LOGINThe sky darkened as heavy clouds rolled in. Thunder rumbled in the distance, lightning flashed, and rain poured down hard. The roads blurred under the rain, and the headlights barely cut through it as Rico drove down the empty highway.His grip tightened around the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white and his jaw clenched. The sound of the storm did nothing to calm him, only feeding the anger boiling inside him. His eyes stayed locked on the road, dark and focused, and his mind kept replaying the same thought over and over.Hurting Salvatore.After Sandro’s death, something in Rico snapped. It was as though he had lost all sense of thinking straight. A man like Marco did not need patience. He needed war. He needed fire.So Rico and the others moved fast, working through a plan to get to him. And the quickest way to reach Marco was through his strongest men.Rico took the evidence Sandro had gathered over the past few weeks—the La Rosa Nera club, and the connections Domenico and
Days rolled by, and Calla healed gradually. Rico had insisted on calling a doctor that very morning, right after the sun came up. She had tried to talk him out of it, but there was no winning him. Still, she couldn’t blame him for worrying.The doctor examined her ankle carefully and reassured Rico that there was no internal injury, nothing serious to be concerned about. With proper rest, he said, it would take a week or two to heal completely. He prescribed some medication and an ointment before taking his leave.Rico didn’t relax much, even after hearing that. If anything, he became more attentive.He rarely let her walk on her own. Most times, he carried her whether she protested or not. His arm firm beneath her knees as he lifted her like it was the most natural thing in the world. And when he didn’t carry her, he would stay close, one hand steady at her waist, guiding her steps slowly, making sure she didn’t put too much weight on her ankle.At first, Calla found it unnecessary.
Calla tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out. How could she tell him she followed him there? He would be more pissed to find out that she followed him thinking he was a stranger.She swallowed and tried again. “I couldn’t sleep,” she started, her voice in a whisper. “So I went into the conservatory.”“In nothing but a thin robe?” he asked, his voice growing sharper.“It… it wasn’t that cold when I left the house.” She pushed her lower lip forward, her gaze falling to where he held the ice pack over her sprained ankle.Of course, it was cold when she stepped outside and her feet touched the ground. It had rained, and she wasn’t oblivious to that. She had only thought she would be in the conservatory for a short while.Silence fell between them, both breathing and trying to control their emotions. Then Rico sighed. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m not angry… I’m just—” he stopped, exhaling harder.Calla lifted her head and peered at him, her eyes narrowing slightly. “What happened?” s
Calla stirred in bed, sleep refusing to come. It was well past midnight, and Rico still wasn’t back. She couldn’t help but wonder what had kept him out for so long. From the look on his face when he read that message, it had clearly been something bad.Worry sat heavily in her chest, but her pride wouldn’t let her call him.With a tired sigh, she pushed herself up, giving up after hours of trying to fall asleep. A small frown settled on her face as she wondered why she was still awake, even though exhaustion weighed down her body.She had spent the entire day with Sophia—letting her cry, hugging her tightly, staying by her side, making sure she wasn’t alone or slipping deeper into her thoughts.It had drained her, but she knew she would do it all over again if she had to.A low groan escaped her as she dragged herself out of bed. Her eyes drifted to the empty space beside her where Rico should have been, and she remembered he wasn’t there. She pressed her lips together, letting out an
The rain fell softly, soaking into the soil and the grass. Rico stood there without moving, letting it drench him completely, as if the cold water could wash away even a small part of what he felt.He didn’t blink, and he didn’t shift. He just stood there, watching as Sandro’s body—and what was left of his family—were slowly lowered into the ground.They had to bury them that same day since there was no one else to claim them, and no relatives to wait for. And Sandro’s wife and child… what was left of them couldn’t be kept any longer. It was better this way. Less painful for everyone involved.Rico had made sure of it himself.Right after the call with Marco ended, his phone had buzzed. It was a message from Marco. There were no words or explanation, only an address. Rico didn’t waste time, he went there himself.It wasn’t the same place where Sandro had been killed. Marco wasn’t careless like that. The building was empty when Rico arrived, the door already open like someone had been
"What do you mean he's missing?!" Rico blew, slamming his fist on the table as he shot to his feet. He breathes heavily, peering at Matteo who texted him earlier that something really bad had happened.He was with Calla at the time the message came in, and he hated the idea of leaving her at that moment. She looked like she was hurt by something he'd said. But again, the message seemed urgent.He immediately arrived at their meetup area. Matteo and Costa were the only ones present. They had to break the news to him. Sandro was missing. He was abducted."We were supposed to meet up here and work on new tasks," Matteo started. "But when he didn't show up, we knew something was up..." he sighed, unable to go on.Costa continued, and Rico's attention shifted to him. "You know how he is with a new task, boss," he said. Rico nodded, agreeing with him. Sandro was a machine. Whenever there was a new task or an enemy's system that needed infiltration, he was a hundred percent ready. Him not s
Rico pushed through the crowd, his eyes locked on one person—a man.The same man he’d spotted during the dance. He was standing at the far end of the room, staring right at him like he had been waiting for that exact moment.The second Rico saw him, something hot and wild snapped inside him. Months
Calla tried to shield her face with both hands, her butt aching from the hard fall when they dragged her across the wet restroom floor.These girls had lost their minds.The one who first insulted her had yanked her hair so hard her scalp burned, and with her friends beside her, they were spraying
Rico led Calla into the main hall. The room was enormous, with round tables covered in white cloth and gold chairs arranged neatly around them. Soft music floated through the air, and people in elegant dresses and sharp suits chatted quietly, glasses clinking.He guided her straight to the table re
Calla tossed and turned in bed for the rest of the night. She couldn’t remember how she even got home from the warehouse, only that she’d ended up curled on her side, her knees pulled to her chest like she was trying to hold herself together.Her eyes were wide open now, dry and empty. She had crie







