4

Six

Morning arrived too soon, sunlight streaming through curtains I didn’t remember closing. The sheets beside me were empty but still warm.

The muffled sound of running water from the bathroom pulled me back into reality. Last night had been wild, too wild to forget.

I closed my eyes, replaying flashes of Carmen’s face, her body, the way she screamed my name.

My phone buzzed on the nightstand, cutting through the haze. I grabbed it.

Flight Reminder. New York.

The assignment.

This was my ticket out. The last task Don Vincenzo had for me. Complete it, and I’d finally leave this life behind.

I got dressed quickly, slipping into my usual black-on-black attire. I didn’t wait for her to finish her shower.

No goodbyes, no promises, no attachments. Just another fleeting moment to lock away with the rest of my sins.

I paused briefly at the bathroom door, almost willing her to step out. Instead, I turned and left, my footsteps echoing in the silence.

Twenty-four hours later, I stood in Capo Marco’s New York mansion, waiting to meet my charge – the woman I’d be protecting for the next three months.

“Six,” Marco Salvatore’s booming voice snapped me from my thoughts. “Come meet my fiancée. She’s a beautiful woman, you’ll see.”

I turned.

And there she was.

Not Carmen.

Arabella Rodriguez.

Heiress to the Rodriguez empire.

Future wife of the Capo.

And my fucking one-night stand.

Fuck.

Her face was a mask of perfect composure, but I caught the flicker of recognition in her eyes. She recovered first, of course she did.

“A pleasure to meet you, Six,” she said, her smile flawless, polished. There wasn’t a trace of the woman who’d begged me to fuck her the night before. “I’ve heard so much about the legendary enforcer.”

I forced my face to stay neutral, years of training kicking in. “Ms. Rodriguez.”

Marco’s arm snaked around her waist, a possessive move meant to establish his dominance. My fingers twitched, remembering the feel of her soft skin beneath them.

“Arabella will be staying here until the wedding,” Marco announced. “You’ll be her shadow. Where she goes, you go. Understood?”

“Understood, Capo.” My voice was steady, but my insides were a storm.

Arabella’s lips curved into a sly smile. “I’m sure we’ll get along famously.”

Marco grinned, oblivious to the electricity sparking between us. “Six is the best. He’s never failed an assignment.”

Until now, perhaps.

“I have a charity gala tonight,” Arabella said, her tone sweet and innocent. “Will you be accompanying me, Six?”

“That’s what I’m here for,” I replied evenly. I needed to get her alone, to talk. This act was sustainable for now, but the truth hung in the air like a guillotine.

She excused herself to prepare, leaving me alone with Marco. He lit a cigar, watching me through the haze of smoke.

“Beautiful, isn’t she?” he said, his voice carrying an edge. “And soon, she’ll be mine. The Rodriguez empire along with her.”

A warning. A reminder of my place.

“The Don mentioned threats,” I said, steering the conversation to safer ground.

“Her father’s enemies are now mine,” Marco muttered, exhaling a perfect smoke ring. “Keep her safe, Six. Whatever it takes.”

I nodded, knowing I was caught in a trap of my own making. One wrong move and everything would crumble. Marco would kill me for touching his woman. Don Vincenzo would kill me for endangering the merger. And Arabella...

Arabella was a wildcard I couldn’t read.

She reappeared in a red dress that stole the air from the room. My chest tightened as memories I’d tried to suppress came flooding back. She fastened an earring, her reflection in the mirror catching my gaze.

“Shall we go?” she asked, her voice light, playful. Too innocently.

I followed her to the waiting car, taking my place in the front beside the driver. In the rearview mirror, her eyes found mine. There was something dangerous there - a challenge, a dare.

Three months. I just had to survive three months.

But as she smiled at me in the mirror – a smile full of secrets and sin – I knew.

I was already dead.

***

The drive felt like it was stretching on forever, even though I knew we were only a few minutes from the hotel.

There was an unspoken tension that was almost unbearable.

I tried to stare straight ahead, but my eyes - my eyes kept flicking to the rearview mirror. I couldn’t stop myself.

And every time I did, there they were, those hauntingly beautiful eyes, staring back at me.

Arabella Rodriguez. Or should I say, Carmen?

Every time our eyes met in the rearview mirror, it felt like she was pulling me into something deeper, something I wasn’t sure I wanted to understand.

She wasn’t just looking at me - she was holding my gaze, daring me to unravel the truth.

Was this a test?

Did she know who I was that night in Rome? The way she’d smiled, touched me, and batted those lashes, it had all seemed so calculated.

Was it coincidence, or had I walked into a carefully laid trap? A twisted game only she knew the rules to?

I kept my focus on the road. Staying calm under pressure was second nature to me, but now, her presence was clawing at the edges of my control.

I couldn’t stop wondering what was going through her mind as she sat there, her gaze burning into the back of my head.

The next time I caught her eyes in the mirror, I couldn’t stand it anymore. Her expression was a wall of silence, giving nothing away.

It infuriated me. I turned around slightly, letting my voice cut through the tension.

“Are you okay, Miss Rodriguez? Do you need anything?”

It was a weak excuse to glance at her in that dress, and we both knew it.

She swallowed, her throat working for a second before she replied, her voice calm, controlled. “I’m fine, thank you.”

I nodded, turning back to the road, trying to shake the feeling gnawing at me. The city lights blurred past as the car hummed softly beneath us, but my thoughts were anything but calm.

When we arrived at the hotel, I stepped out quickly, moving around the car before the valet could. It wasn’t just instinct, it was an excuse to close the distance.

I opened her door and placed a hand lightly at the small of her back to guide her out. The gesture was professional, practiced, but the way she stiffened under my touch told me everything I needed to know.

She remembered.

“So, Carmen, huh?” I murmured, my voice low enough that only she could hear. I leaned closer, scanning the area for wandering eyes, keeping my tone sharp and deliberate. “I wasn’t fooled by that name.”

She froze for just a second—so brief, I might have missed it if I weren’t watching her so closely. But then she turned to me with a slow, calculated smile, the kind that sent a chill straight down my spine.

“That’s very intuitive of you, Six.” Her voice was velvet-smooth, her blue eyes dancing with a playful, dangerous glint. “I’m impressed.”

And just like that, she turned on her heel, swaying away from me with an elegance that felt like a slap in the face. She didn’t even glance back, leaving me standing there, rooted to the spot.

I watched her retreating figure, my mind racing.

What the hell had I just walked into?