use on the edge of the city's industrial district. The dim glow of a single lamp barely cut through th

sn't here.

ouses, and shipments. Yet his mind wasn't tracking routes or numbers. It kept drifting back to the green eyes of Ale

the haze, practical as alw

ay, irritation flashing. "I

t? The price on Alessio's head, or the fact you're basically

Moretti was the last thing he wanted to admit w

ai was the heir, the commander, the cold heart steering an empire built on

ment from Marseille just arrived. The docks a

focus. "Set up a meeting in the war r

lean, eyes like sharp knives, Luca had earned his place beside Kai after years

u asked for?" Luca added, smirking s

a twitch. "Good. We'll need eve

ng more than that. He's playin

no had built this empire from nothing, each alliance forged with fire and blood. He'd ruled from the shadows, a ghost who whispered fear i

dicate's lieutenants awaited, men and women who had bled and schemed fo

"The Viper" Vivaldi. Slim, quick, and deadly with a razor-sharp mi

he Moretti front businesses are moving more money than

the reports. "So Alessio's

med. "We can't let the

want our teams tightening on all routes. Surve

o Moretti's encrypted channels. We've got chatter about a

The hours bled on. Plans. Counter-plan

way she'd called him out. The way she'd challenged him. The way she'

d," Luca muttered. "You've

w. "She's not a distra

rkly. "A problem

a glare but d

found himself alone in the war room. The maps still sprawled, the phone

hen locked the screen. His fingers trembled just a fra

night. A world where power was currency, an

es close

, wrapped in silk, and she

uldn't stop himsel