Chapter 2

 Chapter Two  

Alessia’s POV  

The moment I reached the station , the tension was so high that the smell of coffee and sweat smells like blood to my nose and dear Lord knows how I wanted that blood to belong to Ricci. I walked briskly towards the interrogation room with anticipation running through my veins.  

Leonardo Ricci was a bastard who got away with almost everything and almost turned this city into his personal empire. A man whose crimes spanned across nations, a name that sent fear into the hearts of the most dangerous criminals. The bastard I had spent five years trying to pin down but he just walked in and surrendered?  

Bullshit! 

I pushed the door open and stepped inside with my blood boiling the moment I saw him. Leo sat there like he owned the damn place and leaned back in the metal chair like it was his private penthouse couch. He was wearing a neat tailored navy-blue suit and a Rolex glinting under the station bulbs and despite being in handcuffs, his aura was enough to suffocate the whole room.   

But what pissed me most right now was the silly smirk on his face as if he was mocking my presence in the room. My fingers twitched with the need to punch him badly but I only smiled sarcastically.

“Well…. well,” he chuckled with a dark thick voice that was filled with mischief as he slowly wandered his gaze over me. “If it isn’t my favorite detective. You look pissed sweetheart. Should I be flattered?”  

I glared at him and leaned against the table, while folding my arms. “Cut the crap, Ricci and let's hit the point. Why the hell did you turn yourself in?”  

“Maybe I missed you.” He chuckled and cocked his head at me which made me smile sweetly at him.

 “Or maybe you realized your reign is finally over.” He released a husky laugh and shook his head as if I was some clueless little girl. “Alessia, Alessia, Alessia…” He mumbled as his eyes darkened dangerously. “You really think you’ve won, don’t you? You're fucking proud that all your hard work and sleepless nights obsessing over me would finally pay off?”  

I swallowed hard at his words and my jaw clenched as I pointed my fingers to his face. “You think this is a game, Ricci? You’re going to prison for the rest of your miserable life.” I spat out with defiance but his smirk widened, feeling so unbothered. “You’ve got a filthy mouth for a cop but I guess that’s expected when you spend all your time chasing bad boys instead of finding a good man to—”  

“Shut the hell up.” I didn't let him finish his filth as my nails dug into my palm hard. “You think this is funny? You’ve killed innocent people with your dirty drug empire, you've destroyed families and you think you can just walk in here, play your little games and walk out?”  

Leo exhaled and shook his head like a psychopath. “Oh, sweetheart. You’re wasting all that fire on the wrong things because a woman like you shouldn’t be running around in trousers with a badge and pointing guns at men.” He leaned in with his voice dipping into something low and intimate. “You should be on your knees princess and let a man like me take care of you.”  

I slapped him so hard that my palms burned at the rubbish he just uttered. What the hell is wrong with this Man for crying out loud, he's arrested and would soon be thrown in the cell because I'll make sure of it but he's acting nonchalant, spitting vague words and going as far as flirting?

 He barely flinched. He just turned his face back to me with those eyes burning with something that sent a shiver down my spine.  

"You’re an asshole,” I yelled as my chest heaved with anxiety at what this man could do if he dared get angry but Leo licked the corner of his lip where a faint hint of red blood grazed, his gaze were hungry and that silly smirk returned. 

"That hurt, sweetheart but I can think of a lot more creative ways for you to put your hands on me.” I gritted my teeth and placed my hands on my head and walked around the room, thinking of ways I could do more than slapping this man “You’re disgusting Ricci.”  

He smirked back at me, “And you’re obsessed with me Detective.”  

 “The only thing I’m obsessed with is making sure you rot behind bars. The world will finally see what you really are, a rabid dog running loose in this city and a monster who poisons people for profit.”  

Leo’s smirk was fixed as if he knew how that annoyed the heck out of me. Instead, he leaned back and ran a hand through his dark hair making me hate how his cologne was rich, deep and fucking inviting like Oud Royale and power filled the space between us, making my stomach twist.

“You know what I think?” he said smoothly. “I think you’re enjoying this way too much. The thrill of chasing someone like me and the late nights thinking about me instead of your husband, you really want to place a gun on my head and I know you'll love to trail it somewhere more private and hard than my head.”  

I grabbed the case file and slammed it onto the table as my voice shook with raw emotions flowing through my tone as I spoke with a glare while I pointed at the file. “You think this is a joke? These are real people, Ricci. Their lives are ruined because of the shit you pump into the streets. Fentanyl, Carfentanil and fucking Cocaine laced with poison. Do you even know how many people have died because of your greed?”  

His smirk finally faded but not from guilt because he looked almost bored. This bastard doesn't have a heart, does he?

"I know exactly how many Detective but the question is," he said with an unreadable eyes. "Do you?"  

I glared at him and flipped through the file of the faces of victims staring back at me and then I saw them.  

My parents.  

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced my voice to stay steady. "You remember them, don’t you? My mother and father. They didn’t even do drugs, Ricci. My father had a headache. He bought medicine from the wrong pharmacy, the one your men were using as a front and he took one pill, my mother took one, too and they died just because of you.” I yelled and something flickered in his expression, more like guilt but it was gone before I could place it.  

Leo exhaled slowly and cocked his head at me. “Tough luck, sweetheart but don’t put their deaths on me because If they died from a bad product, it wasn’t my fault. Viktor ran that distribution.”  

I froze.  

"Viktor?" My voice turned sharp and I asked him.

Leo smirked and nodded. "Ah, see? Now you're interested. You’ve been chasing the wrong man, Detective."  

I stared at him with my heart pounding against my ribs. Viktor Belov was another name on our radar , he's another bastard who is a Russian trafficker and had been creeping into Leo’s territory for months. Could he be telling the truth?  

No. I couldn't trust him.  

“You’re full of shit,” I hissed and groaned, dragging my hair as If I was going crazy.

“Then prove me wrong.” Leo shrugged but before I could fire back, the door slammed open and my boss stood in the doorway, his face was pale and he looked shaken, which has never happened.  

"Alessia," he said quickly and avoided Leo's gaze. "Step out, Now."  

I glanced at Leo, who was watching the scene with casual amusement.  

"What's going on?" I asked him as my gut twisted with uncertainty.  

Moraeu didn’t answer but his jaw was tight as his eyes darted between me and Ricci again. "Just come outside, It’s

bad."  

I shot one last glare at Leo before storming toward the door.