Betrayal doesn’t always come with a knife to the back. Sometimes, it’s a whisper in the dark, a hand extended in friendship while the other plots your downfall. I’ve lived through it once, and I refuse to be caught off guard again.
Now, standing in the heart of the Moretti family's territory, I know I’m walking into a den of vipers. The line between friend and enemy is dangerously thin, and one wrong step could mean my death. But if I’ve learned anything, it’s that the best way to catch a traitor is to think like one. Tonight, I start hunting. --- The underground club is packed, the air thick with the scent of alcohol and smoke. Music thrums through the floor, sending vibrations up my legs as I weave through the crowd. This is where power plays happen behind closed doors, where alliances are made or broken over glasses of expensive whiskey. I keep my head down, my hood drawn low over my face. I’m not here for a drink. I’m here for information. Marco, my informant, is already seated in a booth at the far end of the club. He’s fidgeting, eyes darting around like a man who knows he’s being watched. When I slide into the seat across from him, he exhales sharply. “Damn it, Elena. You shouldn’t have come here.” I smirk. “Then why did you ask to meet?” He shakes his head, lowering his voice. “Because what I have isn’t safe to say over the phone. The Moretti family has a leak.” I keep my expression neutral, though my pulse quickens. “Tell me something I don’t know.” Marco leans in. “It’s bigger than just selling secrets. Someone is setting them up. I don’t know who, but I know it’s someone close. Someone with access.” I already suspected this, but hearing it confirmed sends a sharp thrill through me. If someone is manipulating both the Moretti and Volkov families, they’re playing a dangerous game. And I intend to find them before they tip the balance into war. Before I can press Marco for more, the hairs on the back of my neck rise. A presence—strong, familiar—cuts through the noise of the club. I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. “Step away from him, Elena.” The deep voice is controlled, but there’s an edge to it, a quiet authority that makes people listen. I exhale slowly before turning my head. Helios Valenti stands a few feet away, his broad frame blocking out the neon lights. His sharp eyes flicker between me and Marco, and even in the dim lighting, I can see the tension in his stance. “I’m having a conversation,” I say evenly. Helios steps closer. “Your conversation is over.” Marco visibly shrinks in his seat, but I don’t move. “Unless you have a better lead, I suggest you let me do my job.” Helios doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he turns his attention to Marco. “Leave. Now.” Marco doesn’t need to be told twice. He bolts from the booth, disappearing into the crowd. I watch him go, then shift my glare back to Helios. “That was unnecessary.” Helios slides into the seat Marco just vacated. “That depends on your definition of necessary.” I lean back, crossing my arms. “Are you here to protect me or control me?” His jaw tightens. “I’m here to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.” I scoff. “You don’t get to play the protector, Helios. You lost that right years ago.” His expression darkens, but he doesn’t argue. Instead, he lowers his voice. “You want to find the traitor? Fine. But you’re not doing this alone.” I arch an eyebrow. “And you think I should trust you?” “You don’t have to,” he says. “But you need me.” I hate that he’s right. The Morettis are his family, and if I want to root out the traitor, I need someone on the inside. Someone who knows how they think. Someone like him. Finally, I exhale. “Then let’s get one thing straight—I don’t take orders from you.” Helios leans in slightly, his gaze never leaving mine. “Then don’t get in my way.” For a moment, we sit there, locked in a silent battle of wills. Then, before I can stop myself, I reach forward, grabbing the glass of whiskey he just ordered and taking a slow sip. His eyes flicker with something unreadable, but he doesn’t stop me. Instead, he watches as I set the glass back down, my fingers trailing over the rim. “See you around, Valenti,” I murmur. Then, with one last glance at him, I turn and disappear into the crowd. But I know—this is just the beginning. The night air is crisp, a sharp contrast to the suffocating heat of the club. I walk with purpose, my heels clicking against the pavement, my mind racing with what Marco told me. A traitor. Someone close to the Morettis. Someone selling them out. I should have known. Betrayal is a language I speak fluently. But before I can piece everything together, I hear footsteps behind me. I don’t need to turn around to know who it is. “Still following me, Valenti?” I call over my shoulder. Helios doesn’t respond, but I feel his presence is growing closer. I pick up my pace. So does he. Annoyed, I take a sharp turn into an alleyway, pressing my back against the brick wall. The moment Helios rounds the corner, I move. I grab his jacket, using his momentum against him as I shove him hard against the wall. My knife is out in an instant, the cold steel pressing lightly against his side. He doesn’t even blink. “Are we really doing this?” he asks, his voice calm. I meet his gaze, refusing to be intimidated. “You tell me. Why are you following me?” His lips twitch slightly, as if I’ve amused him. “Because you’re reckless, and I don’t trust you.” I press the blade in just enough for him to feel it. “Good. The feeling is mutual.” For a moment, we just stand there, locked in a silent standoff. His body is tense but controlled, his breathing steady. I know he could disarm me if he wanted to—but he doesn’t. Instead, he tilts his head slightly, his voice quieter now. “If you kill me, you lose your best chance at finding the traitor.” I hate that he’s right. I let out a frustrated sigh before stepping back, sheathing my knife. Helios adjusts his jacket like nothing happened, watching me with those sharp, unreadable eyes. “You’re wasting time, Elena,” he says. I cross my arms. “Enlighten me.” He exhales, as if deciding how much to tell me. “Marco’s information is valuable, but it’s incomplete. You’re chasing shadows when you should be looking at the bigger picture.” I narrow my eyes. “And what do you suggest?” Helios steps closer, lowering his voice. “Stop thinking like a rogue and start thinking like someone on the inside. The Morettis don’t trust you. The Volkovs barely know you exist. But I do.” I hate where this is going. “I can get you into the right rooms,” he continues. “Get you the right information. But if we do this, we do it my way.” I scoff. “Your way? Last I checked, you’re not exactly the most trustworthy person either.” Something flickers in his eyes—guilt, maybe. Regret. It’s gone just as quickly. “I know what it’s like to be betrayed,” he says, voice steady. “I know what it’s like to lose everything because of one wrong choice.” For a moment, I hesitate. Because for the first time, I hear something real in his voice. Maybe we’re not as different as I thought. Finally, I exhale. “Fine. But let’s get one thing straight—I don’t take orders from you.” Helios smirks, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Then try to keep up.” I roll my eyes, turning away from him as I walk toward the street. This alliance is temporary. Necessary. Nothing more. But deep down, I know the truth. This is only the beginning.I moved through the dimly lit hallway, my footsteps silent against the marble floor. The Moretti estate was as grand as I remembered, but the air was heavier now, thick with tension and secrets. I had spent years planning my return, molding myself into a woman who could wield vengeance like a weapon. But as I stood in the belly of the beast, I realized the ghosts of my past were harder to shake than I had anticipated. Helios had been watching me all night. I could feel his gaze even when I wasn’t looking. The enforcer had always been a shadow, lurking just beyond reach. But now, he wasn’t hiding his suspicion. He had failed me once, and I knew that guilt was eating at him. I could use that. I stepped into the study, the scent of aged whiskey and leather filling my senses. The room was lined with bookshelves, their contents more for display than knowledge. Behind the grand mahogany desk, an old portrait of Nico Moretti loomed, his sharp gaze frozen in time. The Morettis had built an
The night was thick with tension as I stood by the large bay window of my rented apartment, staring out at the city below. The lights twinkled like scattered diamonds, beautiful yet deceptive, much like the world I was entangled in. The revelation from the warehouse meeting gnawed at me, keeping sleep at bay. Someone close had betrayed us, and I had seen the proof with my own eyes. A knock at the door pulled me from my thoughts. My heart instinctively clenched as I reached for the knife on the nearby table before walking toward the door. I peered through the peephole, expecting trouble, but finding Helios instead. His stance was rigid, shoulders squared, exuding the usual controlled aggression that never seemed to fade. I unlocked the door but didn’t step aside immediately. “What are you doing here?” Helios sighed, stepping forward just enough to make it clear he wasn’t going to leave. “We need to talk.” I studied his face for a moment before finally relenting and opening the door
The night was thick with the scent of whiskey and cigars, the air heavy with unspoken deals and hidden motives. As I adjusted the strap of my dress, I could feel Helios' gaze burning into my back. He didn't trust me—not fully. And I didn't blame him. Trust was a dangerous thing in our world, and I had learned long ago that giving it away too freely was a mistake. We were deep in the underbelly of the city, where power was measured in blood and money. Tonight's mission was simple—extract information from a man who held secrets that could expose the traitor we were hunting. The stakes were high, and failure was not an option. The poker game was already in motion when we entered. I scanned the room, taking in the players—hardened criminals, wealthy businessmen, and a few dangerous faces I recognized from my past. My target sat at the far end of the table, his fingers idly toying with a stack of chips. His name was Viktor Petrov, a mid-level operative with connections to both the Moret
The cold night air bit at my skin as I pulled my coat tighter around me. The streets of New York never slept, but in this part of town, the shadows stretched longer, and the silence between them felt heavier. I had spent the past few days digging into the whispers circling the Moretti family, and finally, I had something solid—a lead that connected the traitor to someone high up in their ranks. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. If what I had found was true, then this betrayal wasn’t just an outside job. It was a cancer eating away at the family from within. Helios walked beside me, his presence a quiet storm. He had been tense ever since the poker game incident, and though he hadn't said much about it, I could feel the weight of his gaze on me every time we were in the same room. He thought I was reckless. I thought he was overbearing. But for now, we needed each other. “We’re meeting him in ten minutes,” I said, breaking the silence. “He won’t talk easily.” Helios snorted.
I could feel the tension thick in the air, an invisible force pulling me and Helios into yet another confrontation. The warehouse was dimly lit, the scent of damp concrete and aged wood surrounding us. We had just received word that the traitor we were hunting had moved again, slipping through our grasp like sand between fingers. And, as always, Helios had a different idea of how to handle it. “You’re not going in alone,” he said, his voice clipped, firm. It was the tone he used when he expected no argument. Too bad for him—I wasn’t the type to take orders. “You don’t get to decide that,” I shot back, crossing my arms. “I’ve been doing this for years, Helios. I know how to handle myself.” His eyes darkened, the storm brewing within them barely contained. “Handling yourself? Like you did last time?” His voice was sharp, cutting. “You almost got killed, Elena. Do you think I’m going to stand by and let that happen again?” I clenched my jaw, willing my pulse to stay steady. I hated
I should have seen it coming. The way things had been escalating, the unease that curled in my gut—it was a warning I should have heeded. But I’d been too focused on the mission, too wrapped up in the constant push and pull between me and Helios. And now, I was paying for it. The plan had been simple. Too simple, in hindsight. Helios and I had staged a meeting with a supposed informant, someone we suspected was connected to the traitor within the Moretti family. The warehouse was the perfect setting for the exchange: abandoned, dark, full of shadows where danger could hide. I should have known better. It happened fast. One second, I was pressing the informant for answers, and the next, a gunshot rang out. Chaos erupted. Helios shoved me behind cover, his gun drawn, firing at the figures emerging from the darkness. “Stay down!” he barked, voice edged with fury. I wasn’t one to follow orders blindly, but in that moment, I knew better than to argue. I pressed my back against the cold
The grand ballroom of the Moretti estate shimmered under the glow of an extravagant chandelier. Crystal glasses clinked, hushed conversations intertwined with soft classical music, and the scent of expensive perfume mingled with the delicate aroma of gourmet hors d'oeuvres. I adjusted the thin straps of my midnight blue gown, feeling the cool silk brush against my skin as I moved. The dress, though elegant, felt like armor—another disguise in a world full of deception. Helios stood beside me, impeccably dressed in a tailored black suit, his presence commanding attention even in a room filled with powerful figures. “You’re tense,” he murmured, leaning in so only I could hear. “I prefer clubs with bad lighting and cheap whiskey,” I replied, swirling the champagne in my glass. “Try not to look so miserable. You’re supposed to be enjoying yourself.” His smirk was infuriatingly charming, but I refused to let him see how much it affected me. “Remind me why we’re here again?” “Because
I move through the dimly lit alley, my pulse steady but my thoughts racing. The lead I found was too important to ignore. If I was right, someone I once trusted had been feeding information to the enemy—someone I never would have suspected. Helios had warned me against going off on my own, but I couldn’t wait for approval. I needed answers. The warehouse ahead is quiet, too quiet. I press against the wall, peering through the narrow space between rusted doors. Shadows move inside. A meeting. A deal. My gut twists. I was right. Taking a slow breath, I slip through a side entrance, staying low, my fingers brushing the knife strapped to my thigh. My instincts are sharp, honed by years of survival, but something about this feels wrong. Then I hear his voice. “—make sure the Morettis don’t see this coming.” I freeze. The voice is one I know too well. Adrian. My stomach drops. I inch closer, my mind warring with itself. Why would he do this? How deep is he in? I need more before I
The night air was heavy, thick with the scent of rain-soaked pavement and the distant hum of city life. I exhaled slowly, my fingers tightening around the grip of my gun as I watched Helios check the perimeter of the safe house. For the first time in weeks, we had a moment of stillness, a fragile semblance of peace. But I should have known better. Peace was never meant to last in our world. Helios turned to me, his sharp eyes scanning my face. "You're thinking too much again." I let out a small scoff. "Can you blame me? We’ve been running from one fire to the next." His lips pressed into a thin line as he walked toward me, his presence as steady as always. "We made it through the last battle, Elena. We’ll make it through whatever comes next." I wanted to believe him. I really did. But something inside me refused to let go of the gnawing unease building in my gut. Then it happened. A single shot shattered the silence. Glass exploded behind us, sending shards flying through the ai
The air was thick with tension as Isabella and Damian stepped into the dimly lit warehouse. I followed close behind, my heart pounding in my chest. The only source of light came from a single, flickering overhead bulb, casting long shadows on the cold concrete floor. A man stood in the center, his face obscured by the hood of his jacket. He was nervous, shifting from foot to foot as he eyed Damian warily. “You asked for a meeting,” Damian said, his voice sharp and commanding. “So talk.” The informant took a deep breath. “The people pulling the strings? They aren’t just after the Morettis or the Volkovs. They’ve been setting up a bigger game, one that spans beyond your families. Every war, every conflict? It’s been orchestrated. You were never the ones in control.” A cold chill ran down my spine. I glanced at Isabella, who remained impassive, but I could see the tension in her jaw. “Who are they?” she demanded. The man hesitated, then reached into his pocket, pulling out a
The decision to walk away from Helios had been the hardest thing I’d ever done. Every instinct in my body screamed at me to stay, to fight for whatever fragile thing had started between us. But I knew better. Helios deserved a life without the constant weight of blood and danger pressing down on his shoulders. If he stayed with me, he’d always be hunted. Always be looking over his shoulder. And I couldn’t live with that. So, I created distance. I stopped answering his calls. I avoided the places I knew he frequented. I let the walls around my heart rebuild themselves, brick by painful brick. But Helios wasn’t one to be ignored. He showed up at my apartment one night, pounding on the door like a storm battering against fragile glass. “Open the door, Elena,” he called out, his voice rough with frustration. I sat on the floor inside, my knees drawn to my chest, fingers gripping the fabric of my sleeves so tightly that my knuckles ached. “Please,” he tried again, softer this time.
The aftermath of the battle left a hollow silence in its wake. The Moretti estate, though still standing, bore the scars of the chaos that had unfolded just days before. The Volkovs had retreated, the syndicate had been dismantled, and the traitor had met his end. Yet, despite the hard-won victory, a sense of unease settled over me like a storm cloud waiting to break. Helios was recovering, but his wounds were deep. He had barely made it through the fight, and watching him slip in and out of consciousness in those first few nights had been unbearable. Now, as he sat on the edge of his bed, bandages wrapped around his torso and his face still bruised, I couldn’t shake the feeling that we were standing at the edge of something far worse than anything we had faced before. I stood by the window, arms crossed, watching the city lights flicker in the distance. The Moretti family had avoided war, but at what cost? Power vacuums never remained empty for long, and I knew better than anyone t
With the syndicate’s plan exposed and the traitor dealt with, the war between the Morettis and Volkovs is narrowly avoided. However, nothing is the same. Helios, recovering from his injuries, must decide if his loyalty still lies with the Moretti family or if his future is with Elena. As for Elena, she finally allows herself to acknowledge her feelings for Helios, but with everything they’ve been through, is love enough? I sat beside Helios’s hospital bed, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. The beeping of the machines was steady, rhythmic, but it did nothing to calm the storm brewing inside me. The battle was over, the enemy had been defeated, but at what cost? Helios was barely alive when we got him here, and the sight of him bleeding out in my arms was something I’d never be able to erase from my mind. Isabella had left just moments ago, giving me space, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. Because my thoughts led me to questions I didn’t have answer
The air was thick with smoke and the acrid scent of gunpowder burned my nostrils as Helios and I pressed our backs against the cold, bullet-riddled wall. We had run out of places to retreat, and the enemy closed in around us like a tightening noose. My heart pounded, each beat hammering against my ribs like a war drum. Helios wiped blood from a cut on his forehead, his eyes scanning the room for any advantage. "We need to move, now," he said, voice tight with urgency. His body, coiled with tension, was ready for battle, even as exhaustion weighed him down. "Move where? We're boxed in," I shot back, gripping my pistol so hard my fingers ached. The magazine was nearly empty, and my muscles screamed from the relentless fight. "They've got us pinned." A dark chuckle echoed from the shadows, and Matteo stepped forward, the real traitor who had orchestrated this entire ambush. His smirk was infuriating, his confidence unwavering. "You should've stayed gone, Elena," Matteo sneered, his g
Darkness clung to the corners of the lavishly decorated room, the dim glow of a chandelier casting eerie shadows along the walls. The scent of expensive cigars and aged whiskey filled the air, a stark contrast to the stench of blood drying on my skin. My wrists ached from the tight restraints binding them behind my back, but I refused to show weakness. Across from me, lounging behind a grand mahogany desk, was the man I assumed to be the mastermind behind everything. He was older, perhaps in his late fifties, dressed in a perfectly tailored suit that barely wrinkled as he sipped his whiskey. His silver hair was slicked back, his dark eyes sharp and assessing. “Elena Carter,” he mused, swirling the amber liquid in his glass. “You are as stubborn as I was told.” I lifted my chin, despite the dull throbbing in my skull. “If you went through all the trouble of kidnapping me, I assume you already know that.” He chuckled, leaning forward. “Indeed. But I had to see it for myself. Aft
The dim light from the single overhead bulb flickered as Helios and I hunched over the worn wooden table, our fingers tracing the numbers and names sprawled across the yellowed pages of the ledger. The air in our hideout was thick with dust and tension, every breath heavy with the weight of discovery. “Look at this,” I murmured, tapping a name that had appeared too many times for it to be coincidence. “Payments funneled through offshore accounts, connections in both the Moretti and Volkov families…” My voice trailed off as the realization settled in. Helios ran a hand through his disheveled dark hair, his jaw tightening. “It’s bigger than we thought,” he muttered. “This isn’t just a power play between two families. Someone else is pulling the strings.” I exhaled slowly, my mind racing. “An international syndicate. They have people inside both families. They’ve been orchestrating the chaos, pitting them against each other while they move in the shadows.” Helios cursed under his bre
The safe house had become our temporary sanctuary. Helios was healing, though not as fast as I would have liked. He was restless, caged by his own body, the wound in his side keeping him from moving the way he was used to. I knew it frustrated him, but there was nothing he could do except wait. While he recovered, I kept myself busy. The attack at the stronghold hadn’t been random. Someone had known we were coming, and I needed to find out who. The deeper I dug, the clearer it became that there was something rotten within the Moretti family. I had always assumed their enemies came from the outside, rival families, old grudges—but this was different. Someone inside was working with an unknown force, feeding them information, pulling strings behind the scenes. And if I was right, they weren’t just looking for power. They wanted to take control. I pieced the evidence together slowly, through old contacts and whispered conversations. Bank transfers that didn’t make sense. Orders given