Chapter 9
Jasmine
A week has passed by since Kane took me away from my step- father’s club. To say I’m confused would be an understatement.
Kane Romano is a gentleman toward me when we’re alone,
but the moment anyone else is around he turns cold. We’ve spent the past week together around the mansion, other than when he has to go and deal with mafia related issues.
Often, he will get a call while we’re chatting and his whole demeanor changes. As if anytime he has to deal with work issues, he’s a different person. I’m not sure how I feel about being his captive. On the one hand, I should be scared that he is forcing me to stay here, but deep down I like it.
Kane looks at me like no other man has, with a possessive hunger that makes me feel safe and cared for. Not to mention, I can’t get the image of him stroking that huge fucking rod between his legs and grunting my name, as he shot his load all over the bed. My thighs clench as I remember the image, feeling my panties get wet between my thighs.
The roar of the engine is the only thing between us, as I sit next to him in the back of the SUV. He hasn’t told me where we are going or what is happening.
In fact, he hasn’t said a word since we got into the car. For the first time since he took me off Alex, he’s taking me outside of the confines of his home. I’ve got no idea what to expect. The moment we left the privacy of his room, he was a different person-quiet and brooding.
I can’t believe I’ve slept so well in his arms every night, though. There hasn’t been a night I can remember that I’ve slept as well as I have with
Kane. My childhood wasn’t exactly happy. I gaze out of the window, contemplating what will actually happen to me in the long run.
Up to now, I couldn’t bring myself to ask what Kane’s intentions are for me. We’ve been going about our days as if everything is fine, but I know this can’t be all he plans to use me for. If he intends to get me working in the sex trade, I’m not sure I can face it.
Kane’s hand closes around mine, forcing me to look up at him. “What are you thinking?”
I shake my head. “N-Nothing…” I bite my lip.
His lip turns into a whisper of a smile. “Tell me, baby girl,” he whispers. That nickname sends shudders through my body. This man is so unearthly handsome, and I can hardly hold his gaze. I look down at my lap.
“Do you intend to put me to work as a hooker?”
He makes an animalistic growl, startling me. I gaze up at him to see his eyes full of dangerous rage. “Are you insane?”
I shrug. “What else would you do with me?”
His hand closes around my throat in a way that should scare me, but it’s gentle and makes my panties wet the moment his skin touches mine. A mix of fear and lust flooding me all at once. “You’re mine, Jasmine.” He gazes into my eyes possessively. “Mine, forever. Do you understand? No other man will ever touch you,” he growls.
I lick my bottom lip, liking the thought of that. Before I can reconsider my question it’s out, “Are you going to touch me?”
His fingers tighten around my throat slightly, not hurting me, as he pulls me closer to him. “Do you want me to?”
I’m trembling as he holds me close, glaring into my eyes like a man possessed. “I-I don’t know… I think-”
His lips meet mine in a slow and tender kiss, making the need for him grow. I feel his tongue ease against my lips, forcing his way inside of my mouth. I let him inside, moaning into his mouth as he searches mine. This is the first time he’s kissed me like this since the first night, when I told him I was a virgin.
His fingers remain around my throat, as he kisses me deeply. I reach out for him, letting my hand tease down the hard planes of his muscled chest. He groans against me, nipping at my lip in an almost warning.
He lets go of my throat and turns away from me, letting me fall back into my seat. Silence fills the back of the car again, and I feel more
confused than I’ve ever been. He has made it clear he doesn’t intend to whore me out. I’m just not exactly sure what he means by I’m his forever.
I’m so fucked up. This man has me held captive for almost a week, and I want him like I’ve never wanted anyone before. The way he kisses me makes me melt every time, making me crave him more. I barely even know him, but when he kisses me, I want to beg him to take my virginity.
The SUV pulls to an abrupt stop and Kane opens his door, leaving me sitting there on my own. I let out a long, shaky breath I didn’t even know I was holding. Around him, I forget to breathe. It’s as if he draws all the oxygen out of the space he’s in.
Suddenly, my door opens and Kane is standing there. “Out,” he commands.
I do as he says and jump out of the SUV, craning my neck to look up at him as my feet hit the floor. His hands settle on my hips and he pulls me close to him. “You’re about to witness the true power of the Romano Mafia, baby girl. This is your life now,” he whispers into my ear.
A shiver passes down my spine, and he grabs my arm and drags me forcefully toward an industrial building. There are lots of other black cars all lined up in a row. My curiosity is peaked, but I’m too anxious to ask where we are or what we’re doing here.
The Romano Mafia is the real deal. It’s not petty crime like my step-dad is involved in. They kill anyone who stands in their way. Alex is lucky that he had me to offer Kane, otherwise he’d be dead and buried in an unmarked grave by now.
That same shift in Kane’s demeanor makes me shake. Anytime we’re alone, he’s caring and kind. The moment we’re out in public he’s the rough, dominating man who barely speaks.
He drags me into the building full of people in suits. A long metal table in the center of the warehouse has chairs all around it. Two of Kane’s men flank us as we walk toward the table. Kane stops a few feet short of the table and jerks me a stop, pushing me toward one of his men. “Take her,” he grunts.
All I feel is confused, as I get handed off to one of his men. The guy’s hands tighten around my shoulders, and he drags me toward the edge of the room, stopping there. My eyes remain fixed on Kane whose jaw is clenched
and his shoulders are hunched. It’s as if he’s making sure he doesn’t meet my gaze, keeping his eyes anywhere but on me.
Another muscular man enters the room and everyone goes silent. He emits even more power than Kane and I know instantly who it is-Rick Romano. Everyone watches him as he sits at the head of the table. Once he is seated, everyone else takes their seats.
Kane’s eyes find mine for a moment, but they remain steely and cold. I break his gaze, looking down at the floor. This man is getting more confusing by the minute. It is like he has split personalities.
Rick stands and clears his throat. The entire room turns silent and goosebumps prickle across my skin, as I watch him scan the room. “Thank you all for coming to the weekly sit down. We’ve got a few matters to discuss.” He nods at a huge guy standing by the door, who steps forward, dragging a middle-aged man whose face has been badly beaten up. “Joe Benz, you’ve been caught trying to steal from the Romano Mafia. Death is the only option.” He clears his throat. “Do you have any last words?”
“Please don’t do this,” he splutters, dropping to his knees. “My family was starving, and I needed food.”
Rick’s jaw remains hard and set. “No one steals from us and survives.” He nods to the man behind him who pulls out a gun.C0pyright © 2024 Nôv)(elDrama.Org.
I can’t stifle the gasp that leaves my lips.
The man behind tightens his grip and leans toward me. “Keep quiet.”
I glance at Kane who is staring right at me with an odd expression in his eyes, something I can’t quite place. I glance back at the man who now has a gun pointed right at the back of the thief’s head. Then I return my gaze to Kane who gives me a slight nod. I bite my lip and keep his gaze, knowing he’s telling me not to watch. In his own twisted way, he’s trying to protect me from witnessing it.
The faintest whisper of a sad smile plays at his lips. He looks regretful as the gunshot rings out around us, and I keep staring at him, too scared to look at the scene unfolding. I can picture it though, the blood everywhere, the man’s lifeless body. It’s one thing knowing what the Romano family are capable of, but it’s another thing witnessing it.
My heart aches at the way the man begged for forgiveness and the cold way Rick, Kane’s brother, ordered him to be shot down. All I can think of is Kane’s words, this is your life now.
Is that true? It’s as if the gun shot woke me up from a stupid daze I’d been in, lusting after my captor. Kane Romano and his family are the worst people imaginable. This isn’t the life I want, not after everything I went through with my mother.
There has to be a way out. I need to escape him and head to the west coast of America. As far as I’m aware, their reach doesn’t stretch that far, and I should be safe there. They run the east coast, not the west.
All I need to do is hitchhike over there and then get a job, buy a new identity. Shouldn’t be too hard, right?
My shoulders slump as the man behind me keeps a hold of my shoulders. If it wasn’t for him, I’m sure I’d collapse right now. I keep my eyes fixed to the floor as the meeting continues.
The first man isn’t the only one to be murdered. Two more men are brought in, both of them pleading for their lives and both of them shot dead anyway without mercy.
Kane has done me a favor, bringing me to this meeting. It snapped me out of the silly daydream like state I’ve been in for the past week. He’s a killer and a monster. I can’t want him. This isn’t a life I would ever choose for myself.