Chapter 5 Storming In

The bass from the club's speakers hit Luciana and each beat made her heart thump as she stormed through the crowd. She jumped over the velvet rope that demarcated the VIP area resisting the bouncer's attempt to pull her back. She ran up the stairs her mind was set on one target.

She found him in the VIP section, lounging on a leather couch like a prince among shadows.

Alexander.

He looked up the moment she entered, his expression unreadable. The drink in his hand barely tilted.

"Luciana," he said with a lazy tone that spoke volumes of his current disinterest in seeing her. "You should've called. I'd have rolled out a red carpet."

She didn't stop walking until she stood right in front of him. Then she slammed the photograph on the glass table.

"Explain. Now."

Alexander eyes dropped to the photo, and for a flicker of a second, something passed over his face. Not surprise, not guilt. Recognition or regret?

"You came all this way for a picture?" he asked.

"That's my father with yours and its from the year he disappeared."

Alexander sighed, leaned back. "Maybe they knew each other. Doesn't mean anything."

"Cut the crap. My dad was trying to take down your family."

"And maybe he got too close."

Her hand flew before she could stop it. The slap echoed even in the noisy club and the people in the VIP area paused.

Alexander didn't move. Just looked up at her, calm, like a lion letting a mouse get its shot.

"You done?" he asked standing up.

"No," she growled. "Not even close. I want answers."

"And I want you out of this club before someone mistakes you for leverage." People around were beginning to whisper and pay more attention.

They stood, eye to eye, fury meeting fire.

"You have someone watching me don't you" she hissed.

Alexander's jaw ticked. "To keep you safe."

She scoffed at his words. "Don't insult me."

"You got a death threat, Luciana. I'm not the one who sent it. But I am the one who can stop whoever did."

"Why?" she asked. "Why protect me?"

He stepped closer, the space between them crackling with tension.

"Because... whether you like it or not, this thing, this war, it's already circling you." For a moment there Alexander was about to confess everything

She didn't back away. He didn't reach out.

But the air between them was heavy with tension that drove Luciana crazy. For as much as she hated his guts and his family she still felt jittery whenever he was close

Then someone dropped a glass that shattered and the spell broke.

Luciana snatched the photo from the table.

"This isn't over."

"No," Alexander said quietly. "It's just beginning."

He knew if he told Luciana even a word about his father's suggestion she would tear him apart.

***

Back in her apartment, Luciana paced about like a caged animal. She had crossed a line tonight. Gone into the wolf's den and poked the alpha. But what haunted her more than the confrontation was the way Alexander had looked at her. Like he knew something.

She tossed the photos on the counter again and stared at it. It was much more than just evidence now it was a map. Because it didn't matter what Alexander said. Her father had known Riccardo Romano. And whatever deal they had made had cost her everything.

She poured herself a drink, ignoring the way her hands trembled. Her chest squeezed whenever she remembered how normal and happy her family was. How much her father loved her mother and how barely a year after he finally became a detective he disappeared. She was young then so she didn't fully understand why he went missing or why her mother kept moving them from from state to state after that even when she was sick

Her phone buzzed.

Unknown number.

She sighed she wasn't interested in any anonymous calls. "What?"

Silence.

: "You've stirred the nest, counselor."

Luciana stood up. "Who is this?"

"You keep digging, you'll find bones. Maybe your own."

Just then Luciana heard a knock on her door that made her heart skip a beat.

She looked at the door warily unsure whether to approach or call for help. The call was ended even as she debated her next line of action.

Another knock and Luciana grabbed the baseball bat from behind her couch.

The knocking became louder and more frequent and soon the person on the other side started jiggling the lock.

With a held breath Luciana watched the door open and took a full swing.

"What the actual fuck Lu!"

Luciana screamed and so did her cousin who had just unlocked the door.

"A little closer and you would have smashed my head open. What is up with you?"

"I didn't know you were coming."

"Well if you bothered to check your dm once in a while you would know I'm in town for buisness and I'm checking up on you"

**

In his penthouse in the middle of the city, Alexander poured himself a whiskey and stood on the balcony of his high-rise apartment. The city shimmered below the nightlife bustling, ignorant of the wars fought in its shadows. He hadn't wanted this life. But he wasn't naive enough to pretend he could escape it either.

The photograph haunted him. He'd known it would surface eventually. He finally came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to finish the trial immediately

Alexander didn't know the entire truth but he remembered the way Riccardo spoke Luciana's father's name. With respect. With guilt.

A message buzzed on his phone.

From: Shadow (Private Security)

Fester followed. Tail spotted. Possible surveillance on her building. Orders?

Alexander replied instantly: Double the tail. No contact. No threats. I want her alive.

Because someone else wanted her dead

The more he thought about it he became confused on why he was doing this. Was he protecting her because of her father or because of something deeper he didn't want to name.

Luciana barely slept that night. By morning, her contact had texted back.

Blocked call originated from a burner traced to a warehouse in the Docklands. Could be mob-connected. Proceed carefully.

She dressed quickly. She wasn't sure what she was planning, only that she couldn't sit still. The next trip

The warehouse looked abandoned. She circled it once. Then again. She was about to approach when a shadow approached from the alley.

"You really shouldn't be here alone."

Alexander.

She wasn't surprised at all. At this rate she could be his counsel with how frequently they were meeting.

She spun to face him. "We have to stop meeting like this you know. I might get the wrong idea" she cringed internally usually flirting was his thing not hers

He shrugged. "You're reckless. It's annoying."

"And yet you're here."

"I have better things to do than pull your ass out of danger, Fester."

"Then go do them no one asked for your service here"

He didn't leave however. Instead, he stepped forward, gaze flicking to the building.

"Place is empty. Whoever called you isn't here anymore. But you know that, don't you?"

Her voice dropped. "Why was my father with yours?"

"I don't know," Alexander rolled his eyes annoyed. He was tired of hearing about both their fathers.

They drove back in silence, tension thick in the air. Alexander took the long route through the city, pretending not to notice the way Luciana kept glancing at him like she was trying to figure out where to stab him first.

"Did your father kill mine?" she asked finally.

Alexander's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Let's change the topic. What's your opinion on marriage"

She looked at him with a quizzical expression that soon turned to hysterical laughter that left Alexander more annoyed.

"Just drive okay. Let's not make this any more awkward than it needs to be."