, swears he will pay it back. Says he’s good for it. You lend it. Then you come to collect, and suddenly he’s got his little guards fighting, fists flying like you’re the one who owes him. Giorgio, you ungrateful piece of sh*t. Now here I was, standing dead center in his fancy club while his men tried to act brave, throwing weak punches at mine like this wasn’t a losing game from the start. They were outnumbered. Outgunned. Outplayed. A few warning shots later, it was all over. Some of his boys ran like cowards. Others stayed, some Dead lying in a mess of blood and broken pride on the glossy club floor. Typical. Raphael pulled out a chair for me like clockwork, always two steps ahead. I didn’t hesitate. Sat down slowly, like I had all the time in the world. Then they dragged Giorgio in. sweaty, red-faced, and pathetic. He was forced to his knees in front of me, and man, if looks could beg, his already were. The smell of fear was strong on him. “You know,” I started, my voice calm, “I heard you didn’t wanna pay up.” I tilted my head slightly. “That true, Giorgio?” He didn’t say anything right away. Just trembled like a coward. The same Giorgio who once popped bottles in this place like he owned the damn world? Yeah, now he was shaking in front of me like a leaf in a storm. Then, finally, the whisper. “Boss... please... have mercy,” he croaked, tears running down his face. His nose was leaking too mucus dripping like a damn faucet. It was disgusting. I leaned forward, elbows on my knees, staring him down. “You think I give out mercy for free?” “Boss, please just give me a little more time,” Giorgio stammered. “I swear I will pay you back. Every last cent.” I let out a cold laugh, “Really?” I said, tilting my head. “When did promises become a currency?” He flinched a little, but kept going. “I’m having some issues right now, boss. But I’ll fix it. Very soon. Just a few days, I swear.” I raised a brow “Define soon, Giorgio. Because last time I checked, your definition of ‘soon’ was already two weeks late.” “As soon as my shipment arrives,” he rushed out. “I have got a big deal coming in. If you don’t believe me, I can give you something. My house keys, my cars... everything I have. I’ll put it all up. Just give me a little more time.” I leaned back in my chair, staring him down. “Your house and your cars?” I scoffed. “You really think your little mansion and flashy toys cover the millions you owe me?” “I know, I know,” he said quickly, practically shaking now. “But I’m asking for just a few more days. Please. While you wait, enjoy yourself here. I will make it worth your while. Best room in the place, all the wine you want... hell, I will even throw in a woman for the night.” Ah. And there it is, the desperation move. He snapped his fingers. Just like that, one of his men shoved a girl forward. She stumbled a bit, clearly caught off guard, and for a moment, I didn’t look at Giorgio. I looked at her. And… yeah. Something about her made me pause. Red hair. Freckles. Skin like porcelain. Emerald green eyes that looked a little too wide, a little too innocent for this dirty little world we were living in. And her body? Curves in all the right places, legs for days. But that wasn’t what got me. It was the look in her eyes. That soft, untouched kind of look. She wasn’t like the usual girls these types offered up. No heavy makeup. No fake smiles. Just purity and fear. And suddenly, there was this sick little voice in the back of my head. What would it take to break her? Not just physically. Emotionally. Mentally. To strip that innocence from her, piece by piece, until all that was left was mine. I quickly looked away from her, realizing I was starting to lose focus. Women weren’t exactly on my mind right now, definitely not my priority. Sure, Giorgio’s casino used to be one of my favorite spots to hang out before he racked up a mountain of debt. Back then, I’d drop by, kick back, maybe get entertained by a few of his girls. Maybe that’s why he thought waving a woman in my face would distract me now. Like I could be bought with skin and curves instead of cold, hard cash. Pathetic. Then one of his goons barked, loud and aggressive. “What do you think you’re doing, w***e? Who told you to stand? Strip for the Boss. Now! Show him everything you are hiding!” She didn’t move. Not even a blink. That alone made me pause. But Giorgio ? He didn’t take it well. Pissed, he jumped up and went to grab her, trying to tear her clothes off like some damn animal. Big mistake. Before anyone could stop her, she slammed her palm into his face, yanked a gun straight from one of my men who was distracted , and aimed it like she’d done it a hundred times before. “Are you out of your mind? You think I am some dog you can play with?” she shouted She turned the gun on Giorgio. “How dare you keep me here like this?! Let me the f**k out!” Then her eyes locked onto me. And the gun followed. Yeah. She pointed a damn gun at me. My men reacted instantly, weapons up, ready to shoot but I raised my hand. “Stand down.” Because now I was curious. “You,” she said, gun still pointed at my chest, “I don’t even know what the hell I’m doing here. I don’t want anything from you. I just want to leave. So tell your men to back off.” She had fire in her voice. Real fire. This redhead. This woman I barely glanced at five minutes ago was now pointing a gun at me. And strangely? My interest wasn’t fading. It was growing. Looks like I just found something new worth playing with.