He Wants Me Dead Or Alive

Rosa's POV

I couldn't stand him being in that house a second longer, breathing the same air as Mom and Stevie, acting like he belonged at our table with his polished shoes and his dangerous smile. My fingers dug into his arm as I dragged him out the front door, the wood creaking under the force of my shove. The night air hit us cool and sharp, but it did nothing to calm the fire raging in my chest.

"Go," I snarled, pointing down the walkway like he was a stray dog. "Get out of here and don't come back."

Raffaele didn't budge. He just stood there on the porch, hands casually in his pockets, that smile creeping across his face slow and sure, like he had all the time in the world.

It wasn't a nice smile... it was the kind that promised things I didn't want to think about, dark edges hidden under charm. "Come with me instead," he said, voice low and even. "I'll drop you off at school so you can pack your things, then you're coming home with me to my penthouse."

I barked out a laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You're dreaming huge if you think that's happening. Especially now that you think you know a piece of my life."

His eyes darkened just a fraction, but the smile stayed. He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, smell the faint cologne mixed with something sharper, like gun oil from earlier. "Not just a piece, Rosa. A huge piece."

My breath caught.

"Do I have to turn into the devil for real?" he asked, still smiling, but his voice dropped to that velvet threat level that made my pulse spike. "Or should I make more threats to get you moving?"

I stared at him, heart hammering. This wasn't a bluff. This man had orchestrated gunfire in a gym just to prove a point, charmed my family like it was nothing, dug up skeletons I'd buried deep. He was far beyond anything I could handle... a storm wrapped in a suit, obsession flickering in those dark eyes like he'd already decided I was his to keep, to break if I pushed too hard.

I had no options left. No clever escape, no backup plan. Just him, standing there, waiting.

My eyes lit up with a desperate spark of hope. "I heard you're leaving tomorrow. Luca said you'd only be here for two days."

The smile didn't fade. Not even a twitch. "I am leaving."

Relief flooded me so fast I almost smiled back...a real one, small but victorious.

Then he kept talking.

"I'll be back after a week. I'm going to handle some business, pack what I need, and return for good."

The smile shattered right off my face. My stomach dropped like I'd been punched.

"I'm pretty sure my smart brother didn't tell you that part," he added, watching my reaction with that intense gaze, like he fed off my frustration.

No, he hadn't. Luca had sat there in his perfect penthouse, feeding me half-truths while Kylie watched, making it sound like Raffaele was a temporary nightmare.

I swore in my head the next time I laid eyes on Luca, I'd kill him. Slowly. With my bare hands.

"So, darling," Raffaele said, gesturing to the black sedan idling at the curb, engine purring like a predator, "would you come with me willingly, or do I need to risk more threats?"

I wanted to scream. To hit him again. To run inside and lock the door forever. But Mom and Stevie were in there, safe for now, and I couldn't let him drag them deeper into this mess. Grudgingly, hating every step, I marched to the passenger side and got in. The leather seat was cool against my skin, but it felt like a trap snapping shut.

He slid in beside me...no, behind the wheel and we pulled away smooth as silk. The house shrank in the rearview mirror, and with it, the last shred of my normal life.

"I can't move into your house," I said, staring out the window at the blurring streetlights. "I won't."

He took one long, lingering look at me, eyes tracing my profile, my crossed arms, the tension in my jaw. It wasn't just a glance; it was possessive, hungry, like he was memorizing every inch.

"Eyes on the road!" I yelled, heart skipping. "You'll get us killed!"

He chuckled, deep and rumbling, the sound filling the car like it belonged there. "It's because you're just too pretty. Makes it hard to focus on anything else."

I rolled my eyes, cheeks heating against my will. "Whatever."

But he laughed again, softer this time, almost fond. It was weird...this mix of dark obsession and something warmer, like underneath the threats and the control, there was a man who actually saw me, not just as a prize but as... something more.

It scared me how that thought didn't repulse me as much as it should.

"Since you're really that pretty," he said, merging onto the highway, "I'm willing to hear any argument you want to make about not staying in my house. Lay it out. Convince me."

I swallowed hard, throat dry. One week. He'd be gone for one week. Was that enough time to make sure we never crossed paths again? To dig up dirt on him, maybe turn the tables, or just vanish? Whatever. I needed that breathing room. I'd take it and run with it.

"The sparring championship is coming up soon," I started, voice steadier than I felt. "I have to be on school grounds for training. Every day. I can't just hole up in your penthouse like some kept woman."

He nodded, thoughtful, fingers drumming lightly on the wheel. "Fair point. I can teach you to fight, you know. Better than whatever they're drilling into you at that gym."

I rolled my eyes again, biting back the first retort that came to mind. "No thanks. You fight like a street rat."

"What?" His head snapped toward me, brows raised, but there was amusement in his eyes, not anger.

I shook my head quick, realizing I'd poked the bear. Best not to annoy him more than necessary. "I said... you wouldn't even be around to train me. You're leaving, remember?"

He nodded, gaze back on the road, but I caught the way his jaw tightened just a bit. "Fine. But that's only valid till I come back. After that... we'll see."

The words hung heavy, a promise wrapped in darkness. His obsession was there in every syllable, this wasn't casual for him. It was all-consuming, like I'd become the center of his world the moment I'd lied about being Kylie.

"Why do you want to keep me?" I asked suddenly, the question bursting out before I could stop it. "What is this really about?"

He looked at me then, really looked, his eyes flickering down to my lips for a split second that sent a shiver through me. "Why does a man want a woman?"

The simplicity of it shut me up. Heat bloomed in my chest, a confusing mix of fear and something electric, something that made my heart race in a way it shouldn't. I turned back to the window, silent for the rest of the ride, mind spinning.

When we pulled up, I blinked at the familiar glass tower. Luca and Kylie's penthouse.

"Why are we here?" I asked, suspicion creeping in.

He killed the engine, turning to me with that knowing smile. "My place is just above theirs. But I know you want to kill Luca right now. Figured I'd oblige you. Let you get it out of your system before you go."

He was right. That bastard had lied by omission, left me dangling in the dark. I'd end him tonight if I could.

But as the doors slid open to Luca's floor, I wondered if one week would be enough to escape a man who'd already claimed my every thought.

The confrontation with Luca was just a distraction, after that? God help me, because Raffaele Navarro wasn't letting go.