Chapter Six

“You’ve gotten sloppy, Elena.”

The voice cut through the darkness like a blade, sharp and unnerving. Instinctively, her fingers brushed against the cool metal of the knife handle hidden beneath the silk of her gown, the fabric smooth yet restrictive.

Ethan Price emerged from the shadows, his tall, athletic frame imposing as it broke through the dim light, casting a long silhouette that seemed to swallowed the space around him. He wore a fitted black shirt that emphasized the breadth of his shoulders, and dark jeans that clung to his legs. As he pushed off against the wall, arms loosely crossed over his chest, her breath hitched at the sight of the revolver pointing directly at her.

Elena swallowed, taking in the familiar contours of his face—the sharp jawline, the intense stare that pierced through her defenses. Despite the circumstances, part of her couldn’t help but admire the way he carried himself. It was the blend of danger and allure that had drawn her in before.

His dirty blonde hair was slightly longer than she remembered, and a few strands fell over his forehead, enhancing the air of casual confidence that she found added to his reckless charm.

“It’s been a while, mi Amor.”

Elena let’s out a dry laugh. “You have a strange way of dropping by Ethan. The last time you caught me off guard, I nearly gutted you,” she said, stepping closer. Her voice held mock concern, but there was a bite beneath it. “Still have the scar?”

He surveyed the dimly lit living room. “Nice place you’ve got here. Though it does look like a tornado hit a thrift store.”

He gestured dismissively at the frayed fabric that hung limply from the window, contrasting sharply with the minimalist furniture that hinted at a more affluent living.

Elena shot him a glare. “It’s called character, Ethan. Not everyone needs a designer label to feel at home.”

She stepped closer to the high-backed, upholstered chair. “Besides, breaking and entering now, are we? Has it really come to this?” Her eyes never leaving the gun, she sat and crossed her legs.

His mouth twitched in a humorless smile. “Not many make me work this hard.”

Elena took in the state of the window. The lock hadn’t been tampered with, which meant he’d used other means to get inside. This wasn’t a random visit.

“I would love to reminisce, but I had a crappy day and if you’d politely leave the way you came, we will pretend that this didn’t happen at all.”

Ethan's sea-blue eyes hardened, anger and frustration simmering beneath. I’m not here to reminisce.”

“No?” She tilted her head, feigning innocence. “Then what are you doing here? Checking up on an old friend?”

She saw the slight tightening of his jaw. “We were never friends at any point, Elena. You know that.”

“What do you want, Ethan?” She folded her arms across her chest.

He stepped closer, the look in his eyes hard but searching, lingering on her face. “What are you doing, playing dress-up with Lorenzo’s men?”

Elena arched a brow, smirking despite herself. “Aren’t you quite the charmer. Last I heard, you were halfway around the world because you couldn’t get away from me fast enough, and years later, you surface, asking questions as if nothing happened.”

“Don’t turn this around,” he hissed, voice taut with frustration. “You know this isn’t about me.”

“Then what is it about?” she pushed back at the chair, stepping just out of his reach, her mind racing. A part of her still felt drawn to him, despite everything.

He looked away, the sudden vulnerability in his stance making her stomach twist.

For a brief moment, she caught a glimpse of the man she’d once loved—the man who had seen through every one of her defenses and had stayed, or so she thought.

“You don’t get it, Elena,” Ethan growled, his voice low and sharp. “Whatever it is you’re playing at, you’re not just part of this game—you’re a pawn in it.”

Elena walked over to the coffee table, running her hand over the scattered papers and empty mugs, her fingers brushing against the cool surface. “I know exactly where I stand, Ethan. I’m not a pawn in anyone’s game.” She stepped closer, her gaze hard. “I don’t need you telling me otherwise.”

Her lips twitched. “Besides, I didn’t think you cared about my safety.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” he snapped. “If you keep this up, you’re going to get caught in the middle of the crossfire. I know that you’re with Vincent Macini and before I’m able to process that fact, I see you sucking up to Lorenzo and Nico.”

Ethan's expression darkened, his voice laced with bitterness. "Those two might have a lot going on between them, but trust them to unite against a common enemy. You really do not want to be that enemy.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Ethan,” she said, stepping closer. “Why are you really here? Is it to figure out what my deal is with the Salvatore brothers, or to warn me about my romance with Macini?”

Ethan turned, his face twisted in disgust. "You're slumming it, Elena. Your taste in men is depreciating."

She laughed, the sound cold and calculated, as she reached for the locket attached to her necklace. "Actually, I'd say Vincent is an upgrade."

"From me? That guy is sleazy. How dare you compare me to him?"

Elena matched his glare. “Vincent is arrogant, he is cold, and he isn’t exactly the brightest pea in the pod, but he hasn't placed me on a pedestal either. He's clear about the terms of our relationship, so I know what to expect."

Ethan's expression faltered and he leaned against the wall.

"Vincent's not going to leave me in the lurch, Ethan," Elena continued, her voice cracking with emotion. "He hasn’t made any promises he can't keep. That's more than I can say for some people."

Ethan's face hardened, his jaw clenched. "This isn't about me."

"No. It’s about me and we are done Ethan. You and I. Please leave my house." Elena stood up and walked over to the window.

He hesitated for just a beat, his voice low and intense. “There’s a mole in the FBI, feeding information to Lorenzo and the syndicate. He has strings of crimes to answer for. Money Laundering and Financial Crimes, Drug Trafficking/Illegal Arms Dealing, Murder for Hire/Assassination Plots, Corruption and Bribery, Trafficking, Smuggling. A covert operation turned bloody and the FBI lost lots of good men.”

“Touching,” her face softened for just a fraction of a second before hardening again. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why are you sharing this with me?”

“Because I saw everything that happened at the fight club tonight.”

“You were there?” She cleared her throat.

“Watching,” he confirmed. “And I wasn’t the only one. There was someone else.”

The memory of that shadowy figure flashed through her mind. So, she hadn’t imagined it.

“Do you know who it was?” she asked quietly.

Ethan shook his head. “I do know one thing: they’re not working for Lorenzo; they aren’t FBI either. It’s much worse.”

“And who exactly is worse than the FBI?”

“People who operate without rules,” Ethan said, his tone flat and unyielding. “Think black-ops, rogue agencies, mercenaries. They play by their own code, and once you’re on their radar, you don’t get off. Ever.”

Elena’s mind spun. She’d been so focused on Lorenzo, on infiltrating his inner circle, that she hadn’t considered the other players. There was someone she didn’t know how to read or predict.

“Why do you believe that this shadow figure was watching me.”

Ethan licked his lips and sized her up. “I don’t know much. I am a covert agent, so the less I know, the better for the Bureau.

Elena watched him rake a hand through his hair. “What I do know however is that Lorenzo’s father—before he passed—was deeply entrenched with a circle called the syndicate. The members are rumored to be high profiled individuals, buried deep in the world of crime. There are rumors of a master file that have answers, bank details and more. It also has a list of the FBI agents and all operatives working undercover. This file is everything and so almost everyone is interested in it, both the government and criminal kingpins.”

“Just… watch your back. This game’s got more players than you realize.”

Elena’s mind raced, her father had been a man who knew how to walk both worlds—until something went brutally wrong. She’d heard rumors about the massive hit that claimed her father’s life. Only without knowing it, Ethan had substantiated that rumor. She was smack deep in the very game he tried to keep her from. She looked to the old photograph on her mantle. Her father's smile, frozen in time, stirred a familiar ache within.

She remembered the day he disappeared, the endless waiting, and the devastating news that followed. The police had combed through every lead, every contact, they’d come up empty-handed. That was the moment she knew the system wasn’t enough. If she wanted justice—or vengeance—she’d have to find her own way. Like the police, every lead she’d followed had ended in a dead end.

The identity, Elena Romano was born the day she realized that the underworld was where the answers lay, buried in the shadows with the criminals who held the secrets the police couldn’t—or wouldn’t—uncover. She worked hard and soon the name started to spread in the darkest corners of the underworld. She soon became familiar with slipping through the cracks of society between her dual identity. A lady by day and at night, she toured the criminal underbelly in search of the answers.

Every heist, every contact she made was all for answers. Her fingers tightened around the locket hanging from her neck, her mind sharpened by the reminder of why she had started this life in the first place. “What’s Lorenzo’s role in all of this?”

“He’s the gatekeeper,” Ethan replied softly. “The last living link to that world and the answers. It’s unclear if he is aware of the existence of these files, but I have a feeling he is. I just don’t know what his play would be.”

Without another word, Ethan turned on his heel, and headed for the door behind him. Elena processed the revelation as she watched him go. He paused at the threshold, glancing back at her one last time.

“Remember, Elena. We’re all playing the same game. But in the end, not all of us will win.”

And then he was gone, the door clicking shut behind him.

Seeing Ethan again stirred san unsettling mix of emotions within her, something dangerously close to longing. Taking a deep breath, she tried to clear her mind, forcing herself to focus. She collapsed on the chair, rubbing at her temple as she processed everything she’d heard.

A screm of frustration escaped her lips as she upturned the coffee table and kicked at the documents that fell in a pile at her feet. Moments later, she was spent but sat on the ground heaving dryly as she mourned everything and everyone she’d lost.

Casting one look at her father’s picture, she spared a final glance at the door where Ethan had disappeared, squaring her shoulders, she turned away and strode towards her bedroom. She couldn’t afford to linger on the past—not with the future on a tethering edge.