Chapter 4 TIGHTENING NOOSE
CHAPTER 004
JASMINE:
Impossible.
How could he be here? How did he bypass the security? Why does he look so composed, unlike the rough fighter I kissed at the Pit last night?
A thousand and one thoughts went through my head as I scrambled back to the door, but it was locked shut. I quickly dug into my bag, searching for…
“Looking for this?”
I looked up to see him with the remote that controls the penthouse door. Once locked, only that device could open it.
My hands shook as I pulled out my phone and dialled security without breaking eye contact.
Ring.
Ring.
“Stand down,” he said. “They won’t help you.”
“I hired them,” I snapped, voice shaking despite my effort. “They answer to me.”
A low dark chuckle escaped him.
“Penthouse security,” a voice answered.
“There’s a man in my apartment,” I said quickly. “Remove him. Now.”
Silence.
“Did you hear me?” My voice rose. “Remove him from this building.”
“We can’t do that, Ma’am.”
“Wait, what?”
“Apologies, Ms Jasmine,” the special agent continued. “We were instructed not to interfere.”
The call ended.
The phone slipped from my fingers and hit the marble floor with a dull crack.
I stared at him, my chest rising rapidly. “You… you don’t own them.”
He grinned. “I own everything you thought kept you safe. Sit. We have much to discuss.”
I stubbornly stood by the door.
“Sit,” he repeated, his voice deep and eyes dark despite the grey in them. “Before I make you.”
Cautiously, I sat at the far end of the bed, keeping a considerable distance from him in case he was one of the men who wanted to kill me for apparently no reason.
Looking at him clearly, he was different. Controlled. Elegant. Powerful. Not just an ordinary pit fighter.
“Who are you?” I questioned, eyeing the tray before him. Steam rose from the kettle.
How he was able to serve himself in my house left me wondering.
A smile touched his lips. “Now you are asking the right question.”
He was stalling. I knew it.
I was tired of the suspense oozing off him. I wanted answers.
“Tell me what I need to hear. You broke into my home and questioned my position in ‘my’ house. That makes you a burglar and hence a criminal.”
His gaze followed me lazily. “Criminal?” He chuckled under his breath. “That’s rich, coming from a woman who disarmed a trained mafia soldier and nearly slit his throat.”
My blood ran cold.
“So you were watching,” I said quietly.
“Every second.” His grey eyes darkened. “You handled yourself beautifully.”
“I stand in no need of your approval.”
“No,” he agreed. “You need answers.”
I clenched my fists, my fear wading off. “Then start talking. Who are you? Because I know you aren’t an ordinary fighter. Why were armed men in my bedroom? Why do they think I belong to some ‘Moretti Don’—and why”, I hissed, “are you here?”
He studied me for a long moment, like he was deciding how much truth I deserved.
“Tea?”
I glared at him.
Then he stood.
I stiffened instantly.
He was taller up close and broader, his presence swallowing the room. He took one step toward me. I didn’t move, but it took everything in me not to.
“The reason why they’re after you is because,” he said evenly, “you kissed the wrong man.”
My brows furrowed. “That’s insane.”
“No,” he corrected. “That kiss made you visible.”
Visible.
“To whom?” I asked.
“To my enemies.” His voice dropped. “To my family.”
My eyes widened as realisation settled in. “You’re… Don Moretti.”
“Yes. “Yes, I am,” he said.
The large room suddenly felt small.
“You let them think I was your lover,” I said slowly.
His jaw tightened. “You let them think that.” He took another step closer, forcing me to rise and move back farther from him. He backed me to the wall and leaned forward, boxing me in. My pulse fluttered wildly; whether it was from fear or from him being close, I know not.
“You kissed me. In front of my men. My enemies. Cameras.”
My lips parted. “I didn’t know who you were. I only wanted to be reckless.”
“I know.” His gaze dropped to my mouth. “That’s the problem.”
I swallowed.
“That kiss,” he continued, voice low, “told the world you belong to me.”
“I don’t,” I shot back, panic sharpening my words. “I was trying to make someone jealous. That’s all.”
A humourless smile tugged at his lips.
“Intent doesn’t matter in my world, little princess.” He straightened. “Only perception.”
He turned away, pacing slowly as he spoke.
“What you did was dangerous, and now, my enemies think you’re my weakness.”
He stopped in front of me again.
“They’ll keep coming for you.”
My throat burnt. I didn’t know what to feel at this point. “I didn’t ask for this.”
“No,” he agreed. “You kissed into it.”
Anger flared through the fear. “You think you can just barge into my life and claim me because of one mistake.”
One look from him was enough to quench the anger that once burnt inside me.
“You’re in on this whether you like it or not. Thankfully for you, you’ve piqued my interest, and I am willing to protect you until it’s over.”
I couldn’t believe the words he spouted. Should I should leave the perfect life I built for four years and go back to the life of the underworld?
“Get out.” I pointed towards the door. “Thank you for the offer, but I am not interested. Please leave before I call the authorities.”
He didn’t respond, only staring at me with his piercing grey eyes.
Then nodded, unlocking the door. “You’ll come running to me soon. Just hope it isn’t too late.”
The door shut, filling the room in complete silence.
Not wanting to do anything involving this penthouse, I rushed out despite the protest of the special agent, ordered a cab and headed for Kelvin’s home.
I waited outside his door until he arrived. After explaining everything that had happened, he let me stay in his home until things cleared out.
The next day, Tasha arrived. Being her overprotective self, she made sure to escort me to every place, and yes, even to the bathroom.
The call came just after noon.
“Ms Jasmine,” Officer Lawrence said briskly, no pleasantries this time. “Sergio is awake. He’s asking for you.”
My stomach knotted. “Asking… for me?”
“Yes. We need you at the station. Now.”
I didn’t argue.
Tasha insisted on coming, her grip tight on my arm as we walked into the interrogation wing.
Sergio sat behind the glass, his neck bandaged, one eye swollen shut. But when he saw me, his lips curved into something that wasn’t a smile.
Lawrence watched my reaction closely. “He claims you know more than you’re telling us.”
“That’s impossible,” I said. “I didn’t even know his name until last night.”
They brought me in anyway.
Sergio leaned back, chains clinking. “You played your role well, principessa.”
My skin crawled as I swallowed hard. “I don’t know you.”
He chuckled, a wet, broken sound. “You don’t know the man you kissed either. But now his shadow is on you.”
Lawrence’s gaze sharpened. “What, man?”
Sergio’s good eye flicked to me. “Ask her who she belongs to.”
“I belong to no one,” I snapped, my fist slamming hard on the table.
Sergio laughed harder. “That’s not what the streets say.”
The questioning spiralled; half threats, half riddles. Names I didn’t recognise. Deals I’d never heard of. All roads led back to one thing.
Don Moretti.
When they finally let me go, my head was pounding.
Before I could leave, Lawrence stopped me at the door. “If you remember anything, and I mean anything, you can call me.” He handed me his business card.
I nodded, already knowing the truth was far more dangerous than forgetting. The truth I had buried far away for four years. It couldn’t resurface now.
The drive back home was deadly quiet.
Too quiet.
Tasha kept glancing at me. “You’re not saying something.”
“I don’t have answers,” I whispered. “Only more questions.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No!”
“Then do you want to talk about David? After his betrayal, you haven’t had time to solely focus on yourself. Heartbreak is not something easily washed away.”
“Can we not talk about him? Or anything.”
She nodded understandingly.
This wasn’t the moment to think about that cheating bastard. My life is at risk here.
We reached the house just before dusk. The street looked normal, like what you see every day.
“Jasmine.”
I rolled my eyes, shutting the door and fumbling with the keys in order to lock it. “Tasha, can we not talk about—”
My words remained hanging as I stared at what was before me.
Both of Tasha’s hands were raised in surrender.
A gun was pressed to her temple.
Dark eyes met mine. Cold expression. No mask or glasses this time.
“You should never have hurt one of my own.” 'The leader of the group that first attacked me in my home,' he said quietly. “Now I’ll make sure your friends suffer.”
My heart slammed against my ribs. “She has nothing to do with this.”
“She does now.” He tilted his head slightly. “Every person close to you does.”
The gun pressed harder into Tasha’s mouth, causing a loud squeak to escape her shivering self.
My voice shook, but I stood my ground. “It’s me you want. Let her go.”
His gaze lingered on me, something dark and unreadable passing through his eyes. He gritted his teeth. “I want both of you dead.” He pulled the trigger.
I screamed at the sound of a fired gun.
My ear rang as I watched the leader drop to the floor, a hole evident in his head.
Tasha collapsed, but I caught her just before she fell, holding her shaking body as she sobbed into my shoulder.
When I looked up again, the familiar giant figure of Don Moretti stood by the door, a gun in his hand.
“You’re coming with me, little princess, and that is not a request.”