Page 44 of Mafia Crown

But I’m past careful. I just tore my parents apart for him, and the dam inside me has finally burst.

“What would your sister think,” I press on, “if she knew you kidnapped an innocent girl?” I stab my finger into my chest, my voice rising. “I’ve done nothing wrong. Yet you took me. To kill me.”

The weight of my own words hits me harder than I expected. My throat tightens, and I blink back tears. I don’t know why it hurts more now—maybe because I feel something for him. Something twisted and wrong.

He stares at me for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, his lips curl into a bitter smile. “I don’t think you’re as innocent as you pretend to be.”

A laugh escapes me, sharp and humorless. “Please. Tell me all the people I’ve killed and terrorized.” I cross my arms over my chest, daring him to continue.

He pauses, and for a moment, I think I’ve won. I think I’ve backed him into a corner. But then his eyes light up with something dangerous.

“You were willing to leave Charlie behind to save your own skin.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut. My arms drop to my sides as the guilt floods in.

“I bet you got him as a pup,” Kieran adds, stepping closer.

I did. I can still remember the day I brought Charlie home, his tiny paws stumbling across the floor as he followed me everywhere. He trusted me. Loved me. And when it came down to it, I was ready to leave him behind.

Kieran sees the guilt on my face and presses harder. “He’s lived with you his entire life. Trusts you. You’re the hand that feeds him, the hand that shows him affection. And yet you were ready to abandon him to save yourself.”

I shouldn’t feel like a monster. Ishouldn’t. But I do.

“What about your brother?”

I snap, taking a step toward him, my voice shaking with emotion. “Don’t you dare—”

He shakes his head, cutting me off. “No, Hazel. Since you want to get personal, let’s get personal.” His voice rises slightly, and my heart stutters.

He’s angry.

But it’s not just the anger that terrifies me. It’s the way he’s closing the distance between us, step by step, his body language charged with something I can’t fully understand.

I take a step back, but it’s useless. He’s faster, stronger, and he’s closing in.

“You want to judge me for what I’ve done?” His voice is lower now, but the intensity burns hotter. “Fine. But don’t pretend you’re spotless, Hazel. You were willing to sacrifice the things you love to save yourself.”

Tears blur my vision, and my chest heaves as I try to steady my breathing. “I was scared,” I whisper, hating how weak my voice sounds.

“And you think I wasn’t?” His voice cracks, just for a moment, and it hits me harder than anything else he’s said.

He’s standing so close now, I can feel the heat of his body, smell the faint scent of his cologne mixed with something darker.

“I killed to survive,” he says softly, leaning down so his face is level with mine. “You left Charlie behind to survive. We’re not as different as you think.”

I can’t look at him. I can’t breathe. My hands tremble at my sides, but I refuse to let him see me fall apart.

I shake my head, more to convince myself than to argue with him. “I’m not like you.”

He smirks, his gaze locking onto mine like he’s peeling back every layer of me. “Not yet.”

His words chill me to the bone. Because part of me knows he’s right.

He takes a step back, and I can finally breathe again. But I know this conversation isn’t over.

Kieran doesn’t say anything else. He just turns and leaves, the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.

I sink to the floor, burying my face in my hands as the weight of everything crashes down on me.

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