The Exhausted Waitress Could Barely Stand—Then the Mafia Boss Changed Her Life

“Put the gun down, Jake.”

The voice did not come from my earpiece. It echoed from the shadows directly behind Jake, loud and booming with absolute authority.

Jake spun around, panic flashing across his face, wildly pointing his gun into the darkness.

Luca Castellano stepped out from behind a rusted cargo container. He didn't look like a man facing a loaded weapon. He looked like an executioner who had just arrived at the gallows. His dark trench coat billowed in the freezing wind, his hands casually resting in his pockets.

“Castellano,” Jake gasped, taking a terrified step backward, completely forgetting about me.

“You are a very stupid man, Jake,” Luca said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he slowly walked forward, closing the distance. “You stole my bonds. You ran like a coward. And then you tried to leverage the woman I love to save your own pathetic skin.”

The woman I love. My heart hammered frantically against my ribs, but I didn't dare move.

“Stay back!” Jake screamed, his hand shaking violently as he aimed the gun at Luca’s chest. “I have backup! The Russians are here! You take one more step, and Volkov’s men will gun you down!”

Luca didn't stop walking. “Volkov’s men are currently dealing with the twenty snipers I have aimed at their vehicles. They aren't going to die for a rat, Jake. You are entirely alone.”

Jake’s eyes darted wildly, looking at the silent, dark SUVs parked behind him. Nobody was getting out. Nobody was coming to save him. The reality of his situation finally crushed him.

“I’ll kill her!” Jake suddenly pivoted, raising the gun back toward me.

“No!” Luca roared, pulling his own weapon from his coat with terrifying speed.

Before Jake could pull the trigger, the rear doors of the black SUVs violently kicked open.

But it wasn't the Russians surrendering. It was an ambush.

Heavily armed men in tactical gear poured out of the vehicles, raising automatic rifles. Volkov had betrayed Jake, but he had also set a trap for Luca.