Page 139 of Tempting My Mafia Monster

“I can’t let you go,” he whispered. “I can’t walk away knowin’ another man gets to have you when you belong to me.”

My heart splintered.

I cupped his face, forcing his gaze back to mine. “Before you, I didn’t dream of anything. I moved through life without really knowing what I wanted from it. But the moment Sean threw me into that bunker with you, I knew exactly what I wanted. You. You made me wish for so many things, and you made them come true. But now there’s something I want more than anything else.”

“What?”

“That you live.”

He opened his mouth to speak, a deep scowl on his face, but I covered his mouth with my hand.

“Kill Sean. Make him pay for what he did.”

His breathing slowed beneath my palm.

“Come back alive. Find your sister. Live the life that was stolen from you.”

I smiled through the tears burning my eyes.

“And know that I’m okay because I’ll know that somewhere in this world, you are free.”

He grabbed my face and pulled me closer. “I don’t want freedom if it doesn’t have you in it.”

“I know.” I pressed my lips together. I tried to lighten the mood by adding, “But we can’t shut the world out and live in a bunker.”

“I’ll build us our own. In Australia.”

“Why Australia?”

He exhaled and pulled himself up against the bed. “It’s where my sister is.”

My eyes widened. “Riley? You found Riley?”

He nodded. “She found me, actually. Nolan helped her.”

“But… you still killed him?” I frowned, trying to piece together the picture from only a few puzzle pieces.

“I didn’t kill him. He’s alive. In Australia.” He gave me a disapproving look that made my lips twitch. “They’re ‘an item’.” He rolled his eyes.

“I–I don’t understand. You said… and the file showed Nolan was…”

He delved into an explanation, telling me everything that had really happened after the fight. I listened with my hand over my mouth, a wave of gratitude for Nolan washing over me. He’d not only saved Riley’s life but Maddox’s too, all while risking his own.

“So that’s your plan after this…” I forced a smile. “Get a tan and live in the wild outback. I think that life suits you.”

“I’m not going. Not without you.”

“You’re impossible.” I rested my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around him. He kissed the top of my head and lifted his leg, trapping my feet between them. My eyes widened as I realised what he’d done. I tilted my head back to look at him, and he smiled.

“You remember?”

“I never forgot,” he husked. “I just didn’t know why I could never sleep without your feet freezing me half to death.”

I laughed, which turned into a small sob, my heart soaring with a crippling pain. He hugged me tighter.

“I lost my memories. But never you, Soraya.” He ran his fingers over my tattoo. “Just don’t tell me I’m too late.”

I kissed his chest, burying my face against him because I didn’t have the answers. Of course, I wanted to ignore the world and run away with him more than anything. But I couldn’t abandon my family and leave them to the Russian’s wrath.