Page 104 of Mafia King's Forbidden Obsession

“Looks like your little boyfriend is here, bitch,” Matteo growls, his voice low and dangerous. “Are the men in place, Antonio?”

I glance at Ezra’s man, who nods his head in affirmation, an anticipatory smirk tugging at his lips. “They are.”

The wicked glint in his eyes tells me everything; whatever plan he’d set in motion was anything but good. Just then, the door bursts open again, and I see him. Ezra!

My heart leaps, relief washing over me briefly. It quickly vanishes when Matteo’s grip tightens around me.

“Drop your gun,” Matteo snaps, his voice sharp and filled with rage.

Ezra steps in, his expression tight. He glances around shortly before turning his attention to Matteo.

I notice the tension in his stance, the clenching of his jaw, but he doesn’t say anything. He remains calm, trying to stay in control.

“I said drop the fucking gun!” Matteo shakes with rage as he yells and presses the gun harder against my neck, making my heart drop to my stomach.

Ezra’s gun clatters to the floor, raising his hands in surrender. His eyes shift to the guard, and the surprise flickers in his eyes.

“Antonio, what the hell?” Ezra’s voice falters as he tries to process the betrayal, glancing between the two men.

Matteo chuckles darkly. “Meet my little whisperer whom I no longer have use for.”

The cold muzzle of the gun leaves my skin for a split second, followed by the deafening bang of a gunshot.

I jump, the sound dangerously close. The gun is back on my skin before I know it. My eyes drift to the side, and I bite down hard on my lips to stifle a cry when I see the guard lying lifeless on the ground.

“She’s next,” the sick bastard declares.

Ezra's expression hardens, his focus shifting from the guard back to Matteo. “Matteo.” His voice is steady but firm. “Let her go.”

Matteo lets out a harsh, bitter laugh that sends chills down my spine. “Let her go? After everything? You really think it’s that simple?” His breath is hot against my neck, and I flinch as the gun digs deeper into my skin. “Do you know the work I put in for this?”

Ezra’s eyes darken with anger, and he steps forward slightly, his gaze locked on Matteo. “We can still walk away from this, Matteo. Let’s talk it through.”

“Talk?” Matteo snarls. His grip on me tightens even more, drawing a gasp from my lips. “You want to talk now? After what you did? After everything I’ve done?” His voice rises, venom dripping from each word. “I didn’t orchestrate the border restrictions, the warehouse attack, or even the moles in your cartel just to chat!”

Ezra’s expression hardens. My heart aches when I see the hurt in his eyes, but he remains calm and presses on. “It doesn’t have to end like this.”

Matteo snarls, the sound icy and bitter. “Oh, it does. Maybe I’m crazy, but it’s what ten years of literally being fucked in the ass as a slave does. It’s what years of being tortured to near death only to be brought back does. You know, the only thing that kept me going those times was the thought of revenge.” He leans closer, the gun digging into the side of my neck. Ezra’s eyes flit to me and his jaw tightens.

“You brought it upon yourself when you decided to deal with the Americans, Matteo. I had principles, and part of that was to never deal with them.”

“Shut the fuck up. You were a fucking imbecile. Abiding by your stupid principles— that was getting the mafia nowhere,” Matteo starts, his dry chuckle resonating through the room. “That deal with the Americans was me doing what you didn’t have the balls to!”

I see Ezra’s nostrils flare before he squeezes his fist. “Don’t you dare pin it on me, Matteo,” he grits, his voice straining as he continues. “You were fucking greedy. You started to crave a larger share of the profits. You were a greedy and power-hungry bastard, so don’t fucking tell me that you were doing what I couldn’t.”

He takes a step forward, but when Matteo’s grip on the gun tightens, he stops, eyes flitting to mine again. This time, they linger a little longer than the last, and there’s a subtle nod before he faces Matteo. Somehow, I understand what he wants me to do.

He takes another step forward, his voice softening considerably. “What you never understood was that those stupid principles I operated by helped bring the cartel to where it is now. You just weren’t patient enough to understand it.”

“No!” Matteo growls, and I feel his grip on the gun slightly shift away from my neck. “You fucking turned your back on me when I needed you most. You sold me out. I wished death upon myself every time I was with my godforsaken masters.”

“You were my second in command, my friend. Matteo, please. I still don’t know why it has to end this way.”

“End this way?” Matteo releases a long laugh, his hand shaking against my skin. “I’ve had all of this planned out since I managed to find my way out of being a slave. It took many years to craft my perfect revenge plan. I found a way to break Russo out of prison and keep him out long enough to bait you. I infiltrated the media to put you on edge with the news, I orchestrated the intercepted shipment that evening and deliberately used Raven as a pawn, I planted moles in your cartel, sent the hitman to the mansion, and even planted Frank.”

Ezra inhales sharply, and I do, too.

“...I wanted to fuck with your head…to confuse and frustrate you…to break you then kill you. I wanted you to feel every bit of mental torture I went through. Why just take your life when I can first take every single thing you love −like your woman and your cartel.”

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