PROLOGUE

Laura Huxley POV

As Laura Huxley regained consciousness, she could have sworn she was near the sea or maybe on a boat. However, her awareness was quickly consumed by the realization that she was tied down to a chair.

Memories of what had happened came flooding back, accompanied by a sharp pang of pain. It was clear she had not managed to escape.

Laura regretted not leaving her employer, Jake, much earlier. If she had known about his ties to the Mafia or his involvement in their business, she would have quit long ago. The hit had been executed with deadly precision. The Mafia hitmen had walked into the restaurant, unconcerned by the presence of other people, and shot Jake straight in the head.

Laura recognized the audacity of the attack, as only one Mafia group would be capable of such a brazen operation. She knew this from previous experience. After witnessing her boss's murder, she had expected the hitmen to eliminate all witnesses, including herself. Yet here she was, still alive but firmly bound to the chair. Despite her attempts, she could not shake herself free.

As Laura attempted to free herself, she heard a voice say, "Nice of you to wake up young one, but if I were you, I’d stop trying to get out of that rope…"

The footsteps drew closer, and she lifted her head to see who was speaking, but the pitch-black darkness prevented her from seeing anything. Laura realized that her face was covered and took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"Keep calm Laura…" she whispered to herself.

Not knowing where she was or who her captors were made the situation even more terrifying. However, Laura found some comfort in the fact that they were not trying to kill her - at least not yet. If that were the case, she reasoned, she would already be at the bottom of the ocean.

The sound of a foghorn confirmed that she was near the sea. Laura wondered what her captors had planned for her and felt a surge of panic as she heard another person's voice. It was clear that there was more than one person in the room.

"How long is he going to take before he gets here? We have wasted too much time..." the second person said, leaving Laura to wonder who "he" was.

Fear took hold of her heart. This was not how she had imagined her death. She still had unfinished business, a revenge to exact, and couldn't die like this. She struggled again to free herself, but her restraints held her firmly in place.

"I don't know... he gave the orders to bring her here, so we wait…'" the first man responded, and Laura realized at that moment that someone else was giving orders.

What would anyone want with her, she thought. It was a worrisome sign.

At the age of 16, she was well acquainted with the mafia groups in the city, particularly the Red Steel Mafia. They were responsible for nearly all the crimes committed in New York, including her father's death.

Although she was aware of the mafia's presence, she, like everyone else in the country, did not know who was leading the group. Detective Hadley, who was in charge of her father's case, had informed her that it was pointless to pursue them since they were not only the largest mafia group in the country but also had influence in every sector of the government.

One of the men in the room spoke up, "Well, he better hurry up before our asses freeze..."

Another person sighed, "But what does he want with her? We killed the man and should have killed her too..."

She could not tell who was speaking at this point as another voice joined in, "Apparently, she knows something or has something that belongs to him..."

Laura had nothing belonging to the Mafia except her "little revenge," as Detective Hadley had called it. She did not know what they were talking about. If only they would remove the gag from her mouth, she could inform them that they were wasting their time.

"What could a child possibly know or have? She's just a kid..." someone scoffed as they walked closer to her. Technically, she was still a kid since she had just turned 16 a few days ago.

She heard the person's footsteps stop in front of her, and suddenly, he jerked her head up, removing the blindfold. The room was filled with light, and she had to close her eyes until they adjusted to the brightness.

"Nico!" the first man hissed. She recognized the voice. "What the hell!" he shouted.

She gradually opened her eyes and saw the man who had been standing in front of her holding the blindfold. As another man approached, she recognized the first man. The room was empty except for a table and chair in the corner.

The man spoke sharply to Nico who had removed the blinds, "You shouldn't have done that!"

Nico responded dismissively, "What, Ken? Like she can do anything. She's not going to leave here alive once Marco is done with her... she's as good as dead."

Despite Nico's comment, Ken yelled back, "That still doesn't mean you should reveal our identities!" and pushed Nico on his chest. The two men stopped when the door opened, and Laura tried to see who it was but couldn't due to their obstruction.

The person who had entered the room thundered, "What the hell is going on here...!?" Laura noted that he was the leader. The room was tense as he pushed Nico and Ken away from her.

She watched as he angrily asked, "Is she...? You removed her blinds?!" Ken began to speak, but the leader stopped him with a raised hand.

"I don't care what you want to say right now, cover her up. Armani is on his way here..." the leader spat. Nico's reaction confirmed that Armani was the one they had been waiting for.

“Could you clarify which Armani you are referring to?” the other man in the room who had been silent until now asked inquisitively, his eyebrows furrowed with confusion.

The leader let out a disapproving "tsk" and responded, "Which other Armani do you know? Armani Steele, of course!" His tone suggested that it was obvious and that he expected the man to know who Armani Steele was.

As they discussed Armani Steele's unexpected presence, someone beside her shuffled nervously. It was Ken, who muttered in shock, "Why? He's not supposed to be here... Marco gave the orders!"

The leader let out a sigh, revealing his thoughts on the situation, "You know the Steele family... they are nuts. My guess is that they found out about Marco's order and are trying to clean up his mess." He then quickly instructed, "Cover her up!"

Laura shuddered at the thought of being involved in anything related to the mafia, let alone being caught up in their messes. If she was scared before, she was now absolutely terrified.

"Are we safe?" Nico whispered as he carefully covered her face with a blindfold, trying to remain as inconspicuous as possible.

The leader paused and was about to respond, "Pray you..." but was interrupted when the door suddenly banged open.

The room fell silent, and Laura could feel the tension in the air. It was as if a mythical being had just walked into the room. The temperature seemed to drop a few degrees, and she could no longer hear any movement. She was completely still, trying to determine where the person was in the room.

Suddenly, she felt someone stand directly in front of her, and she couldn't help but wonder how the person had managed to move so quietly. Her blindfold was removed, and she looked up to see the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was a vision of perfection, like a Greek god brought to life.

His pitch-black hair was so dark that it seemed to absorb all the light in the room. His icy blue eyes were sharp and piercing, and she found herself lost in their gaze. She had never seen cheekbones so defined in a man, and his perfectly chiseled jawline was something straight out of a dream. He was easy on the eyes, to say the least.

He was dressed in a gray three-piece tailored suit that hugged his body perfectly, giving him the appearance of a perfectly molded statue. Laura blinked twice, trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, before he looked away from her, breaking her trance.

It was apparent that this man was the Armani they had been referring to all along, and Laura could feel her heart pounding against her chest as she tried to compose herself.

Armani's sudden arrival had caught everyone in the room off guard. His face contorted into anger as he turned to glare at the men in the room. Laura could feel the tension in the room rise as he thundered, "Release her! Now!"

The leader took a step back, seemingly intimidated by Armani's commanding presence. "Sir... I don't think it's possible, she has..." the leader started to say, but Armani cut him off immediately with his abrupt tone, "I. SAID. RELEASE. HER!"

Nico, one of the men in the room, rushed towards Laura immediately and started to untie the knots holding her. She couldn't believe what was happening. Were they really going to let her go? It seemed unlikely, considering the reputation of the mafia group that had held her captive. So who was this man who had come to her rescue?

Laura tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but she could only see his broad back and his nicely shaped ass as he talked to the leader of the group. Her heart skipped a beat when she recalled his chiseled features and icy blue eyes. Even though she remembers every single detail about his face, she couldn't see it right now.

Armani's words continued to ring in the air, "How dare you capture a girl! A child! I don't care whose orders it was... you know the rule! Yet you chose to violate it. You'll hear from the boss!"

As Armani walked away from the room, Laura remained there, trying to comprehend what had just happened. She didn't know why, but the face of the stranger had her longing to see him again, to be in his presence again, even if it was for two seconds.

It was obvious that he had not been the one who had given the orders, but he still had something to do with the Mafia and from the looks of things, he could override an order, meaning he was one of the higher ups.

Laura sighed, trying to calm her racing heart. She had just escaped death from the infamous Red Steel mafia group, and it was all thanks to Armani Steele. He had saved her, her savior. She only had a name, Armani Steele, to identify him by, but she felt a strange pull towards him.

She should be hating him for being associated with the mafia, but her heart protested against that very word, 'hate.'