MasukThe click of the heavy lock outside the door felt like a nail driving straight into my skull. I stood in the center of the dark bedroom, my arms wrapped tightly around my middle, listening to the fading sound of Andreas’s heavy boots walking down the long hallway. A few seconds later, the distant groan of the elevator lines signaled that he was truly gone. He had ridden out into the cold fog, taking his top shooters to trap a beast that was waiting to rip him apart.
The quietness inside the private suite was absolute, a stark contrast to the chaotic noise still echoing from the main floor downstairs. I stood by the large glass window, staring down at the empty courtyard where the rain was washing over the dark stones. The room felt completely different now, stripped of the life it had just a few hours ago. Every corner reminded me of the boy who had been sitting on the rug, laughing softly while he combed through his hair. It was all a lie. Every single smile, every gentle touch, every tear he had shed in my arms was just a mask to hide the blood of a traitor.I walked over to the desk, my movements slow and stiff. I didn't turn on the main lights, choosing instead to let the dim gray glow from the window illuminate the space. I pulled my laptop toward me, my fingers tapping against the keys with a regular, non-stop rhythm as I bypassed the standard security layers. I went deep into the family archives, entering the six-dig
The Cop’s OfferThe rain kept hitting my face, blurring my vision until the bright neon signs of the club became nothing but streaks of red and yellow in the dark lane. My feet were completely numb, the small cuts on my toes burning from the dirty water running along the curb. I had crawled away from the main gates, hiding myself in a narrow alley between two collapsing brick buildings, my knees pulled tightly against my chest as I shook from the cold. I felt completely empty. The sound of Andreas's voice telling the guards to throw me out was looping in my head like a bad dream that wouldn't stop.A shadow suddenly moved at the mouth of the alley, blocking the faint light from the streetlamp.I pulled myself back further into the dark corner, my heart jumping into my throat. I thought it was one of Dante's runners coming to finish me, or maybe one of Andreas's guards making sure I left the district entirely."Arthur?" a
The rain was coming down in thick, steady sheets, hitting my bare face and chest with a dull, stinging pain. I lay flat on my back in the dark lane just outside the high iron gates, the mud pooling around my shoulders and soaking right through my thin performance clothes. My fingers were dug into the wet gravel, the small rocks cutting into my skin, but I couldn't even feel it. My heart was entirely shattered, torn into pieces so small that I couldn't find my breath. The sound of the gates slamming shut was still echoing in my head, a loud, final click that meant my life was completely over.I rolled onto my side, pulling my knees up toward my chest as a violent sob tore out of my throat. I couldn't stop shaking. The cold water was washing away the dark streaks of my stage paint, mixing with the hot tears that kept running down my nose. I had lost everything in the span of an hour. My real name was out in the open, the whole city knew who my father was, and the
The guards didn't take me down to the lower cells right away. They kept me standing just behind the thick velvet curtains at the edge of the stage, their fingers pinching my shoulders so hard that my skin was already turning purple. I could hear the loud, angry voices of the southern captains echoing from the main floor, demanding answers from Andreas about the security breach. My whole body was shaking, the cold sweat mixing with the wet stage paint on my face, making my eyes sting."What are we doing with him, Val?" one of the guards holding me asked, leaning his head back toward the corridor. "The boss said the cells, but Leon is still down there clearing out Dante’s drivers."Val walked up the short flight of stairs, his face pale but his eyes gleaming with a nasty, satisfied look. He didn't even look me in the eyes; he just stared at my bare, trembling shoulders. "The boss changed his mind. He doesn't want this trash anywhere near the private r
Dante finally let go of my arm, shoving me away like a piece of trash. My knees buckled instantly, and I collapsed flat onto the smooth floorboards of the stage. The skin on my wrist was bright red, burning from his tight grip, but I couldn't care about the physical pain. My mind was completely fracturing. I looked up at the balcony through a thick wall of tears, my chest heaving so fast I could barely get a single gasp of air into my lungs."Andreas!" I screamed, the sound tearing out of my throat, raw and completely broken. I dragged my body forward on my knees, my hands sliding against the floor as I reached up toward the upper level. "Please, you have to listen to me! I didn't have a choice! They have Asher! They have my little brother!"Andreas didn't move for a long, terrible moment. He stood at the high railing, his green eyes dark and completely fixed on me. Then, slowly, he turned around and walked down the side stairs, his steps slow and measure
The silence in the room was so thick it felt like it was filling my lungs, making it impossible to catch a real breath. Dante’s hand was still wrapped around my forearm like an iron band, his fingers pinching right down to the bone. I tried to pull back, my bare feet sliding on the slick floor, but he gave my arm a violent wrench that nearly pulled my shoulder out of its socket. I let out a sharp cry, the sound cutting through the quiet room and bouncing off the high ceiling.Every single face on the main floor was staring up at us. The captains from the southern districts were leaning so far over the VIP balcony railings that I thought they would fall. Nobody was drinking. Nobody was moving. The giant screenshot of my text message was still glowing on the massive wall screens behind us, casting a bright white light over the whole stage that showed every tear running down my face."Let him go, Moretti," Leon shouted from the base of the stage stairs
The morning hours dragged on like a slow poison, every tick of the wall clock cutting right through my nerves. I stayed on the floor by the bed, my knees pressed tightly against my chest, staring at the door handle. My phone remained completely dark, offe
The silence inside the bedroom felt like a physical weight pressing down on my chest. I stayed on the floor, my back pressed against the wall next to the door, barely breathing. Outside in the hallway, the guards were quiet now, their footsteps silent as they waited for more updates
The noise from the handheld radio outside my room finally died down, replaced by a long, low hiss of static that made my ears ring. The silence that followed was heavy and cold. I stood by the glass, my forehead pressed against the cool panel, watching the black smoke in the distanc
The meeting in the lounge finally ended, and the men scattered to their posts. I hurried away before Andreas could ask me to go back upstairs with him. My mind was completely overloaded with the delivery routes and the roof sniper positions I had just memorized. I need







