CHAPTER THREE

THE FIRST MISSION

SOFIA POV

I came back to the tunnel at 12:47 AM.

My dress is torn. My thighs are a little bit sticky. I can still feel him inside me.

I climb through my bedroom window and freeze.

Someone’s in my room.

“Where were you?”

Luca.

He’s sitting in the chair by my vanity. Still dressed. Arms crossed. Face blank.

My heart stops.

“I…I couldn’t sleep. I went to the garden.”

“In that dress?” His eyes drag down my body. Slow. Lingering on the torn hem. The marks on my neck. “Interesting choice for a midnight stroll.”

Think. Think.

“I was going to change but”

“But what, Sofia?” He stands. Walk toward me. “You decided to climb out your window instead? Crawl through dirt? Ruin a two-thousand-dollar dress?”

He’s three feet away now. I can smell his cologne. The whiskey on his breath.

“Tell me the truth.”

“I am.”

His hand shoots out. Grabs my jaw. Not hard enough to hurt. Hard enough to warn.

“You’re lying.” His thumb brushes my bottom lip. Presses. “Your pulse always speeds up when you lie. Right here.” He touches my throat.

Right where Alessio sucked.

Luca’s eyes drop to the mark. His whole body goes rigid.

“No one. I…”

“WHO. TOUCHED. YOU.”

His voice is ice.

Don't play with me sof.

I’ve never seen him like this. Wild. Barely controlled.

“I fell,” I whisper. “In the garden. Hit my neck on a branch.”

He stares at me for five long seconds.

Then he releases my jaw and steps back.

“Go shower. You smell like…” He stops. Breathe in deep. His eyes darken. “You smell like sweat.”

And sex. He means sex.

Does he know? Can he tell?

“Luca, I…”

“Shower. Now.” He walks to the door. Pauses. “And Sofia? From now on, Marco will be doing checks every hour. Not just midnight.”

The door closes.

Locks from the outside.

I stand there shaking.

The burner phone in my bra buzzes.

Unknown: Good girl. You made it. Now shower. You’ve earned it.

I had the urge to throw the phone across the room.

Instead I text back.

Me: He knows something’s wrong.

Unknown: He suspects. He doesn’t know. There’s a difference.

Me: What if he figures it out?

Unknown: Then I’ll kill him before he touches you. Problem solved.

My hands shake.

Me: I can’t do this.

Unknown: Yes you can. Because if you don’t, Gianna dies. Your choice, piccola.

I throw the phone on the bed.

Walk to the bathroom.

Turn on the shower.

And cry.

_ _ _ _ _

ALESSIO POV

The next day drags.

I spend the morning in meetings. Afternoon reviewing shipments. Evening planning the Vecchio takedown.

But my mind keeps drifting back to her.

The way she felt. The way she tasted. The fear in her eyes when she realized she belonged to me now.

Perfect.

Nikolai knocks on my office door at 8 PM.

“She’s on her way.”

“Good. Is everything ready?”

“The warehouse is clear. Guards posted outside. No witnesses.”

I nod. “And the package?”

He slides a folder across my desk.

Inside are photos. Documents. Shipping manifests. All with the Vecchio family crest.

“Luca’s moving a shipment through the harbor tomorrow night,” Nikolai says. “Weapons. Enough to supply a small army.”

“And he’s meeting the buyers personally?”

“Marco confirmed it.”

I smile. “Then that’s where Sofia comes in.”

_ _ _ _ _

SOFIA POV

The warehouse smells like rust. Yuck.

I step inside. The door closes behind me.

“Hello?”

My voice echoes.

Footsteps. Then Alessio emerges from the shadows.

He’s in jeans and a black shirt tonight. Sleeves rolled up. Forearms on display. He looks less like a Don and more like a..

“You came.” He sounds pleased.

“You threatened to kill my cousin. What choice did I have?”

He circles me slowly. Predator assessing prey.

“Did Luca suspect?”

“He knows I left. I told him I went to the garden.”

“And he believed you?”

I hesitate.

“He saw the mark on my neck.”

Alessio stops. “And?”

“He asked who touched me. I said I fell.”

Silence.

Then he laughs. Actually, I laugh.

“You’re a better liar than I thought.”

“I’m not…”

“Yes you are. You’ve been lying to your brother your whole life. Pretending to be the perfect sister. The obedient daughter. When really…” He steps closer. “You’re just a girl who wants to be fucked like she matters.”

Heat floods my face.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what? Tell the truth?” His hand slides up my throat. Gentle. Possessive. “You liked it last night. Liked being owned. Used. Filled.”

“Stop.”

“Make me.”

I shove him.

He doesn’t move.

Instead he grabs my wrists. Spins me around. Press my front against a metal pillar.

“Here’s how this works,” he growls in my ear. “I will give you a job. You do it. You report back. And if you’re good…” His hips press against my ass. I feel him. Hard. Ready. “I will reward you.”

“I don’t want your freaking rewards.”

“Liar.” His hand slides under my skirt. Cups me through my panties. I’m wet. Already. “Your body doesn’t lie, Sofia. It knows who it belongs to.”

I bite my lip to keep from moaning.

“Tomorrow night,” he says. “Your brother is meeting buyers at the harbor. Pier 29. Midnight.”

“How do you know that?”

“I told you. I know everything.” His fingers slide under the fabric. Tease. “You’re going to plant a tracker on one of the crates.”

“I can’t”

Marco will be there. The guards…”

“You’ll figure it out.” He pushes one finger inside me. I gasp. “You’re smart. Resourceful. And motivated.”

He adds a second finger. Pumps slowly.

“Alessio”

“Say it right.”

My face burns.

“Daddy,” I whisper. “Please…”

“Please what?”

“Please stop.”

“You want me to stop?” He stills. “Really?”

I’m panting. Aching. Hating myself.

“No.”

“Then ask for what you want.”

I close my eyes. Surrender.

“Please make me cum.”

“Good girl.”

He fucks me with his fingers. Hard. Fast. His other hand covers my mouth when I scream.

I come so hard my knees give out. He holds me up. Keep going. Draw it out until I’m sobbing.

When he finally pulls his fingers out, he brings them to my lips.

“Taste.”

I open. Suck them clean.

“Perfect.” He releases me. Steps back. “The tracker is in the bag by the door. Plant it. Text me when it’s done. Understood?”

I nod. Don’t trust my voice.

He walks away. Pauses at the door.

“Oh, and Sofia? Next time I won’t be so gentle.”

The door closes.

I collapse against the pillar.

My phone buzzes.

Unknown: By the way, Luca’s planning something. I don’t know what yet. But I’d sleep with one eye open if I were you.

My blood runs cold.

I look at the bag by the door. The tracker inside.

Tomorrow night. The harbor. My brother’s deal.

My first mission.

My first real betrayal.

I picked up the bag.

Walk outside.

Behind me, hidden in the shadows, I hear a sound.

Footsteps.

Someone was watching.

Someone knows.

I run.

_ _ _ _

LUCA POV

I watch Sofia sprint down the street from my car.

Marco sits beside me.

“Should I follow her?”

“No. Let her run.”

“But sir”

“She met with Alessio Volkov.” I light a cigarette. Take a long drag. “My baby sister is fucking my enemy.”

“How do you know?”

I hold up my phone. Show him the photo I took through the warehouse window.

Sofia pressed against a pillar. Alessio’s hand up her skirt. Her mouth opened in a silent scream.

“Because I’ve had her followed since last night.” I flick ash out the window. “The question is what do we do about it?”

Marco shifts. Uncomfortable.

“We could kill him.”

“No.” I smile. Cold. “We use her. She wants to play spy? Fine. Let her think she’s fooling me. Let Volkov think he’s won.”

“And then?”

I take another drag.

“And then I kill him slowly. Make her watch. Show her what happens when someone touches what’s mine.”

My phone rings.

Unknown number.

I answer.

“Mr. Vecchio?” A woman’s voice. Familiar. “This is Katya Volkov. Alessio’s… associate. I believe we have a mutual problem.”

I smile.

“I’m listening.”