Kidnapped By The Mafia

"Subtle"

•Melena Hart•

My heart was pounding like crazy in my chest. I knew I shouldn't be here. Xander would skin me alive if he found out. But my feet seemed to have a mind of their own, leading me closer to his office door. Noah's car was parked out front. I didn't know they were talking again. But the hopeful feeling in my gut was quickly replaced by a knot of worry. Something was off.

I crept closer to Xander's office, my ears straining to catch any sound. I hesitated, my hand hovering over the doorknob. I should just walk away. Pretend I never saw his car. But a strange pull was trying to draw me in. Maybe it was the fear that something bad was happening. Or maybe it was just plain curiosity. Whatever it was, it was stronger than my better judgment.

Their voices were muffled, but clear enough to make my heart race. Every raised tone, every sharp retort sent a shiver down my spine. I knew these two all too well. Their arguments were never just disagreements as they always ended in a physical fight where they both come for each other's throats.

I pressed my ear against the door, my breath held. I was a coward, I knew. But I couldn't bear the thought of them hurting each other again.

I shifted my weight, trying to get a better angle, when suddenly the door burst open with a force that nearly knocked me off balance. I gasped as I started to fall, bracing myself for the impact with the cold, hard floor. But it never came. Instead, a strong pair of arms caught me mid-fall, steadying me before I could hit the ground.

Before my brain could register what had just happened, before I could even see who it was, my heart had already started racing. I knew that touch, that grip, all too well. I knew it in my bones, in the pit of my stomach.

I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat. Blue eyes met mine, the same blue eyes I thought I'd never see again.

For a moment, everything else faded away. The shouting from the office, the rain pounding against the windows, even the gnawing fear that Xander would catch us, all of it disappeared. All I could focus on was Noah, standing there, holding me like nothing had changed.

But everything had changed.

My throat tightened as I tried to swallow the lump that had formed. I thought he was gone for good, that he had finally cut ties with this place, with all of us. No one talked about him here. It was like he had just vanished, like he never existed. But now, seeing him so close, so real, it was like a punch to the gut.

I pulled away from him, the warmth of his touch leaving a cold void in its wake.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The words came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn't help it. The mix of relief, anger, and confusion bubbling inside me was too much to keep in check.

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite read, somewhere between hurt and indifference.

"I could ask you the same thing, Mel."

My jaw clenched. "This is none of your business."

"Neither is it yours." He shot back, his tone cold, matching the icy glare he gave me. "But here we both are, sticking our noses where they don't belong."

"You left. You fucking left me here." I whispered.

He didn't flinch, didn't even blink.