His Dark Mafia Oath

The rain fell in violent sheets, slashing against the city like it wanted to wash every secret off the streets of New York. To most people, it was just another storm. But for meAriana Cruzit felt like a warning from the universe. Something was coming. Something dark. And it had already begun. I tightened my grip on the small recording device hidden inside my coat pocket, the edges cold against my fingertips. The night air stung with sharp wind, chilling me even through the thick fabric. Still, I didn’t stop walking. I couldn't after what I had discovered. Tonight was supposed to be routine. A quick meeting with an underground informant. Nothing new for a journalist who’d spent years digging into the rot under the surface of the city. But this lead… this one was different. For the first time, I was too close to the truth about my sister’s disappearance. My heart pounded as I continued down the dimly lit alleyway. Neon lights flickered from the street behind me, casting long shadows that danced like restless ghosts. The smell of wet asphalt and cigarette smoke lingered heavily in the air. Just a little farther, Ariana. Don’t back out now. A tall, thin figure waited near the dumpsters, hood pulled low, body angled like he was ready to bolt at any sound. Nico. My best informant and the most paranoid person I knew. “About time,” he muttered when I approached, eyes darting around. “You shouldn’t be here. Not tonight.” My nerves tightened. “You said you had information about Sofia. I came as fast as I could.” He flinched at her name. “I shouldn’t have called you. They’re watching everything now. You don’t understand how deep this goes.” A familiar frustration burned in my chest. “Then help me understand.” Nico exhaled shakily, his breath forming mist in the freezing air. “You’re standing in the middle of a war. And the moment they figure out you’re digging into it…” He swallowed. “You’re dead.” “Who?” I pressed. “Tell me who took my sister.” He scanned the alley again, hyperalert. “The Moretti family.” The world seemed to stop. The rain. The distant rumble of traffic. My own heartbeat. All of it froze. The name hit me like a punch to the chest. The Moretti Mafia. One of the most dangerous crime families in America. Ruthless. Untouchable. Controlled by a man whose reputation made grown men tremble. Damian Moretti. The heir. The devil in custom suits. My voice barely escaped. “Are you sure?” “I shouldn’t be saying this.” Nico wiped his palm on his jeans, trembling harder now. “But yes. Sofia stumbled into something she wasn’t supposed to. Something about a shipment… a betrayal. I don’t know the details. But she was seen. And then she vanished.” Pain shot through my chest, sharp and suffocating. Sofia. My older sister. My best friend. The person who raised me when our parents couldn’t. Gone. For nineteen months. And the answer had been wrapped in the name Moretti. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I whispered, my throat tight. “Because I didn’t want to die!” Nico hissed. “These people, they don’t just kill you. They erase you. Like you never existed.” Before I could respond, a noise echoed from the other end of the alley a metallic clang like someone kicked a trash bin. Nico froze. I froze. Another clang. Closer this time. “Nico…” I breathed. His eyes widened with terror. “Run.” I turned, but before either of us took a step, a black SUV screeched into the alley, blocking the exit. Another vehicle shut off its lights at the opposite end. We were trapped. Fear shot through me, icy and paralyzing. From the SUV, four men stepped out. Tall. Broad. Dressed in black and armed with more than just fists. Their faces were shadowed, but they moved with the deadly confidence of men who had done this before many times. Nico’s voice broke. “No. No, no, no” One of the men pointed straight at him. “Grab the rat.” I grabbed Nico’s arm instinctively. “We have to” But he was ripped away from me before I could finish. A scream tore from his throat as two men pinned him to the ground. “No! Let him go!” I yelled, pushing forward. A hand clamped down on my shoulder. Hard. I gasped and spun only to collide with someone towering, solid, unmovable. A man stepped out of the shadows behind me, and the moment my eyes met his, the world narrowed to him and only him. He was tall, easily over six feet with a sharp jawline carved like marble. His hair was dark, slicked back, except for one rebellious strand that fell across his eyebrow. His eyes… God, his eyes. Cold. Steel-gray. Void of mercy. And something in them warned me: He wasn’t one of the soldiers. This was the leader. The kind of man people obeyed without question. He didn’t look at me like a stranger. He looked at me like he had been expecting me. “Let me go,” I demanded, though my voice trembled slightly. He ignored my words entirely. His grip tightened, sending heat through my coat and straight into my bones. “Ariana Cruz,” he said quietly. My blood ran cold. He knew my name. He knew me. “How” I started. “It’s my job to know who pokes their nose where it doesn’t belong.” His voice was deep. Smooth. Controlled. The kind of voice that made people step back. Fear choked me, but I forced myself to stand my ground. “If you’re with the Moretti family, then tell your men to stop! He hasn’t done anything wrong” He leaned closer, his breath warm against my ear despite the icy night. “He talked. That’s enough.” “Please,” I whispered. “Don’t hurt him.” He pulled back slightly, studying my face like he was reading every lie I’d ever told. “Why are you investigating us?” he asked. I swallowed hard. “I’m a journalist. It’s my job.” He raised an eyebrow. “Journalists don’t walk alone into alleys at midnight unless they’re desperate.” I said nothing. Because he was right. I was desperate. Sofia was worth every risk. He stepped even closer, invading my space, his presence overwhelming and suffocating. “Tell me what you know.” My heart thudded painfully. “I know… I know the Moretti family is involved in my sister’s disappearance.” Something flickered in his eyes. Not guilt. Not surprising. Possibly irritation. “Who told you that?” I glanced at Nico who was still being held down. He followed my gaze. The air shifted. His expression darkened. “No,” I breathed. “Pleaseyou don’t have to” But he already lifted his hand. A signal. A silent command. A gun c****d. “No!” I shouted, struggling against his grip. “Stop! Don’t hurt him! He didn’t betray you” “Yes,” he said softly, almost regretfully, “he did.” One of the men pulled the trigger. I screamed But the shot didn’t fire. Everything froze. The leader lowered his hand slightly. “Not here.” The men stepped back instantly. It was like they needed only his voice to obey. He turned his attention back to me. “You shouldn’t be involved in this. Walk away.” I glared at him, fury overpowering fear. “I’m not walking away from my sister.” His jaw ticked. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.” “Then show me.” His eyes glinted with something unreadable cold calculation mixed with a strange spark I couldn’t decipher. “You want the truth?” he murmured. “Yes.” “Fine.” Before I understood what was happening, his arm swept around my waist, pulling me against him. His other hand pressed something cold and metallic to my lower back. A gun. My breath caught. “You’re coming with me,” he said calmly. “One way or another.” “Whatno! Let me go” “I will let you go,” he murmured, “after you learn exactly what your curiosity costs.” His men opened the SUV door. He pushed me forward gently but firmly, his grip unbreakable. “Who are you?” I whispered, trembling. He paused. Then his answer slid over my skin like a blade: “Damian Moretti.” Everything collapsed inside me. And in that moment, soaked by rain, trapped in the arms of the most dangerous man in the city, I realized one thing with absolute certainty: My life would never be the same again.