Chapter 5 WHERE IT HURTS

The attack came three days later.

Not loud.

Not chaotic.

Precise.

Elena almost missed the warning signs.

Her apartment was quiet that evening - save for the low hum of song that played across her bedroom . The soft hum of the refrigerator, the distant sounds of traffic below, the familiar creak of the building settling around her. It was the same place she had lived in for two years.

The same marble kitchen counter.

The same narrow hallway. Fit just for one person.

The same stack of perfumes and makeup on the table.

Her normal life.

Or what used to be.

She had just placed a kettle on the gas when she noticed something small... but wrong.

The hallway light outside her door was off.

It never turned off.

Elena frowned.

Maybe the bulb burned out.

She moved toward the door, curiosity outweighing caution, and reached for the handle.

Then she heard it.

A sound so soft most people would miss it.

Metal scraping against metal.

The lock.

Her heart stopped.

Someone was opening her door from the outside.

Instinct slammed through her.

Run.

Elena staggered backward just as the door burst open.

Two men rushed in.

Black clothes. Gloves. Faces hidden.

Not thieves.

Not random criminals.

They moved like professionals.

"Grab her!" one of them barked.

Elena didn't scream.

She ran. With adrenaline rushing through her.

The first man lunged for her arm, fingers brushing her sleeve as she slipped past him and bolted toward the bedroom. Her pulse roared in her ears as she grabbed the first thing she saw-a heavy lamp-and swung it blindly.

It connected with a crack.

The man cursed, stumbling back.

The second attacker drew a gun.

Elena froze.

Cold terror flooded her veins.

So this was how it ended.

Because she had seen something she wasn't supposed to. Because instead of eliminating her, the man had decided to let her live and now she was drawn into his world.

Because Alessandro had let her walk back into the world like nothing had changed.

The man stepped closer, gun raised.

"Boss said alive," the first one muttered, recovering.

The gun lowered slightly.

That tiny hesitation saved her.

A gunshot exploded through the apartment.

But it didn't come from them.

The man holding the gun dropped instantly, collapsing onto the floor.

Blood spreading beneath him.

Elena gasped.

Another shot rang out.

The second attacker spun-

Then fell.

Silence crashed into the room.

For a moment Elena couldn't breathe.

Couldn't think.

Then she saw him.

Standing in her broken doorway.

Gun still raised.

Suit jacket gone.

Shirt sleeves rolled up.

Dark eyes blazing with lethal fury.

Alessandro.

He scanned the room in one swift motion before his gaze locked onto her.

"Elena."

Her name left his mouth like a command.

Like relief.

Her legs finally gave out.

Alessandro crossed the room in seconds, catching her before she hit the ground.

His grip was firm. Steady.

Too steady for a man who had just killed two people.

"Are you hurt?" he demanded.

She shook her head, trembling violently.

"I-I don't think so."

His hands moved quickly, checking her arms, her shoulders, her face. Searching for blood.

Finding none.

Behind him, Luca and two other men entered the apartment, weapons drawn.

"Clear," Luca announced after a quick sweep.

Alessandro didn't respond.

His attention never left Elena.

"You said I'd be safe," she whispered.

Not angry.

Just tired.

The words hit harder than any accusation.

His jaw tightened.

"I placed men outside the building," he said quietly.

"Then how did they get inside?" she asked.

No one answered.

Luca crouched beside one of the bodies, pulling off the man's glove.

Then he froze.

"Boss."

Alessandro looked up.

"What?"

Luca turned the man's wrist.

A tattoo marked the skin.

A symbol.

Cold recognition flashed across Alessandro's face.

Elena noticed.

"What is it?" she asked.

Alessandro didn't answer immediately.

Instead, he stood slowly, his expression turning dangerously calm.

"They shouldn't be here," he murmured.

Elena's stomach dropped.

"What does that mean?"

Alessandro looked back at her.

For the first time since she had met him-

he looked genuinely unsettled.

"It means," he said slowly,

"the people who sent them..."

His voice went cold.

"...were supposed to be dead."

And somewhere in the city-

someone who had been buried three years ago

had just declared war.

***********Author's Note 📝

😫 Elena must have felt death grip when that gun was pointed at her.

Poor Elena.

The story hasn't fully started yet and she's already drawn to the chaos surrounding Alessandro.

And Mr. Moretti is sooo coolllll and sexy🤭😅.

I love them already and I can feel the spark of attraction already.

As I will always say, please comment and like my storyyyyyyy.....because it means the world to me.