In the steamy streets of Miami, 23-year-old Maya Torres works hard washing dishes to buy medicine for her sick mother, her only light in a world of pain. With a cruel brother who steals, a sister who mocks her worn old clothes, and a lonely heart, Maya’s life is a struggle—until a stormy night changes everything. Cleaning a shadowy bar owned by the Mafia, she hears a gunshot and finds a bleeding stranger. Brave but scared, she saves his life, not knowing he’s Diego Salazar, a ruthless Mafia boss with a crippled leg and a heart hardened by betrayal. When Maya’s family drags her into Diego’s dangerous world, she’s forced to work for him, sneaking into rival clubs to steal secrets. Diego’s harsh words cut deep, but Maya stays strong, her mother’s life on the line. As they share quiet moments, something sparks—could this cold man learn to love? But secrets unravel, and a shocking betrayal from someone close threatens to destroy Maya’s hope. With danger closing in, a hidden truth about her past could change her life forever. Will Maya outsmart the Mafia’s deadly games and find love, or lose everything? Dive into this thrilling tale of courage, love, and secrets—you won’t stop turning the pages!
View More"You smell like old dishwater, Maya."
Carmen’s voice hit me like a slap—sharp, loud, and filled with disgust. I didn’t even have to look up. I could already hear her two annoying friends who follow her wherever she goes, Marisol and Bianca, giggling behind her. I stood at the sink, scrubbing a plate that wouldn’t come clean no matter how hard I tried. Ten hours of washing dishes at the diner, and now I had to come home to this. “Maybe if you didn’t stink so bad, someone would actually talk to you,” Marisol said, snapping a towel at my leg. I flinched, but I kept scrubbing. Just keep my head down. Just breathe. “God, look at her,” Bianca added, chewing her gum like a cow. “She’s still wearing that same old, torn shirt. Washed it in the toilet or what?” Their laughter rang out behind me like nails being scraped against glass. I clenched my jaw and tried not to cry. Crying only made it worse. “She probably thinks Javier likes her,” Carmen said, leaning against the counter. Her perfume was so strong it made my head hurt. “He talks to her out of pity, that’s all. Isn’t that right, Maya? You think he’s in love with your poor, dishwater ass?” I dropped the plate into the drying rack a little harder than I meant to. My hands were red and raw. My arms felt very weak. My heart was worse. “I don’t need your pity,” I said, turning around to face them. Carmen raised an eyebrow. “Oh? She speaks now.” Bianca rolled her eyes. “Bet she cries herself to sleep every night, hugging that ugly shirt.” “I said,” Carmen stepped closer, her lips curling into a cruel smile, “why don’t you go cry to Mama again? Oh, wait… she’s too busy coughing her lungs out to care.” My stomach hurt. “Say that again,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I said—” “Carmen!” My mom’s voice came from her room—weak, rough, but still able to stop them from fighting. “Leave your sister alone!” Carmen made an annoyed sound. “Ugh. She’s awake.” “I mean it!” Mama shouted trying to hold her cough. “Maya does more in a day than the three of you in a damn week!” The girls scoffed and walked off, whispering something about how I was “Mama’s little slave.” As soon as they were gone, the silence wrapped around me like cold water. I stayed still for a second, heart pounding, then walked down the hallway toward my mom’s room. The air smelled like old medicine and mint rub. She was lying in bed, looking smaller than usual. Her chest rose and fell too fast. I knelt beside her and grabbed her hand. It felt like holding ice. “Are you okay?” I asked softly. Her eyes opened slowly. “I heard them. Don’t listen to those girls. They’re lost.” I tried to smile. “I don’t care what they say.” But I did. And she knew it. I sat with her until she fell asleep again, then checked her pill bottles. Almost empty. Again. The good medicine was too expensive. The cheaper stuff wasn’t doing anything. I sat alone in the kitchen, staring at the peeling paint on the walls. My stomach growled, but I ignored it. The bills were late. Rent was close. Medicine was low. Hope? That was almost gone just a little left. The front door creaked open. I turned my head just as Javier stepped in, holding two plastic containers. He wore his usual grease-stained jeans and that old Marlins cap. “Got you dinner,” he said with a smile. I blinked. “You didn’t have to.” “You didn’t eat lunch again, did you?” I didn’t answer. He already knew the truth. He placed a container in front of me. Rice, beans, a little meat. Warm. “Thanks, Javi,” I said, quietly. He shrugged like it was no big deal. But it was actually. Atleast to me. We sat at the table, eating in silence for a while. “How’s your mom?” he asked eventually. “She’s not getting better,” I said. “She needs the real medicine. Stronger. I’m trying, but…” Javier leaned back in his chair, eyes on the ceiling. “I might know a guy. Someone who helps people when they’re in a big mess.” “No.” I shook my head. “No deals. No favors. Not like that.” “He owes me. It wouldn’t be shady—” “Javi. Please.” He didn’t argue. He never did. After he left, I lay down on the old couch in the living room. I wrapped myself in a thin blanket and stared at the cracked ceiling. Thunder rolled in the distance. The rain had started again. My phone buzzed. A message from my boss at the diner. “Emergency. Clean Club Rosario. Extra cash. Midnight.” Midnight? I looked at the time. 11:32 p.m. My body said no. My wallet screamed yes. I grabbed my hoodie and slipped out quietly, walking fast through the rain. Miami nights were loud—cars, music, parties—but the streets near Club Rosario were different. Quiet. Wrong. I reached the back door and stepped inside. The hallway was dim, the lights flickering. It smelled like sweat and bleach. The music upstairs pounded like a heartbeat. I grabbed a mop and got to work. The floor was sticky with old drinks. My arms ached with every push of the handle. BANG. A gunshot. I froze. The mop slipped from my hands. Footsteps upstairs. Voices. Then—nothing. My legs wouldn’t move. I hid behind a metal shelf, heart pounding so loud I could barely hear the bass from the club above. Then I heard it. A groan. Faint. Pained. I peeked around the shelf. Down the hall, by a stack of crates, a man was lying on the ground. His shirt was soaked in blood. Shot. Oh my God. I should’ve run. Should’ve screamed. But I didn’t. I ran to him. “Hey,” I whispered, kneeling beside him. “Stay with me.” He opened his eyes. Dark. Weak. “You’re gonna be okay,” I said, pressing my hands against his wound. My fingers turned red. “Don’t… call anyone,” he muttered. “I have to. You’ll die.” I pulled out my phone, my hands shaking as I dialed 911. When the ambulance came, I told them he was my cousin. It was the only way they let me stay. At the hospital, he passed out. They said he needed blood. Mine matched. I gave it. I sat there all night, dozing in a plastic chair, my head foggy, my arms heavy. When I woke up… he was gone. No name. No thank you. Nothing. I spent my last dollars trying to save a stranger. And I had no idea— That stranger was going to destroy my whole life.“Diego!”My scream echoed through the hallway as he dropped to one knee, his hand clutching his side. Blood soaked through his white shirt like red ink on paper.I ran to him, heart pounding, legs shaking.“Don’t move,” I whispered, pressing my hands over the wound.He hissed through his teeth. “It’s not deep.”“You’re bleeding all over the floor—how is that not deep?!”“I’ve had worse,” he muttered, trying to push himself up.“Then you’re not healing right.”Valentina was gone. Like a ghost in the night. Slipped past his guards. Slipped past the cameras.She had this planned.And we walked right into it.Diego’s men came rushing in seconds later, shouting orders into radios, scanning the halls for her.But I knew she wouldn’t be caught.Not yet.Valentina didn’t strike unless she already had a way out.She probably had someone waiting in a car. Or maybe she knew a hidden passage. Hell, she probably flirted with one of the guards and got a copy of the key.She always had a plan B.Die
I stared at the text message until my fingers went numb.You okay, babe? Heard something went wrong at the club.How did Valentina know?I never told her.No one did.Only Diego, his men… and the people who were there.My hands trembled as I typed back.Where did you hear that?She replied fast.Girl, don’t stress. Javier told me. He said you freaked out and ran. Poor thing. You need sleep and wine! Want me to come over? My stomach turned.So Javier told her?Or maybe…She was just pretending.Just covering her tracks.I remembered how she looked the day she came to do my hair. How she stared around Diego’s house like it already belonged to her.How she touched the armrest where Diego sat.How her smile never reached her eyes.I knew that smile now.It was the smile of a snake.I didn’t sleep that night.I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling while shadows moved across it like ghosts. My body was sore. My heart was heavier than ever.The memory of Diego’s hand gripping mine… that had
The tray crashed to the floor, shattering into a thousand pieces.My heart stopped beating for a second. I looked up and Santiago’s eyes locked onto mine—dark, sharp, deadly.“She’s the one,” he said, standing slowly from his chai. “Diego’s girl.”The men around him stiffened. Their hands moved to their jacket pockets where I knew Guns were hidden. I didn’t think. I turned and ran.People screamed as I shoved past dancers and waitresses. Lights blurred. Music pulsed like a war drum in my ears.I didn’t dare look back.I couldn’t.Gunshots cracked behind me.Pop! Pop! Pop!I ducked low, my heart racing. My foot slipped on a puddle of spilled drink, and I fell to the floor.Pain shot through my knees, but I scrambled up and kept running. I had to get out.I saw a hallway up ahead. At the end was a heavy door. I ran toward it, my legs shaking. I pushed it open and found a dark metal stairwell. My high heels clicked loudly on the concrete steps as I stumbled down. My legs burned, and my
“Open the gate!”Javier’s shout sliced through the quiet night. I jumped out of bed, my heart racing like a drum. I ran to the window, my bare feet cold against the floor. Outside, under the bright gate lights, I saw Javier. His hoodie was wet with sweat, and his chest was moving fast, like he’d been running. Even from my room, I could see fear in his eyes. He looked desperate, like something terrible was chasing him. “Maya!” he shouted again, fists pounding on the metal bars. “Please! I need to talk to you!”“Shit,” I whispered.I didn’t even think to grab shoes.I bolted out of my room, flew down the stairs, and burst through the front door.One of Diego’s guards stopped me at the bottom of the porch steps. “You can’t—”“He’s my friend,” I said, pushing past him. “Let me talk to him.”Another guard moved to stop me, but Diego’s voice rang out behind us, cold and sharp.“Let her.”I turned.He stood at the doorway, arms crossed, watching everything like a hawk. Barefoot. Shirtless
I froze.The office door creaked open—just an inch—but it was enough to make my heart pound so loud I could hear it in my ears. My chest felt tight, like I couldn’t get enough air. My heart slammed so hard I thought it would break my ribs.Voices drifted in from the hallway. A man’s. Deep. Serious. Then a woman’s—soft, flirtatious, like she was trying to charm someone. They were right outside the door. I panicked and slipped behind the long, heavy curtain by the bookshelf. I pulled it closed as quietly as I could, careful not to make the fabric rustle. My hands shook as I held the small burner phone in my pocket. That phone had photos—proof that could get me in big trouble. Proof that could get me killed.The door opened all the way.Footsteps.Two pairs.First, I heard high heels clicking on the floor. Then the heavy thud of men’s shoes—loafers, I think.They entered the office like they owned it.They probably did.“Close the door,” the man said.It clicked shut behind them. I he
The second I walked into Club Viento, I knew I didn’t fit in.The music pounded in my ears, so loud it shook my chest. Bright lights flashed, making my eyes hurt. The people looked too perfect, like they belonged in a movie. Women in short dresses and bright red lipstick moved like they owned the place. Men in fancy suits stood in dark corners, talking quietly, their eyes sharp and cold. This place felt dangerous, like a trap hidden under shiny decorations.I took a deep breath and walked toward the bar, trying to stay calm. Remembered what Diego told me before I came here:“Act invisible, but don’t look afraid. Smile, but don’t look like a whore. Listen more than you speak. And never—never—get caught in the VIP section—no matter what.”Those rules sounded easy when he said them, but now, in this crowded club, they felt impossible. I was dressed like a bottle girl in a tight black skirt and a white shirt, my heart racing like it wanted to escape my body.“Hey, newbie,” a waitress his
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