3

Adriano.

The little rat thought she was clever.

No, she must have assumed she was a damn genius to have actually had the pair on her to pull of such a stunt.

In my house.

With my presence just mere inches away from her at the time.

I remained in bed, alone now.

I rested on my back, staring at the ceiling as I let my breathing even out. Everything seemed calm, but my mind was racing, thinking back to this morning.

If I could even call it morning.

Thinking back to her.

The best goddessdamned lay I’d gotten in a long, long time.

Because when I’d opened my eyes earlier today, seeing a half naked little vixen tiptoeing through my room, it was barely dawn at the time.

But it wasn’t surprising to see that the best fuck I’d had in a damn long time had a different agenda as she pranced around my room. Rummaging through my things like a little thief.

And she was a thief, in fact.

I’d watched her through half lidded eyes as she immersed herself in filling her pockets.

She went through my dressers, my closet, even the bathroom. She didn’t miss a single spot as she pilfered.

It made me wonder if she only followed me here with the intent to steal from me. And the sex was just a bonus.

The thought made a slow, involuntary grin spread out on my face.

Watching her bend over, stuffing random trinkets into that burgundy dress that hugged all those luscious curves of hers like sin, was almost enough to keep me in bed. Almost.

Maybe it was the sheer audacity of her actions that amazed me. Or maybe I wanted to see how far she’d go.

Watching her search for a new area to fit whatever she’d gotten her hands on into her tight dress had me wanting to expose myself just to pin her on the bed and feel those curves underneath me again.

Because fuck, she showed me a good time.

But either way, I didn’t stop her.

Not right away.

Not at all.

She was desperate—that much she’d made clear the night before. With all the things she drunkenly told me about her family struggles and the financial strain she dealt with, it felt the weight of the world was on her slender shoulders.

After the night we had, bet on us to stay up after.

Restless.

I filled her glass with enough wine to keep her mouth running. Part of me knew she wouldn’t have uttered those things to a man like me if she wasn’t intoxicated.

But after a few more drinks yesterday, she certainly was.

I didn’t pry then, and I wasn’t about to now.

Not when I’d seen her actively pilfering my belongings.

When she finally managed to slip out of the room, thinking she’d actually pulled one over me as she clutched her little stash, I almost laughed.

She thought she’d pulled one over me.

Me.

Adriano Giordano.

She had no clue that I’d already alerted my guards to let her leave. She’d get no trouble as she headed out of the penthouse.

And, it amused me to watch her slip through my fingers like water, thinking she was free.

But the amusement didn’t last long.

It hit me the moment I sat up, the sheets pooling around my waist.

Something felt off.

My gaze darted to the dresser where I kept the one item I never let out of my sight.

The ring.

My ancestral ring.

A wave of building fury crashed over me.

That wasn’t just a ring. It was a symbol of power, of control. It had been handed down through generations, a testament to the strength of the Giordano bloodline

.

My father had placed it in my hand the day I became don, and his words echoed in my fucking ears even now.

‘This ring isn’t just yours, Adriano. It belongs to the family. To the Cosa Nostra.’

And now that little… could have stolen it.

I shot out of bed, my muscles taut with anger.

My heart pounded, not from fear of losing the ring—no one would dare to keep it for long—but from the sheer audacity of her actions.

From my carelessness.

Catch some good pussy and my head suddenly wasn’t screwed on straight?

I ripped open the drawer, and just like I’d sensed, it wasn’t there.

Like a broken dam, a sudden, forceful current of bitterness rushes through my senses.

I paced the room, my mind racing. How had I been so careless?

How had I let my guard down with her, of all people? A random woman I’d met at a bar?

But my mind knew the answer, and bitterly offered it to me like I begged to hear the truth.

Because she was clever.

Beautiful.

Dangerous in her own way.

And now she was mine to hunt.

I grabbed my phone and called Luca, my second-in-command. His voice was sharp and alert when he answered. “Boss?”

“The woman I brought with me last night, who’d I’d instructed the men at the gate to give safe passage to? Is she gone?”

His response was a yes.

My jaw tightened. “I’ve lost my ring.” I said, hearing how cold my voice sounded.

And then I changed my mind, remembering that I didn’t loose it.

Someone fucking took it.

“No.” I corrected, “It was stolen from me.”

There was silence on the other end. Then, “The Giordano ring?”

“Yes,” I bit out.

Luca didn’t ask any more questions. He knew better. “What do you want me to do, Boss?”

“First thing first, I want that woman found.” I said, my voice low but firm. “Send men to all the usual places. Tear the fucking streets apart if you have to. And bring her back here. I want her tracked down by nightfall.”

His response, as usual, and without complaint or emotion came swiftly, “Yes, boss.”

I ended the call and stood by the window, looking out over the city.

The skyline was beautiful, and I took a moment to let it sink in.

Gave it a chance to calm me down.

The view was why I’d chosen this high rise in the first place.

But as of right now, it did nothing to calm the raging storm brewing inside me.

I should’ve known better.

I rarely showed mercy. It wasn’t in my nature. And now I was paying the price for letting my guard down. She’d made a mistake. A big one.

Because no one stole from me and got away with it.

And Azzura?

She was about to learn that the hard way.