CHAPTER 46
CHRISTIAN'S POV
After weeks of studying the dock that my shipment was at, we were finally ready.
Trejo's group offered to help us. Trejo and his men were the ones assigned to rescue Eva's family, while we focused on getting my shipment back.
If we had rescued the family first, Daemon would've realized immediately that something was off. And when that man realizes something is off, he doesn't question it—he reacts. Violently.
So what better way than to hit both targets at the exact same time?
We loaded guns, ammunition, and grenades into bags. No one was talking unnecessarily. Everyone knew what was at stake.
Seven bulletproof SUVs.
That alone should tell you how serious this was.
I was with Reginald and Massimo.
Massimo was behind the wheel.
We parked the cars at a reasonable distance—somewhere not too far, but not too near either. Close enough to move fast, far enough to stay unseen.
"Clear!" one of our men said.
Those with Reginald took the left side.
We took the right.
As soon as we moved around the first container, Massimo—who was in front—raised his hand, halting us immediately.
I stepped around the men to see what he had seen.
Four men.
Sitting.
Drinking.
On duty.
Idiots.
"What? You know that's a lie! What type of girl doesn't like blowjobs?" one of them said, clearly drunk.
Really?
Drinking on duty?
"Some girls are just different. They prefer being fucked with a knife to their throats!" the shortest one added.
Disgusting.
And stupid.
If we stood there any longer, we'd end up listening to a full-on debate.
"Marshall, you have the targets locked?" I asked through the walkie.
"Affirmative."
"Eliminate."
Simple.
Within seconds, we started moving.
Then out of nowhere—one of our men dropped.
Just like that.
No warning. No time to react.
Bullets started raining on us from every direction.
"Take cover!" I shouted.
Everyone ran in different directions, diving for cover, but one thing was clear—we weren't leaving.
Not without our property.
Twelve guards were stationed next to four containers.
And I knew—those were the ones we were after.
I took down most of them myself. Shot after shot. No hesitation. No mercy.
With some help, every single guard protecting those containers was down.
I turned to look around.
We were winning.
Barely—but we were.
We broke the locks.
Checked inside.
It was exactly what we were looking for.
Finally.
The sea team moved in quickly, loading the containers and taking off, heading back to their original destination before the diversion.
"That was smooth!" Massimo said, letting his hair loose like we hadn't just been through hell. "Went better than expected!"
I smiled.
And just like that—
Everything went to shit.
A body wrapped around me out of nowhere, taking me straight to the ground.
Hard.
Everything happened too fast. I couldn't even process what was going on until the sound of gunshots snapped me out of it.
Massimo.
He was on top of me.
Breathing heavily.
Too heavily.
"Fuck! No… no, no…" I pushed him slightly, panic already rising. "What the hell did you do?"
Blood.
There was blood.
Too much blood.
"Why? Huh? The fuck—why?" I seethed, even as my hands tried to be careful with him.
Massimo had taken a bullet for me.
For me.
I lifted his shirt.
The wound was bad.
Bleeding badly.
"Why the fuck did you do that?" My vision blurred. Tears. I didn't even try to hide them. I couldn't believe what this idiot had just done.
Yeah, I'm a mafia boss.
But I'm still human.
And I don't take loyalty like that lightly.
"You thought I'd let you have all the fun?" he smirked. "Not a chance."
I stared at him.
Unbelievable.
"We need to get you to the doctor. Now."
I looked around. The fight was still in full swing—gunfire, shouting, chaos everywhere.
But none of that mattered anymore.
I got him up.
Carefully.
Keeping us out of sight, we made our way to the car.
I shoved him into the backseat and got behind the wheel.
We drove.
Fast.
We were almost out when Massimo cursed under his breath.
I checked the rearview mirror.
Four cars.
On us.
And gaining fast.
"Pass me a gun!" he said.
I shook my head immediately.
The man was bleeding.
"Pass me the fucking gun, goddammit!"
The tone in his voice—
I had no choice.
I passed it.
He started firing.
And just like that—they returned the favor.
"Damn, I'm out!" he shouted.
Same.
I had nothing left either.
It was just us.
The car.
And whatever brains we had left.
I stepped on it—or at least I thought I did.
One of the cars slammed into us from behind.
Hard.
Massimo groaned, and I knew immediately—his wound had opened again.
The chase intensified.
More gunshots.
More impact.
Luckily, our car was bulletproof.
We were close.
So damn close.
I just needed a little more time.
We made it into town.
And the moment we crossed the white-marked line—the one we had drawn to mark territories—
They stopped.
Instantly.
They knew better.
They knew what would happen if they crossed that line.
And they didn't dare.
I didn't stop.
Didn't even think about stopping.
I drove straight to our doctor.
When he saw us, he didn't ask questions.
He grabbed his tools and got straight to work on Massimo.
"This is a pretty bad wound," he said. "You're going to need at least two weeks of bed rest."
"And at most?" I asked.
"Four to six weeks for full recovery."
"Then six weeks it is."
"Shit, no!" Massimo snapped. "I'm not staying in bed that long. I have things to do!"
"And those things can wait."
"Christian, you know me! I'm used to getting shot. I've been shot fourteen times and I was up the next day!"
If I'm not wrong, it's more than fourteen.
And he always handles it like an idiot.
"Because you never listen," I said. "Now you're going to lay down and rest, or I'll have Cyril knock you out with those big-ass sleeping pills."
That did it.
Massimo hated pills.
Hated them.
He went quiet and slowly pulled the sheets over himself.
"God… you're alive!"
We all turned.
Eva.
She ran straight to him, completely ignoring me—which, honestly, I didn't care about.
She laid her head on his chest and started sobbing.
"I told you to be careful! Don't you dare die on me!"
Massimo ran his fingers through her hair.
Yeah.
That was my cue.
I left.
MASSIMO'S POV
If I had died back there…
I would've died with one regret.
A regret so heavy it would've followed me into the afterlife and dragged me straight to hell.
Her.
Even while I was bleeding out, with bullets flying everywhere, the only thing on my mind was Eva.
Loving someone who's right in front of you—but completely out of your reach?
That kind of shit eats you alive.
I was done with that.
The moment I saw her running toward me—those huge glasses sitting on her nose, her face full of fear—
Something in me shifted.
No.
Not shifted.
Settled.
She was it.
She was the woman I wanted.
"I'm not dying," I chuckled, removing her glasses just so I could see her properly.
"You have no idea how scared I was…" she whispered, her voice breaking. "Just the thought of you… being…"
Tears streamed down her face.
"If I had died," I asked, "why would it matter to you? I'm just your boss… right?"
I didn't want to sound like a dick.
But I needed the truth.
"Yeah… you're just my boss," she said, putting her glasses back on.
But her hands were trembling.
"Strictly professional," she added with a weak smile.
Lies.
Heavy ones.
She stood up to leave.
I pulled her back.
She fell right on top of me.
And just like that—
Everything stopped.
We stared at each other.
Too close.
Her lips inches from mine.
Her tongue slipped out, wetting her lips, and a groan left my mouth before I could stop it.
I was barely holding myself together.
"We're done playing this game," I said, my voice low. "I know you're into me… that's if you don't already love me."
I smirked slightly.
"Because me? I'm way past that. I love you. Completely. I feel everything for you—love, lust… all of it. You're my rise… and my ruin."
Her hand came up to my cheek.
Soft.
Too soft for someone like me.
My face leaned into her touch without me even thinking.
"And it took you almost dying to figure that out?" she said with a small laugh.
Then—
"I love you too, Massimo. Way too damn much."
That was it.
She leaned down and kissed me.
Soft.
Deep.
Real.
The kind of kiss that makes everything else disappear.
And then I lost it.
Completely.
I pulled her in, deepened the kiss, sliding my tongue into her mouth. It wasn't soft anymore—it was desperate, hungry, everything we had been holding back.
Until—
"Ahem."
We froze.
Cyril.
Of course.
"Exercise is good for recovery," he said dryly. "But this kind? Save it for later."
I rolled my eyes.
Annoyed as hell.
I looked back at Eva and chuckled.
Her lips were swollen.
Breath uneven.
And her eyes?
They mirrored exactly what I felt.
Desire.
Intensity.
Something dangerous.
And I knew—
This wasn't just anything.
This was the beginning of something real.
Something powerful.
Something sinfully divine.