Against the Mafia's Odds

t. The air was thick with the heady mix of alcohol, sweat, and smoke, and the distant chatter of voices seemed to fade beneath the music's th

known as Don Vincenzo-sat in the VIP section, his fingers wrapped around a glass of

ne, and piercing brown eyes told the story of the weight he bore. His dark hair was styled to perfect

His crime? Stealing ammunition from the organization. Dante had been the one to break him down, stripping him of every la

he had been family. Years of loyalty, sha

tung, but it was the act of taking a life that he couldn't r

something w

ping music, she stood-completely out of place yet magnetic. Petite with long, dark curls, her hazel eyes gleamed under the dim lig

for a while. It had been years since she'd left for the States, and she could hardly believe the long separation was finally over.

ty, their paths had diverged. Years of silence had faded their bond, until one evening, Sofia stumbled across Issabella's Facebook profile . The face was unmistakable, and the last

He'd always wanted her away from this world, away from trouble. But she couldn't help it. She wanted to feel alive again, to

, full of strangers. But as soon as her e

o

ntouchable, yet there was an undeniable pull. His eyes locked with hers, and for a heartbeat, the world around them disappeared. H

She couldn't tear her eyes away. He was the kind of man her father had w

d sliced through her thoughts like a knife. Her stomach sank when she sa

?" she asked, her breath catching in her throat. Maria's words were hurried, sharp, fu

States?" Maria's voic

call without responding, a heavy se

lla, her expression no

her heart pounding with the unknown weight of Maria's words. The carefree joy she'd fel

ared into the crowd, his stomach tightening with confusion. What had happened? Why had sh

elf torn between the inexplainable pull he felt toward her and the growing questio

rained it, and set it down with a thud. He had no interest in staying

ol night air greeted him as he stepped outside, offering some r

ehind. Dante closed his eyes for a moment, letting the calm settle him. He

tered, his eyes fell on his sister, Francesca, asleep on the couch. She had just returned from Switzerland after years of studyin

. He moved past her, entering his r

s drifted back to the day-the interrogation, Giovanni's betraya

game of power where Dante had no choice but to play his part. But the moment he'd broken Giovanni, something inside h

" still echoed in his mind, haunting him. For a moment, there had been a flicker of sympathy,

e done. And the Don's verdict

something was wrong, that this night had marked the beginning of something much darker. As he drifted to sleep, he sought peace, hop