Chapter 1

Chapter One

Ellie

Fuck.

I knew I shouldn’t have stopped here, but I was too tired and too damn worn out from running last night and the old mansion on the north side of the city had seemed like the best option at the time.

Hell, my cheek still hurt from the backhand across my face. Flinching, I brushed my fingers against it.

I hoped my face wouldn’t bruise.

It wasn’t the first time Marco had hit me either. His anger got the best of him sometimes and I’d finally had enough of it. Just yesterday, he’d tied me to the bed and left me there for hours to teach me a lesson while he went away on some business trip. I’d been able to escape, but it hadn’t been easy.

I rubbed my wrists absently. They still ached from the rope.

I shook my head, thinking maybe I’d just woken up from a bad dream and hadn’t heard anything at all. I’d only just laid my head back down on the pillow when another noise caught my attention. My hearing laser focused on the sound. I thought it might be a footstep brushing against the floor, but I couldn’t be certain.

Fuck. What was that?

It could be absolutely nothing. Maybe it was an animal. Or maybe it was just the wind… Right?

This house was abandoned sometime in the last few years. The woods surrounding the back were chock-full of racoons, foxes, and coyotes. Regardless, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I chewed the inside of my cheek.

Slowly, I pushed myself off the twin bed. I’d chosen it because it looked the cleanest out of all the beds in the house. It was covered in a dark navy-blue quilt with only a few stains. I’d covered the pillow with a sweatshirt and laid down for a few hours. I wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sun hadn’t risen yet, so it still had to be sometime in the middle of the night.

My heart thundered against my chest as I stood up, holding my breath. I could hear the creaking of the floorboards under my feet, and I pressed my lips together nervously. As silently as I could, I grabbed my backpack and tiptoed across the room. I flinched with every soft sound, hoping whomever or whatever was downstairs wouldn’t hear me up here.

Maybe it was Marco’s men or maybe it was someone else. Either way, I didn’t want to take any chances.

The moonlight flittered with a soft glow through the window, and I weighed my options. I could run, but if it was Marco’s soldiers looking for me, then it would be far too risky. I could slip out through the back of the house into the woods, but that still posed the issue of getting caught if I made just one wrong step.

My gaze landed on the closet door.

I could hide.

For right now, it seemed like the most viable option, so I took a deep breath and grabbed the knob. The hinges squeaked quietly as I slowly opened the door. Footsteps sounded on the stairs. In a rush, I threw myself inside, turned around, and closed myself in.

The footsteps pounded louder.

They were getting closer.

I swallowed hard.

Whoever was here, they weren’t trying to hide their presence. I took a step backward, and my back brushed against the wall as I held my breath. I could see through the small gap between the door and the doorframe. When a shadow moved across the wall, I shrank back a bit more and my gaze landed on my sweatshirt on the bed.

Shit . Shit. Shit. Shit.

I froze as a man moved into my field of vision.

He was tall, maybe something like six foot four. I could easily make out the form of his muscles underneath his impeccably tailored suit. He was big, but not huge, and my eyes widened as his hand slowly came into view. He brushed his fingers across the dark green fabric of my sweatshirt, his dark head tilted to the side, and then lifted as he looked around the room. His gaze fell on the closed closet door, and he paused as my heart pounded in my chest like a goddamn drum. I hoped he couldn’t hear it.

I stopped breathing when he took a step toward me, but then another man slipped into the room beside him.

“I could have sworn I heard something,” the first man said softly.

I held my breath, trying to make myself as small as possible in the cramped closet. The new man stood by the first, shorter but equally imposing. His dark brown hair was styled perfectly, and there was a certain warmth about him that contrasted sharply with the icy raw intensity of the first man. I drew my lower lip between my teeth and chewed it nervously.

Maybe running would have been a better choice.

The first man narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze still fixed on the closet that I was hiding in. I shrank back into the corner, hoping the few hanging jackets would hide me in case they decided to open the door.

“We can’t afford any loose ends tonight,” the first man replied in a low, controlled tone.

The second man nodded in agreement, his expression unreadable. “Agreed.”

The first man crossed the room, his steps measured and deliberate.

“The Rossi brothers thought they could play both sides, Rafael,” he mused, a hint of disdain in his tone. “They underestimated the consequences of moving against us.”

Rafael’s lips twitched in a smirk. “They’ll be dead before sunrise, Dante.”

My heart raced as I pieced together their conversation. These men were dangerous. That much was clear.

Fuck. This was bad.

I pressed my back harder against the wall, trying to disappear into the shadows.

A sudden shout echoed from another room.

Rafael turned sharply toward the noise. “That’s our cue,” he said tersely.

Dante gave the closet one last lingering look, his eyes narrowing as if piecing together an unsolved puzzle. With a final, indecipherable glance, he and Rafael swiftly exited the room, their footsteps fading down the hall.

I let out a shaky breath, my heart still beating frantically. Relief washed over me, but it was short-lived. The eerie silence that followed was abruptly shattered by two gunshots, resonating through the mansion’s thin walls. The sound was followed by the unmistakable thud of bodies hitting the ground.

They’d fucking killed someone in the other room. I needed to get out of here. What would stop them from killing me too?

They couldn’t find me. They wouldn’t find me.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

My mind raced, trying to comprehend the gravity of what I had just heard.

Frozen in shock, I pressed my ear against the closet door, straining to hear any further sounds. Muffled voices floated back into the room from down the hall. My breath stuck in the back of my throat.

“We need to move them now.” Dante’s voice was cool, almost methodical. “We can’t leave any traces behind.”

Rafael’s reply was equally calm as he spoke to someone else. “Get the car ready, Ricco. The usual spot in the woods should work.”

Their footsteps moved away, and then the heavy sound of dragging echoed from the other room. They were moving the bodies , as in more than one.

These men were not just dangerous; they were absolutely lethal.

I stood there frozen in the closet when Dante and Rafael returned to the room. There wasn’t any time to run or to hide under the bed, or to really do anything.

Fuckity fuck.

Dante turned his head slightly, as if sensing something. “Do you feel that, Rafael? Like we’re not alone?”

Rafael glanced around the room, his eyes briefly passing over the closet. “This old place can play tricks on you. But let’s sweep the house, just to be sure. We can’t take any chances that someone may be hiding in here, maybe a squatter or something. Can’t leave any witnesses behind…”

Panic set in as the reality of my situation became crystal fucking clear. They were going to search the house. I had to think fast. My eyes darted around the dark interior of the closet, looking for something I could use as a weapon or a distraction, but there wasn’t anything other than a few old coats.

Before I could do anything at all, Dante’s hand was on the closet door. Time seemed to slow as the door creaked open, the sliver of light from the room growing wider and wider as my panic spiraled up into the clouds. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the worst.

“Well, well, well… What do we have here?” Dante said, his voice surprisingly calm.

I opened my eyes, reluctantly meeting Dante’s intense gaze. The sight of him took my breath away.

Standing there bathed in the moonlight, he looked like a figure carved out of the night itself. His sharp features cast menacing shadows that played across his sharp cheekbones and the firm tense line of his jaw.

His eyes were the most striking part about him—a piercing blue that seemed to cut through the darkness. They held a cold intensity, like freezing ice over a turbulent sea. His gaze seemed to see right through me, as if he could uncover my deepest fears and secrets with nothing more than a simple glance.

His hair, dark and impeccably styled, contrasted starkly with his pale skin. It gave him an air of sophistication that was both alluring and incredibly frightening.

He was dressed in a suit that looked tailor-made, fitting his lean, athletic build perfectly. The fabric moved with him as if it were a part of him, which only seemed to highlight the restrained power in his movements.

Everything about him screamed danger.

The air around us crackled with building tension. I had to think fast, to say something, anything that might save my life.

“I didn’t see anything, I swear,” I managed, my voice barely above a whisper.

Dante studied me for a moment that felt like an eternity, then glanced at Rafael.

My gaze followed his.

Unlike Dante, Rafael oozed warm charisma.

His features were ruggedly handsome, softened by a perpetual hint of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. His eyes sparkled with a kind of devilish charm as he smirked in my direction. For some reason, I was immediately drawn to him, and I couldn’t explain why.

His hair was tousled like he’d just run his hand through it. It fell just right, framing his face in such a way that the shadows played over his features. A thick beard covered the expanse of his jawline. There was something disarmingly boyish about his looks, yet it was exceedingly clear that he was no stranger to the darker side of life.

Rafael stepped closer, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “She knows too much. What should we do with her, Dante?”

Dante’s gaze flickered over me, assessing, calculating. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes held a coldness that sent a shiver down my spine.

“There’s only one thing we can do,” Dante said icily.

Fuck.

“Please don’t kill me,” I whispered hoarsely, my fear bleeding through with every syllable that fell off my lips.

Rafael’s expression was equally indecipherable. His eyes, however, held a different sort of coldness, one that spoke of a ruthless determination and cold indifference.

Dante’s gaze held mine for a moment longer, and my blood turned to prickling icicles. Then, slowly, he shook his head.

“No,” he said, his voice low but firm. “We’re not going to kill you. But understand this: you’re coming with us. You’ve seen and heard too much, and that makes you our problem now.”

I felt a surge of relief, quickly overshadowed by a new wave of fear. “I won’t say anything, I swear,” I protested, my voice trembling.

Rafael stepped forward, his presence commanding despite his casual demeanor. “You don’t have a choice in this.”

Fuck me.

I looked from Rafael to Dante, fully realizing the gravity of my situation.

“You’ll be under our protection,” he said, and there was an edge to his voice that suggested it wasn’t just for my benefit. “As long as you’re with us, nothing will happen to you. But you can’t leave. Not until we decide it’s safe.” Dante’s expression softened slightly, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. “And when will that be?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady while my head was whirling with panic.

“That’s not for you to worry about,” Rafael interjected, his tone allowing no argument. “For now, you do as you’re told.”

Dante turned and began to walk away, signaling the end of the discussion. “Let’s go,” he said without looking back. “We have a long night ahead of us.”

With a sense of dread twisting in my gut, I followed them out of the room, my mind racing. Every step felt like walking deeper into a maze with no way out.

This was bad.

I couldn’t just accept this, not without a fight.

I had to try to escape.

Without really thinking it through, I bolted toward the nearest window, my desperation clear in every step.

I barely made it a few paces before I felt a strong grip on my upper arm, pulling me back. When I turned my head to look, I saw that it was Dante. His hold was rough, yet there was a strange gentleness to it, as if he was trying not to hurt me, and I didn’t know what to make of that. This man was dangerous, lethal even, and he was holding himself back… for me…

It was a strange realization that gave me pause, but only for a fraction of a second.

In that moment, something inside me snapped. I whirled around, and my hand connected with his face in a sharp slap. The sound of it echoed through the silent hallway as my chest heaved up and down in a fit of anger that was now laced with fear.

For a split second, Dante’s expression was one of cold shock. Then, I could see a flicker of something in his eyes, a mix of anger and, perhaps, a reluctant sense of respect.

That might not have been my finest moment.

“You’ve got spirit,” Rafael said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, yet his eyes were somehow serious. “I’ll give you that.”

Dante regained his composure quickly, a mask of indifference quickly sliding back into place. His cheek was reddened from my slap, and I swallowed past my nervousness and held my chin up high, feigning confidence. Would he hit me back? Worse, would he decide to kill me instead?

“You’re under our protection now, whether you like it or not. You don’t know the danger you’re in now. Coming with us is the only way to stay safe,” Dante said, his voice calm but firm.

For a long moment, he was silent, but then he took several steps back toward the room I’d been hiding in and dragged me along with him.

“Now, you and I are going to have a discussion about what happens to little girls who try to be brave and slap the powerful mob boss who is trying to do nothing but keep them safe from a situation far more dangerous than they know.”