CHAPTER FIVE (The Snake Within)
636 Words
The De Luca estate was on lockdown.
Guards doubled. Doors reinforced. Cameras monitored every corner. After Franco’s murder, Luciano had ordered a full sweep of the city’s underworld—someone was hunting Adira, and that meant someone was stupid enough to cross him.
But even kings bleed when the dagger comes from within.
Luciano stood in the war room, surrounded by his inner circle. Maps, files, phone logs—evidence littered the table like bones. His eyes were cold, locked on a photo of Franco’s body.
“They knew where she would be,” he said, voice dangerously calm. “Someone told them.”
Silence.
Then a cough.
Then... “You think we’ve got a rat?” said Matteo, his cousin and most trusted enforcer. "Come on, Luc, we've been tight for years."
Luciano didn’t answer.
But he knew.
It wasn’t just a leak. It was someone close. Too close.
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Adira watched from behind the glass as the mafia prince transformed into a warlord. This wasn’t the seductive man who’d kissed her senseless two nights ago. This was the heir to a criminal dynasty forged in betrayal and blood.
And he was losing control.
That scared her more than anything.
A knock came on the door. It was Camilla — Luciano’s sister — the only person in that house who treated her like something more than a pawn.
“You need to be careful,” Camilla whispered, her expression tense.
“I already am.”
“No. You’re being brave. There’s a difference.”
Adira narrowed her eyes. “What do you know that I don’t?”
Camilla hesitated, then stepped closer. “There’s someone inside this house feeding information to a rival family. They’re after you because of whatever your father found… but that’s not all.”
Adira’s stomach tightened. “What else?”
Camilla leaned in, her voice barely audible. “They don’t want you dead. They want Luciano to kill you himself.”
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Later that night, Luciano stood on the rooftop, phone pressed to his ear, fury radiating off him like heat.
“You’ve got twenty-four hours to find out who pulled the trigger,” he barked. “And if you lie to me again, I’ll feed you your own teeth.”
He ended the call and turned—only to see Adira standing behind him.
“Do you trust anyone in this place?” she asked.
He gave a bitter laugh. “Trust is for the dead.”
“Well then,” she said, stepping closer, “we better both learn how to lie.”
Before he could answer, the rooftop door slammed open.
Matteo stormed out. “Luc—”
But he stopped when he saw Adira.
Too late.
Luciano had already noticed the flash of silver in Matteo’s waistband.
A gun.
Not just any gun.
The same model that killed Franco.
Luciano moved like lightning—grabbing Matteo by the throat, slamming him into the wall. The gun dropped with a clatter.
“You were family,” Luciano snarled. “You broke blood.”
Matteo’s eyes burned. “You were too blind to see what she is. Your father would’ve never let her in—”
Luciano didn’t hesitate. A single, silenced shot echoed off the rooftop.
Matteo slumped to the ground.
Adira stared at the body, breath frozen.
“You killed your own cousin,” she whispered.
Luciano looked at her, eyes unreadable. “And I’ll kill anyone else who touches you.”
“But how do you know I’m not the one feeding them?” she challenged, testing him.
He stepped closer, gripping her chin, gaze like fire and ice.
“Because I’ve already decided,” he said darkly, “if you betray me... I’ll let you watch me burn first.”
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To be continued...
- Writer
