Shielded by My Mafia Protector

The cold air hit Millie's face like a slap as she stepped out into the night, her heart pounding in her chest. She didn't know where she was going, but she couldn't stay there, not with him looming behind her. Not with him watching her every move like a hawk, waiting for the next misstep, the next mistake she would make to justify the rage in his eyes.

For the first time in years, she was free.

The thought should have brought her relief, but it didn't. There was only the fear that if she wasn't careful, her stepfather would find her. He always found her. His connections ran deep, like the roots of a poisonous vine that stretched across the city, wrapping around anyone unlucky enough to cross his path.

She didn't have a plan. No phone, no money, nothing but the clothes on her back. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt safe. But she had to try.

She kept her head low, blending in with the crowd of late-night revelers and drunk college kids stumbling home from parties. The city was alive in a way she hadn't allowed herself to notice before-flashing neon lights, honking cars, the laughter of strangers she would never meet. The possibility of danger surrounded her.

Millie pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she walked down the grimy street. Her steps were quick, but purposeful-no aim, no destination. Just one foot in front of the other.

The city swallowed her whole. She should have gone to a shelter. She knew that. But she couldn't bear the thought of trusting anyone, even for a night.

A distant part of her wanted to scream, to cry for the life she'd never had, but she couldn't. Not with the weight of her past pressing down on her every second.

The sound of footsteps behind her made her freeze.

Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't need to look over her shoulder to know they were following her. She had felt their eyes on her all night-two men, walking too close, too silently. It was only a matter of time before they made their move.

Miliie's pace increased slowly. She was being hunted.

Her legs felt like lead as she tried to walk faster, the sound of their footsteps growing louder, closer. Her mind raced, but there was nowhere to run or hide in the poorly lit alley. Her heart slammed against her chest as panic began to set in. She couldn't let them catch her. She couldn't go back to him.

Just as she was about to break into a full sprint, a figure stepped out from the alleyway ahead of her, blocking her path. Her blood ran cold as she recognized him.

He was the popular mafia boss who brought every gang member to their knees- Alex Morales.

Her body tensed. She hadn't seen him in person before, but she knew who he was. Everyone did. Alex was the enforcer for the Morano family, a man whose name was whispered with equal parts of fear and reverence. A deadly, silent killer whose loyalty to his family was unwavering.

His eyes locked onto hers. He didn't smile, didn't move-he just stood there, a hulking figure in a leather jacket, his presence radiating authority.

"Keep walking," he ordered, his voice low and commanding.

Her pulse throbbed in her ears. She wasn't sure if it was because of him or the men behind her, but she didn't move. She couldn't.

"I-I don't have time for this," she stammered, taking a shaky step back. "Please, just let me go."

Alex's gaze flickered to the two men who had been tailing her. They stopped in their tracks, sensing the shift in the air.

"I don't think they're going to let you go that easily," Alex said, his tone cold.

He didn't seem worried in the slightest. It was as if the situation were beneath him-like they weren't even a threat.

Millie swallowed hard. The men behind her stepped forward, their faces twisted into cruel smirks.

"You heard the man, sugar," one of them sneered. "It's not going to be that easy."

Alex didn't move. He just stood there, watching the men with the calmness of someone who had dealt with this kind of thing a thousand times before.

"Leave," Alex said softly, but there was a quiet menace to his voice. "Now."

The two men hesitated for a moment, then exchanged a glance. Millie could see the calculation in their eyes, the hesitation as they weighed their options. It was obvious they were considering whether they should take their chances with him, but Alex didn't give them the opportunity.

In a flash, his hand was on the first man's throat, lifting him off the ground with a strength that made Lexi's stomach twist. The second man reached for a gun tucked into his waistband, but Alex's fist connected with his jaw before he could pull it free.

The man crumpled to the ground, gasping for air.

Alex didn't even break a sweat.

He let the first man drop to the ground with a sickening thud, then turned to the other, who was still struggling to recover.

"You have one chance," Alex said, his voice like ice. "Get up and walk away. Or I'll make sure you never walk again."

The second man scrambled to his feet, fear evident in his wide eyes. Without another word, he turned and bolted into the night, his partner following closely behind.

Alex stood there, motionless, watching them disappear into the darkness.

Millie was frozen in place. She didn't know what to think, what to say. He had just... saved her. From the men who had been hunting her. And now they were gone.

Her legs finally gave out beneath her, and she sank to her knees on the cold, damp sidewalk, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps.

"Why did you help me?" she whispered, her voice trembling.

He ignored her completely as he picked up the jacket he had tossed aside before the fight.

"Because you're not supposed to be their target," he finally said, his voice still holding a detached edge.

Before Millie could respond, a voice rang out from the shadows.

"Alex."

The hairs on the back of Millie's neck stood up. She looked toward the sound, her heart racing at the thought of Dan finding her too soon.

Another figure emerged from the darkness-a tall, man with a sharp suit and a cold, calculating look in his eyes. Millie didn't know who he was, but she could sense the danger in him.

"Get her inside. Now," Alex ordered the man, his gaze flickering to Millie.

The man didn't hesitate. He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet with roughly.

"You're coming with me," he said, his grip firm on her wrist.

Millie's head spun as they both led her down the alleyway. What had she just walked into?

The old warehouse Alex led her to was nothing like Millie expected. A single overhead light buzzed in the ceiling. Millie stood just inside the doorway, her fingers twitching with nerves as Alex double-locked the door behind them.

"Sit," he said, nodding toward a metal chair bolted to the floor beside a rusted desk. It wasn't a suggestion.

She didn't argue.

Her legs were still unsteady from everything that had happened in the last hour. The fight. The alley. The stranger with the ice-cold voice who had appeared like a ghost. She hadn't even had time to process the fact that someone had stood up for her. Infact, with the way his face was so stern she wondered if he really intended to save her or he had worse intentions planned out for her.

"What is this place?"

"Somewhere safe," Alex replied in his detached tone as he tossed his bloodstained jacket onto a hook near the door. His shirt underneath was black, tight around his broad shoulders. He looked like someone born in violence. But tonight, he had used that violence to protect her. Millie found his muscles extremely sexy. Her mind drifted to the feel of his abs at her gentle touch.

"What is your name?" he asked, disrupting her thoughts.

"What?"

Alex paused, meeting her eyes for the first time that night."Your name."

"M..m..millie"

"Where do you stay?"

"Butter street"

"That's quite a distance from where I saw you. Running away from home?"

His voice was a low baritone. It almost sounded like a growl only a kind one. She didn't know what to say since she had been discovered. She nodded her bowed head slowly.

Alex rolled up his sleeves and bent down beside her chair to look at her.

"It's okay to run away from home but it's not okay to put yourself in a dangerous situation like that"

he said.

Not long after, the man who had met Alex with the van came up to him and whispered something in his ears.

Millie's breath hitched as the man in black leaned into Alex's ear and muttered something too low for her to hear. Alex's expression changed almost instantly-his jaw tightened, his brow furrowed. The shift in his demeanor was subtle, but it was enough to make Millie's stomach twist.

Alex gave a quick nod, then dismissed the man with a flick of his fingers. The man disappeared back into the shadows of the warehouse, leaving only the fading echo of his boots against concrete.

Millie clutched the arms of the chair, her heart pounding. "What... what did he say?"

Alex didn't answer at first. He stood, ran a hand through his dark hair, and exhaled.

"He said we might have a problem."

Millie's voice trembled. "What kind of problem?"

Alex turned his eyes back to her. "The kind that's looking for you."

Her chest tightened. Was it Dan?

"Worse," he muttered.

Millie's breath stilled. "Worse how?"

Alex didn't reply. Instead, he stepped toward the desk and opened the top drawer, pulling out a small first aid kit. He knelt beside her again, unscrewing a bottle of antiseptic.

"Your knees are bleeding," he said quietly.

Millie looked down. She hadn't even noticed-scratches lined her legs from her fall in the alley. Her tights were torn at the knees, dried blood crusted around the edges.

"You don't have to do that," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I know."

Still, he poured the antiseptic onto a cotton pad and pressed it gently to her skin. Millie winced but didn't pull away. His touch was surprisingly careful, like he'd done this before-like underneath the threat and power he exuded, he knew how to take care of broken things.

After a moment, she found herself watching him more closely. His hands were scarred in places. His knuckles looked like they'd met too many jaws. There was a jagged mark on his forearm, half-faded but still visible.

"What happened there?" she asked, nodding toward the scar.

Alex glanced down and gave a humorless smile. "A lesson I didn't learn the first time."

Millie swallowed hard. "Why are you helping me?"

He met her eyes. "Because no one else did."

Silence fell between them but it wasn't empty.

Just as she was beginning to feel the first hint of safety in Alex's territory since she left her house, the overhead light flickered again. Once. Then twice. Then off entirely.

Darkness swallowed the room.

Millie's heart jumped. "Is it the power?"

Alex stood up immediately. "Stay in the chair."

He reached for the gun holstered at his back. Millie didn't even realize he had one until she saw it gleam in the moonlight streaming through the warehouse window.

"What's happening?" she whispered.

"Quiet," he said.

His tone wasn't cruel-it was protective. Focused.

The metal pipes that littered the warehouse creaked somewhere overhead. Footsteps. Not Alex's. Not the man who whispered to him earlier. It was someone else. They.

Millie held her breath as the footsteps grew louder. Whoever they were didn't bother hiding their approach. Their heavy steps echoed off the metal walls of the warehouse like a warning.

Alex had already moved, silent and calculated. He melted into the shadows near the entrance, his gun raised and ready.

Millie wanted to disappear but her body froze in the chair, her hands clutched so tightly around the seat's edge that her knuckles turned white. She could barely hear her own thoughts over the pounding of her heart.

The door creaked open. The dim moonlight revealedthe figures of three large men. They stepped in without invitation, eyes sweeping the room with quick, practiced glances.

"The warehouse's off limits," Alex's voice rang out low and lethal from the dark.

The tallest of the three men snorted. "We're looking for a girl. Small, blonde. Someone said they saw her with you earlier."

"No one here fits that description."

The second man stepped forward. "Mind if we check for ourselves?"

Alex appeared like a shadow from the dark, the barrel of his gun already aimed and steady. "I do mind."

That was all it took.

The tallest man reached for his coat-too fast.

Alex fired.

The third man fired back and Millie was about to let out a scream when Alex covered her mouth tightly with his gun free hand and put his jacket over her head.

Alex fired two shots again into the dark room.

One of the men dropped, groaning. The second one lunged, and Alex met him halfway. Fists collided. Millie ducked instinctively as something-someone-crashed into a shelf of metal crates.

There was grunting. Swearing. Then the unmistakable sound of a second gun cocking. Alex kicked it away before the man could fire. One final blow, and the room fell still again.

Blood pooled beside the second man's body. The third man, seeing both of his partners dead, made to escape. He was swiftly caught at the collar fby Alex's partner.

Alex stood over both bodies, his chest heaving and his eyes burning with rage.

"You come back here again," he growled, "and you'll leave in a body bag."

His eyes glistened as he took a few steps away from the frightened gunman.

He turned around and put a bullet through the man's back as he ran away from the scene.

Alex grabbed Millie by the wrist-gently, but with urgency-and pulled her toward the back exit.

"I don't know who you are but trouble seems to follow you around" he said as he drove speedily away from the warehouse in a black truck.

Millie was still trembling in fear at the sound of gunshots. Her hands were shaking too much.

Alex pitied her too much to wonder about anything else about her. He put his hand around hers and faced the road.

Millie felt more at ease with his hand on hers.

***

They drove for miles in silence. The dark city blurred past the windows. Millie stared straight ahead, hugging herself, as Alex's jaw remained tight behind the wheel.

She had so many questions. But none of them felt safe enough to ask.

Finally, Alex pulled into the gravel lot of a rundown roadside motel. The neon sign above blinked erratically, casting shadows over the cracked pavement. Econ Inn: Vacancy.

He came back with a room key and a deep scowl. "Only one left."

Millie blinked. "One?"

"Don't get excited," he muttered, holding the door open for her.

***

The motel room was small, the air stale. One bed. A tiny table. A bathroom with flickering lights and peeling wallpaper. And worst of all-no couch.

Alex stood awkwardly at the door. "I'll sleep on the floor."

Millie looked at the bed. Then at him. "We can share," she said before she could stop herself. "Just... don't hog the blanket."

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He tossed his bag onto the corner of the bed and went to wash up in the bathroom.

Millie sat on the edge of the mattress, staring at her knees. They still stung, but the pain was dull now-replaced by something stranger. This man... this complete stranger... had fought for her. Killed for her. And now, he was sleeping beside her like it meant nothing.

When Alex emerged, shirtless and damp from a quick rinse, Millie's cheek was flushed. She tried hard not to stare. His chest was sculpted, marked with scars and a few tattoos she couldn't decipher. He didn't seem to notice her staring-or maybe he did and just didn't care.

"You should shower. You'll sleep better," he said.

Millie nodded numbly and went into the bathroom. The water was lukewarm, but it felt better than anything she'd felt in days. She scrubbed away the grime and blood, but no amount of soap could erase the memory of Dan's grip or the fear still lodged in her chest.

When she stepped out in an oversized motel towel and her torn tights, Alex had already taken the far side of the bed and turned his back.

Silence filled the space between them.

"I'll take you to a shelter in the next town," he began, his voice measured. "It's run by someone I trust. You'll be safe there."

Millie's gaze snapped to him, eyes wide with a mix of fear and disappointment. "I don't want to go to a shelter," she whispered.

Alex turned slightly, meeting her eyes. "Millie, it's the best option."

He spoke very few words as if speaking itself was such a chore.

She hesitated, then took a deep breath. "Can I stay with you?"

The question hung in the air, heavy and charged. Alex looked away, his jaw tightening. The silence stretched, each second amplifying Millie's vulnerability.

Interpreting his silence as rejection, Millie felt a sting of embarrassment. She turned her back to him again.

Tears were about to spill from her eyes when she felt a tender hand around her waist pulling her.

"Millie..."

She turned to face him, their proximity closing the distance both physically and emotionally. Without thinking, she leaned in, pressing her lips to his. The kiss was brief, hesitant, and when she pulled back, her eyes searched his face for a reaction.

Alex's expression was unreadable for a moment. Then, with a tenderness that contrasted his usual stoicism, he cupped her face and kissed her back. This time, the kiss deepened. Filled with passion and charged desires, they both took off each other's clothes.

Millie moaned when Alex joined himself to her. She held his muscular as she curled herself around his bent body. She wrapped her arm around his neck as Alex rocked the bed, making love to her more wildly. She loved this wild pleasure. It was just what she needed to forget the sheepish life she had lived under Dan's roof.

Her grip around him tightened as he continued to rock her body.

She felt free in his territory.