Chapter five: A dangerous rule

Luciano slammed his fist on the counter again. “How the hell did they get access to a live feed?”

I stared at the blank laptop screen, my skin crawling. “They were watching us the whole time we were talking. Right now. Get the power off or something!”

Gunshots erupted outside before he could answer. Glass shattered again. Luciano grabbed me and pulled me down behind the kitchen island.

“Stay here!” he ordered, already moving toward the window with his gun raised.

“Like hell I will.” I snatched my gun from the table and followed him, heart hammering. “They’re not taking us without a fight.”

Bullets tore through the front of the safehouse. Luciano fired back, the sound exploding in my ears. I peeked around the corner and squeezed the trigger twice. One of the attackers cried out and dropped.

“Nice shot,” Luciano grunted, reloading fast.

“Don’t sound so surprised,” I said, breathing hard. Adrenaline pumped through me so strong my hands barely shook anymore.

Three more men burst through the side door. Luciano took one down quickly and went straight for the third. The second rushed me. I swung my gun up but he knocked it away. His hands closed around my throat.

“Get off her!” Luciano roared.

I drove my knee up hard between the man’s legs. He loosened his grip with a groan. Luciano put a bullet in his head before he could recover.

The house went quiet again, but we both knew it wouldn’t last.

Luciano turned to me, eyes wild. Blood splattered his shirt. Mine too. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” My voice came out rough. I touched my neck where the man’s hands had been. “You?”

He did not say a word.

Luciano moved fast, grabbing both our phones and powering them off. “We’re leaving. Now. Marco, get the backup car ready!”

I stood there frozen.

“Seraphina, move!” Luciano snapped, throwing a black shirt at me from one of the closets. “They could hit us again any second.”

I caught the shirt and pulled it on, my fingers shaking. It smelled like him, dark, expensive, and dangerous. “Don’t talk to me right now, you were the one who brought us here.”

He stepped closer anyway, voice low. “You regret it. Fine. But right now regret won’t keep you alive. We need to get out of Milan.”

Marco burst back in. “Car’s out front, boss. Two teams covering the route.”

We ran out the back way, glass crunching under our shoes. The morning sun felt too bright on the destruction. Luciano kept one hand on my back as we climbed into the new armored SUV. I slid as far away from him as I could.

The car sped off toward the private airstrip.

For a long time neither of us spoke.

“I hate you,” I said finally, staring out the window.

Luciano let out a tired breath.

“Just don’t say anything.” Heat rushed to my face. “It was a stupid mistake to follow you here. A mistake that won’t happen again.”

His jaw tightened. “Don’t do that. Don’t twist what I did out of kindness, into something ugly just because you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared of you.”

“Well, you should be.” He leaned closer. “Because whatever this Swan is, they’re coming harder now that they know we’re working together.”

The car pulled onto the airstrip. We boarded another jet in silence. Once we were in the air, heading to Geneva, I finally spoke again.

“We stick to my rules,” I said, arms crossed tight. “We share information. We find this Swan person. Then we go our separate ways. No more… whatever that was.”

Luciano poured himself a drink and offered me one. I took it this time and downed half in one swallow.

“Rules,” he repeated, almost amused. “Fine. Rule one you don’t run off alone. Rule two you tell me everything your family knows about the original peace summit massacre.”

I nodded slowly. “And you tell me everything about my mother’s death. No holding back.”

He did not respond, the room fell into silence.

The flight to Geneva felt long. We spent most of it going through files on our laptops, trading information. Every time our hands accidentally brushed, I pulled away quickly.

By the time we landed, I felt raw. Exhausted.

A new safehouse waited for us in the hills overlooking Lake Geneva. It was quieter, more isolated. Luciano’s men swept it thoroughly before we went inside.

I dropped onto the couch the moment we were alone. “I need a shower. And real clothes.”

“Clothes are in the bedroom,” he said. “But first things first, we got a lead.”

I sat up straighter. “What lead?”

“One of the attackers from Milan talked before we took him out.” Luciano sat across from me. “He mentioned a name. Viktor Kane. Supposedly a middle man who works for the Swan.”

Hope sparked in my chest. “Then we go after him. Tonight.”

“Already sent a team,” he replied. “Both you and I will stay here.”

I wanted to argue, but I was too tired. “Fine.”

Hours later, while I was finally clean and wearing fresh black clothes that actually fit, Luciano got the call.

I watched his face carefully as he listened. His expression went from focused to frustrated.

“What happened?” I asked the second he hung up.

“They found Viktor Kane.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Dead. A single bullet to the head. And a black feather right next to the body.”

I cursed under my breath. “So that’s a dead end.”

“Yeah.” Luciano walked over and sat beside me. Closer than necessary. “This Swan is always one step ahead. They’re playing with us.”

I could feel the heat from his body.

I stood up quickly.

“This partnership is temporary,” I reminded him. “Don’t get too comfortable.”

He stood too, towering over me. Inching closer.

I backed up until I hit the wall. “Don’t.”

His eyes dropped to my lips for a second. “I’m not touching you. Unless you ask.”

“I won’t.”

“Good.” He stepped back. “Because the next time, I want you to admit you want it.”