Chapter 6 The Night We Met

The rain fell like whispers of fate that night, soaking the cobblestones of a sleepy Venice alley, draping the city in a melancholy sheen. The present chaos faded as Elena's mind drifted back to that night-the night everything changed, the night she met Luca Moretti.

She had been chasing a lead, a murmur of corruption tied to a series of underground arms deals. Disguised as a tourist, camera slung around her neck, she followed a crooked trail of whispers that led to an old warehouse near the docks. She hadn't expected to stumble into a world far darker than she had imagined.

The warehouse was lit by a dull yellow glow and guarded by two men with cold eyes and twitchy fingers. Elena's heartbeat danced in her ears as she pressed her back against a shipping container and waited for the perfect moment to sneak inside.

She didn't realize she was being watched.

"Curious kitten," a deep voice had whispered from the shadows.

She spun, heart leaping to her throat, only to find a tall figure emerging from the darkness. Rain dripped from his black coat, his features chiseled and unreadable. But it was his eyes that froze her in place-steel-gray and unblinking.

"You shouldn't be here," he said.

"Neither should you," she snapped, stepping back.

"The difference is, I belong in places like this. You don't."

He moved with calculated grace, and something primal passed between them-an electric awareness.

"Who are you?" she asked, holding her ground.

He smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Nobody you'd want to remember."

The sound of a door slamming broke the tension. Voices grew louder from within the warehouse.

Luca grabbed her wrist. "Come with me if you want to live."

It should have been a cliché, but in that moment, surrounded by shadows and secrets, it felt like salvation. She let him lead her away, sprinting through alleys, until they ducked into an abandoned church lit only by moonlight through stained glass.

Her breath came in ragged gasps. "Why did you help me?"

He looked away. "Because you reminded me of someone I lost."

A lie, she knew then. But one that cloaked something deeper.

Back in the present, Elena sat in the safehouse Luca had brought her to after the shootout. The memory played like an old reel behind her eyes. That night had marked the beginning of a dangerous unraveling-a pull neither of them could fight.

The door creaked open and Luca entered, the scent of rain still clinging to him. His white shirt was stained with dried blood, and he moved with practiced silence.

"You remember, don't you?" she asked softly.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he walked over to her, crouching so their eyes were level.

"I never forgot," he said. "Not the way you looked at me that night. Like you saw something human under all the blood."

"Did I?" she whispered.

His gaze burned into hers. "You still do. That's the problem."

Before she could reply, Luca's phone buzzed. He glanced at it and cursed under his breath. "They're coming. They know you're with me."

"Who?"

"My family. Or what's left of it. They think you're leverage."

He crossed the room and pulled open a concealed drawer, revealing a Glock and a file. Elena rose, heart pounding.

"What are you not telling me?"

He looked at her, jaw clenched. "The night we met, I wasn't just watching that deal. I was there to kill someone. A rival capo. But when I saw you-"

"You hesitated."

He nodded. "And that hesitation cost me. The man escaped. He's the one hunting you now."

Elena's breath caught. "So I'm bait."

"No," he said fiercely, stepping close. "You were never supposed to be part of this. But now that you are, I won't let them take you."

She touched his face, surprised by the gentleness in his eyes.

"What if I don't want to run anymore?" she asked. "What if I want to fight with you?"

He hesitated. Then slowly, he leaned in, his breath warm against her lips. "Then heaven help us both."

Their kiss was inevitable, igniting a fire that had smoldered since that first night. It was more than attraction. It was defiance. A declaration. A vow.

But the moment was shattered by the crash of glass.

Bullets tore through the window. Luca tackled her to the ground, shielding her with his body as shards exploded around them.

"Stay down!" he barked.

He rolled, firing three precise shots. Screams echoed outside. More gunfire. Then silence.

Elena clutched the edge of the couch as Luca rose, checking his clip.

"We're leaving," he said. "Now."

She scrambled to her feet, still shaken. "Where?"

"Someplace they won't look."

As they slipped into the night, Elena realized something terrifying.

She wasn't afraid anymore.

She was falling.

And if she wasn't careful, it might be the death of her.