CATALINA'S PERSPECTIVE
LIBRERIA FIORETTA - DAWN The knock at my door came just as the sky broke into pale gray. “Come in,” I said, my voice still soft from sleep. Nikolai stepped inside, shoulders tight, eyes sharp with the kind of urgency that meant trouble. “Lucchese struck Marcini’s turf last night. He left it in ruins. Marcini’s alive, but barely.” I blinked once, then sat up slowly. My hand smoothed the sheets, a small pause to settle the weight of his words. “Marcini…” I murmured, the name slipping past my lips like a thought half-spoken. Nikolai gave a curt nod. “The very one you were planning to meet. The man keeping channels open with the Russians. That line is compromised now. If he dies, the Russians will tighten their guard.” I swung my legs out of bed, reaching for the silk robe draped over the chair. The tie cinched around my waist with theCATALINA'S PERSPECTIVE LIBRERIA FIORETTA The door clicked shut behind Nico, and silence folded back into the shop. I didn’t spare it a second thought.“Nikolai,” I called, not raising my voice.“Yes, Señora?”“Send Nathaniel to the outskirts,” I said, sliding a book into place with deliberate care. “It’s time Cynthia moved.”His brow twitched. “Cynthia, Señora?”I turned, sharp enough to slice hesitation from his face. “Yes. My dear little Cynthia. She was trained for this, beauty, brains, skill. A soldier wrapped in silk. She knows how to bait men, and she knows how to gut them.”Nikolai inclined his head, waiting.“The message goes through Nathaniel,” I continued. “Tell her to start with the underground showrooms. Dealers. Collectors. Men who think power comes cheap.” My lips curved, but the smile never reached my eyes. “She’ll know what to look for, tattoos behind their ears, cars with horns. A net
CATALINA’S PERSPECTIVELIBRERIA FIORETTA Morning The morning was quiet. Too quiet. Sunlight spilled through the bookstore’s tall windows, catching the dust motes in golden shimmer. I’d been stacking the latest shipment of books on the oak table, the smell of fresh paper comforting, almost enough to let me pretend the world outside wasn’t crawling with vipers.The bell above the door rang violently, more slammed open than gently pushed. Nico stormed in like a bullet that had missed its mark but refused to stop moving. His coat was half open, hair wild from the morning wind, his grin nowhere to be seen.“Rosa.” He didn’t even bother with Catalina. He never did when the mask was useless. His voice was a crack of thunder in my peaceful morning. “Voronin.”I straightened slowly, brushing imaginary dust from my hands, calm where he was chaos. “What about him?”Nico slammed his palm on the counter, eyes bright and f
CATALINA’S PERSPECTIVELA ROSA NERA CAR - UNDERGROUND SHOWROOM MIDNIGHT - DAWNThe leather of the backseat pressed cool against my legs as I leaned back, hands folded neatly on my lap. Renzo drove with the steady precision I expected, Alfonzo at his side, silent and alert. Nico sat beside me, muscles taut, eyes scanning every passing shadow like the city itself could betray us.“Still can’t believe you did it,” Nico muttered, voice ragged, low. “Just… pulled it off. No warning, no mercy.”I didn’t answer. I let the silence hang, letting him stew. My lips curved faintly, just enough to tease, not enough to soothe.The underground showroom appeared, a maze of polished, modified cars, the hum of clandestine commerce thick in the air. Alfonzo shifted, lifting the bag. I watched, detached, as he flung it into the crowd. The head skidded across the concrete, rolling to a stop between the sleek, armored cars.Chaos erupted immediat
CATALINA'S PERSPECTIVE LA ROSA NERA CAR - MIDNIGHT I didn’t look back. The flames could swallow Marcini whole, they could carry his arrogance into ash. It didn’t matter. Nico followed. Not because I called for him, but because he never lets me walk away alone. I slid into my car and, as expected, he left his behind. A silent choice. Mine over his. The doors shut, sealing us in that quiet where smoke still clung to the night. “You’ve lit a fuse,” he said, his voice low, almost amused. “Dante will come for blood.” “He already does,” I answered, smoothing my dress over my knees. “One Russian boss less in Italy is one step closer to peace. Or control. Whichever word tastes better to you.” His eyes lingered. Measuring me, like always. “You make it sound simple.” “It is.” That silence stretched, until he leaned closer. The flicker of fire outs
DANTE’S PERSPECTIVE MARCINI’S WAREHOUSE – NIGHT That bitch just shot him. No hesitation. Just steel, smoke, and silence where a man’s begging used to be. Marcini’s body slumped, his blood running like filth across his own floor. Worthless bastard. Gave up an alias and then died like the rat he was. The Driver. I clenched my teeth so hard it rattled through my skull. The fucking Driver. Roman Voronin. A Russian thief dressed up as a king, thinking he can carve highways through Europe and step foot into Italy like it’s his racetrack. My racetrack. And she, La Rosa Nera, she sat there like the execution was nothing. Veil, voice twisted mechanical through that changer of hers, tone cutting into me like iron. “Marcini was already dead,” she said, cold, like it was fact, not choice. “He gave us what we needed. Nothing more.” Needed? I didn’t need scraps. I needed that Russian
CATALINA'S PERSPECTIVE LA ROSA NERA MARCINI'S WAREHOUSE - NIGHT Marcini’s voice cracked under the weight of pain and fear. “You....you think you stopped something? That fire, that shipment you burned-” he coughed, shaking, blood pooling around his ruined foot. “That wasn’t just random stock. That was the final delivery.” Dante’s eyes sharpened, the predatory stillness settling over him. “Final to who?” Marcini hesitated. A mistake. Another soft click echoed as I pulled the hammer back again. His eyes bulged, panic forcing his tongue loose. “Moretti! It was Moretti’s! His collection...cars, prototypes, guns fitted inside. He’s been waiting for months....months!” The name dropped like acid. Dante’s jaw flexed, his teeth grinding audibly. “Carlos Moretti.” Nico gave a low whistle, amusement dripping from him like smoke. “Well, isn’t that poetic. Italy’s golden collector unknowingly being sp