Page 156 of Maddening Fixation

“You didn’t honestly think I’d walk into the territory of a man the rest of the Mafia has yet to place its trust in without preparing for every possible outcome, did you?”

Romeo regarded him in silence for a moment, his expression betraying nothing.

“There’s no need for this to become a war, Zachary.”

His voice remained calm, carrying the quiet authority of a man accustomed to being obeyed.

“I understand your position,” Romeo said evenly. “And I don’t blame you for being furious over an incomplete shipment. Frankly, I’d be no different—especially considering this is our first transaction.”

Holding Zachary’s gaze without flinching, he clasped his hands behind his back.

“But you also need to understand mine. Someone intercepted the shipment before it reached you. A thousand weapons don’t simply vanish without someone orchestrating it.”

His eyes hardened.

“You’ve made it clear that a refund isn’t what you want. Fine. I’ll identify whoever stole from us, recover every missing weapon, and deliver the complete shipment to you.”

He held Zachary’s gaze without blinking.

“Give me forty-eight hours.”

A brief pause.

“If, after forty-eight hours, I fail to put every one of those weapons in your possession, then you’ll have every reason to consider this a personal betrayal.”

The room fell silent.

For one suspended moment...

It seemed as though Zachary might actually consider it.

Then the younger man—who bore an uncanny resemblance to Zachary, perhaps his son—shifted at his father’s side.

It happened without warning.

One moment, he was standing still, almost indistinguishable from the other men in the room. The next, his body moved with sudden, deliberate purpose.

His rifle came up in a swift arc, the barrel snapping toward Romeo.

But I caught it.

The way his shoulders tightened just before he moved. The subtle curl of his finger around the trigger. Even the slight narrowing of his eyes betrayed what he intended to do.

He was going to shoot Romeo.

There was no time to think. No time to weigh the consequences or wonder what would happen next.

My body reacted before my mind could catch up.

I lunged forward with every ounce of strength I had, slamming both hands into Romeo’s chest.

The force sent him stumbling sideways.

A deafening gunshot exploded through the warehouse.

The crack echoed violently off the iron walls.

Momentum carried me with him.