The Mafia Boss Found a Poor Nurse Bound Inside a Warehouse—Then His Dog Did Something That Shocked the Whole City

Julian looked at her for a long moment, a ghost of a smirk playing on his lips, before he obeyed. He sat on the edge of the surgical table, stripping off his ruined shirt. His torso was a map of old violence—scars from knives, bullets, and burns crisscrossed his heavily muscled chest. But Clara didn't stare. She was focused on the fresh wound.

The bullet had torn a nasty groove through the muscle, but missed the bone. She cleaned it rapidly with iodine, the sharp smell filling the room, pulling them both back to the clock shop in Blackwood Reach.

She picked up a needle and a suture thread.

"I don't have time for local anesthetic," she warned him.

"Just sew," Julian grunted, staring straight ahead.

Clara began to stitch. She moved with ruthless efficiency. Julian didn't flinch. He didn't make a sound. He simply watched her hands.

"You were wrong," Julian said quietly as she pulled the third knot tight.

"About what?" she asked, not looking up from his arm.

"About Elias. I told you he owed me one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. He didn't. He owed me nothing."

Clara stopped, the needle hovering above his skin. She looked up into his dark, fathomless eyes. "Then why did you buy the debt from Finch? Why did you bring me here?"

"Because Marcus was the one who authorized the sale of that debt to Finch," Julian confessed, the truth finally laid bare. "Marcus knew Finch was looking for the ledger Elias hid. He used you as bait. When my accountant flagged the anomaly, I knew Marcus was making a move to cover up a loose end. I went to Blackwood Reach to find out what that loose end was."

"You used me," Clara whispered, feeling a cold wave of betrayal wash over her.

"I saved you," Julian corrected fiercely, leaning forward. "If Finch's men had found that ledger on you, you would be dead in a ditch. I brought you here to keep you alive until I figured out who was trying to kill you. You aren't a hostage, Clara. You never were."

Clara stared at him, the walls of the underground bunker feeling suddenly very small. The monster she thought she was indebted to was the only one standing between her and the men who murdered her brother.