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I grab my phone and type out a message: Need to see you. Can we meet?

Adeline replies almost immediately: Of course. My treat, but you owe me for bailing on our last coffee date.

A small smile tugs at my lips.

Convincing Remo to let me leave is harder than I expected. His jaw tightens, the scar along his neck catching the light as he paces the room.

“You’re asking me to send you out there like a lamb to the slaughter,” he snaps.

“It’s just a coffee shop, Remo. Adeline’s place isn’t exactly on the mafia’s radar.”

“You think that matters?” He stops pacing, pinning me with a glare. “Leone would slit your throat just to send me a message. You’re not going anywhere alone.”

“I’m not asking to go alone,” I argue. “Livia and two of your goons can babysit me. Happy?”

His silence stretches uncomfortably long before he finally relents and nods. “Fine. But text me.”

The café Adeline picks is cozy and tucked away, its ivy-covered walls a stark contrast to the chaos of my life. I sip on my coffee, letting the warmth soothe some of the tension in my chest. Adeline leans forward, her chin resting on her hand as she studies me.

“You look like you haven’t slept in days,” she points out.

“Thanks for the confidence boost.”

She grins. “You’re welcome. But seriously, though, what’s going on? You’ve been avoiding my calls, and now you show up looking like you’re auditioning for a zombie movie.”

I hesitate, swirling the coffee in my cup. “It’s…complicated.”

Her eyes narrow. “Complicated how? Does it have anything to do with your mysterious boyfriend?”

“Something like that.” I glance at Livia, who’s sitting a few tables away, her sharp eyes scanning the room. “It’s…messy, Adeline. Let’s leave it at that.”

Before she can press further, a loud crash shatters the relative calm of the café. My head snaps up, and my stomach drops as men in dark suits burst through the door, guns drawn.

“Down! Everyone down!” one of them shouts.

Adeline freezes, her face pale. I grab her arm, pulling her behind me as chaos erupts. Livia leaps to her feet, her weapon already drawn.

“Go,” she barks at me. “Now!”

I don’t think. I just grab Adeline’s hand and run. We duck behind a dumpster in the alley the moment we exit the back door. My hands shake as I fumble for my phone to call Remo. Screams and gunshots continue to echo in the distance.

The line rings once. Twice.

Before it can connect, a hand grabs me from behind, and a blade presses against my throat, cold and unforgiving, as my phone is snatched away and tossed into the bin.

“Not so fast,” a voice growls.

I catch a glimpse of Livia through the alley entrance just in time to see her crumple to the ground. A single gunshot echoes in my ears, and I scream. The man holding me strikes me hard across the head. Pain explodes behind my eyes, and the world goes black.

When I come to, my head throbs, and the cold, damp air bites at my skin. I’m chained to the wall of a basement, and my wrists are raw from the metal cuffs. Water drips somewhere, a steady, mocking rhythm. As I lick my dry lips, the metallic tang of blood fills my mouth.

Footsteps echo, deliberate and heavy, and soon, a man steps into view, his presence commanding the dimly lit room. He’s tall and imposing, with dark, brooding features that seem to be carved from granite. His sharp suit is immaculate, the kind of tailored perfection that screams power. His hair, black as ink, is slicked back, and his cruel smile sends a chill racing down my spine.

There’s an aristocratic air about him, and it’s as if the very walls should bow in his presence.

He crouches in front of me, his eyes scanning my face with unsettling intensity. “Awake already? Impressive,” he says, his tone smooth and almost pleasant. “You’ve got guts. I’ll give you that.”

I stare at him, the pounding in my head making it hard to think straight. “Who the hell are you?” I manage, though my voice comes out weaker than I want it to.