"If you don't get out of my way, I'm gonna put a bullet through your fucking head, you understand me?"
Carlos De Fernanda was seething in rage, his big palms balled into fists, his chest heaving as he stared at the audacious young man in front of him,
The head of his security and personal bodyguard, Nicholas.
"Are you fucking deaf?" Beneath the fury in Carlos' deep voice which vibrated in his luxurious bedroom, was frustration.
Why the fuck was his bodyguard who had never disobeyed him, suddenly acting up at this crucial moment?
Talk about fucked up plans.
The younger man sucked in a deep breath, and lifting his face which bore the most striking features for a man, he muttered softly,
"My apologies, sir, but I can't let you out of this room."
What the...
There were a number of things that Carlos De Fernanda didn't tolerate, and at the top of that list was being challenged.
Everyone in Italy knew the consequences, most especially the Garzia family, who had dared to set his warehouse on fire, burning millions of dollars to the ground.
Carlos was known for exacting vengeance in a way that his enemies regretted ever crossing him.
The last person who had dared to betray him had been sent in different parts to his business partners, sending a message which had established his reputation.
And yet..
Carlos' thick brows furrowed in confusion, his brain unable to accept the transmission he had just received from his ears.
He had to be having some issues processing sounds, because no way did his head of security who executed his commands without questions just refuse him.
"What. The. Fuck. Did. You. Say?"
Carlos' chest was rising and falling in rapid movements now, his jaw working, fingers twitching, grey eyes darkening, sculpted nose flaring.
And yet, none of those physical signs stopped the other man from repeating himself,
"It's too dangerous, sir. I already deployed my subordinates to take care of them. I suspect it's a trap, which is better you stay here..."
"Have you gone malady? I am not some fucking wimp that cowers and hides away in his room based on your useless speculations! Open this door, now!"
The consigliere was losing his cool, that deceptive calm exterior that hid the ruthless danger he wore like a duplicate skin.
And once again, Nicholas squared his broad shoulders, and staring his boss in the eyes with those brown eyes, he spoke again,
"My duty is to protect you, sir. Please understand that I can't jeopardise..."
This time, Carlos snapped the thin patience he had been gripping hold of, and suddenly moved forward, grabbing the younger man by the collar of his suit and pushing him to the wall. Hard.
Nicholas' head was slammed against the hard wall, but he gave no indication of being in pain, but instead, shut his eyes briefly.
Carlos was seething in rage, his eyes narrowed to slits, his breaths coming out in harsh gasps.
"Don't bullshit me. I am your boss, you do whatever the fuck I tell you to do. Now, where is the passcode?"
Nicholas parted his eyes softly, lashes that the consigliere hadn't noticed before fluttering over his ridiculously smooth face to reveal brown eyes with flickers that almost seemed almost violet.
What the hell? Carlos felt something stir in his groin.
Then, the bodyguard parted his lips, muttering softly, "I'm sorry, sir, but the door has been set to open automatically in the next twelve hours."
Twelve freaking hours? That was exactly how long it would take his special force team to be alerted if they didn't hear from him.
By then, the Garzia family must have either escaped or gotten killed by his security.
Enraged that he wasn't going to get the pleasure of carving up their head of family him, Carlos' fists tightened, tension rippling through the muscles of his skin.
He gripped the collar of Nicholas' shirt, yanking him by the tie till he started to choke, then, he gritted out,
"Are you saying that you and I are fucking trapped here for the next twelve hours? Fine, I will spend it teaching you what happens when you go against me."
As he said those words which came out from clenched teeth, he gripped hold of Nicholas' hair and pulled hard, clenching it in his fists till the younger man started to grunt in pain.
"I...am sorry." It was all he choked out, his porcelain skin reddening, mist clouding his eyes.
He made no move to defend himself, which infuriated Carlos more, and drove him nuts.
Why the fuck was he not putting up a fight?
Was he fucking mocking him?
Carlos had witnessed firsthand, the strength and wit of his bodyguard, so why was he taking it like a fucking bitch and staring at him with those doe eyes?
"Fuck!" With a loud curse, Carlos wrenched his hands away from him, his jaw working as he yanked his tie, his broad chest heaving pensively.
Free from the hold of his ruthless boss, Nicholas coughed repeatedly, his eyes red from the impact of being choked.
For a moment, none of them spoke. A heavy silence enveloped the expansive bedroom, broken only by the ticking hand of the diamond clock which seemed to taunt Carlos, as though reminding him of how long he would be trapped in his own bedroom.
"I'm sorry, consigliere." Nicholas broke the silence, his honey brown eyes meeting the enraged silver eyes of Carlos.
Carlos stared at his head of security who was still leaning against the wall, a thousand arrows of thoughts shooting into his mind.
Had Nicholas been paid by his enemy to do this?
That thought was immediately pulled away and replaced by the memories of loyalty which the younger man had shown him over the years.
'My duty is to protect you...' Those words echoed in his ears.
"Why did you do it? You must have known the consequences it would bring you."
Carlos finally broke the silence, his piercing gaze focused on the younger man.
Hell, he had a gun, and he could have easily pulled it out and driven a bullet through his brain, and Nicholas of all people knew that.
And yet, the bodyguard had stood still, taking everything he had thrown at him without fighting back.
When he didn't get an immediate response, the consigliere spoke again, this time, his voice projecting his frustrations and rage,
"I asked why you fucking put yourself at risk to disobey me!"
Nicholas closed his eyes briefly, and Carlos caught a glance of those long lashes again, and those fucking surreal flickers of violet in his honey brown eyes.
But he said nothing, staring at Carlos, his eyes expressionless, his lips softly parted.
Fuck.
Something was crawling under Carlos' skin, something he couldn't name that irritated him as much as it fed him.