SHADOWS NEXT DOOR

ChapterTwo

Nico “The Ghost” Valenti’s POV

The brownstone’s a warzone, and I’m in the eye of the storm. Gina’s screaming, blood spraying from her arm where Ellie slashed her like a damn wildcat. My neighbor, 5’6” of auburn curls and pure nerve is sprawled on the floor, her kitchen knife glinting beside her, hazel eyes wide with shock but burning with defiance.

I’m half-proud, half-pissed she didn’t run when I told her to. This ain’t her world, but she’s diving in headfirst, and it’s gonna get her killed. Me? I’m Nico “The Ghost” Valenti, Brooklyn’s untouchable Mafia king, and I’ve got a rival’s hitwoman bleeding in my living room and a girl I’m stupidly falling for caught in the crossfire. Just another Tuesday.

Gina’s gun clatters as she clutches her arm, her leather jacket slick with red. “You little b***h,” she snarls at Ellie, lunging despite the pain. I move faster, slamming Gina against the wall, my forearm on her throat. My switchblade is back in my hand, itching to finish this, but I need answers.

The Viper, Gina’s boss, a snake-eyed bastard who’s been gunning for my turf claims Ellie’s his fiancée, tied to her father’s debt. Problem is, I knew Ellie’s dad, Tommy Harper, back when I was a kid running scams in Red Hook, He took me in and was my mentor. Tommy’s been dead a decade, or so I thought. If he’s alive, and the Viper’s got him, this is bigger than a turf war.

“Talk, Gina,” I growl, pressing the blade to her cheek. “Why’s the Viper after Ellie? What’s Tommy owe?” My voice is ice, but my gut’s churning. Ellie’s watching, her breath ragged, and I can feel her eyes boring into me. She heard Gina’s bombshell fiancée, debt, her dad and I’m praying she don’t connect the dots to me yet. I’ve been keeping tabs on her, not ‘cause I’m a creep, but ‘cause Tommy asked me to, years ago, before he “died.” Swore me to secrecy, said Ellie’s life depended on it. I didn’t know she was living next door till she moved in, all sass and sketches, making me forget my own rules.

Gina laughs, blood flecking her lips. “You’re soft, Ghost. The Viper’s got Tommy’s ledger millions in dirty cash, stashed before he faked his death. Ellie’s the key to finding it. Marry her, control her, get the money. You’re too late, lover boy.”

My blood runs cold. A ledger? Tommy was a small-time hustler, not a mastermind. But if he hid millions, and Ellie’s the map, every crew in Brooklyn’s gonna come for her. I glance at Ellie, who’s on her feet now, gripping that knife like she’s ready to gut us both. “Nico,” she says, voice sharp as a razor, “you knew my dad? And you didn’t *tell* me?”

I wince. Busted. “Ellie, it’s complicated—” I start, but Gina twists, kicking my shin, and breaks free. She’s fast, diving for her gun, but Ellie’s faster, tackling her like a damn linebacker. They crash into the table, cash and glass flying. I’m moving, grabbing Gina’s wrist, but she’s a viper herself, slippery and mean. She headbutts me, and stars explode in my vision.

“Enough!” a new voice booms, and the room freezes. Frankie “Knuckles” Russo, my second-in-command, a 6’3” tank with a buzzcut and a gold chain storms in, two of my guys behind him, guns drawn.

Frankie’s been with me since we were boosting cars at 15, my brother in all but blood. He’s supposed to be at the docks, cleaning up Carlo’s mess, but here he is, eyes wild.

“Boss, we got a problem,” he says, then looks at Ellie and Gina tangled on the floor. “What the hell?”

“Frankie, secure Gina,” I snap, hauling Ellie off her. Ellie’s panting, her tank top ripped, curls sticking to her sweaty face. She’s a mess, but damn, she’s gorgeous, all fire and fight. I want to shake her, kiss her, something, but there’s no time. Gina’s cuffed by my guys, smirking like she’s still got cards to play.

Frankie pulls me aside, voice low. “The Viper’s crew hit our warehouse. Torched it. And… they found her.” He nods at Ellie, and my stomach drops. “Word’s out, Nico. Every boss in the city knows she’s Tommy’s kid, the key to his stash. There’s a bounty on her head dead or alive.”

I curse, my mind racing. A bounty? This just went from bad to apocalyptic. Ellie’s not just a target; she’s a walking death sentence. And I’m the i***t who let her get close, let myself feel something. I turn to her, ready to lie, to send her running, but she’s already heard Frankie, her face pale but fierce.

“Dead or alive?” she says, voice dripping sass despite the shake in it. “Real classy, Nico. What else you hiding? My dad’s alive, I’m some Mafia prize, and now I’m on a hitlist? Spill, or I swear I’ll carve it out of you.”

I almost laugh, she’s threatening *me*, the Ghost, in my own damn house. But the twist hits like a sledgehammer, and it’s not Gina’s smirk or the bounty that floors me. Frankie steps forward, his meaty hand on my shoulder, and his next words rip my world apart. “Nico, there’s more,” he says, voice heavy. “Tommy didn’t just hide money. He hid you. You’re his son. Ellie’s your sister.”

The room spins. My sister? Ellie? No. *No*. Tommy was my mentor, not my father. I was an orphan, raised on the streets, taken in by the Valentis. But Frankie’s pulling a faded photo from his pocket, Tommy, young, holding a baby boy, a woman I don’t know beside him. Me. The dates on the back match my birth. Ellie’s staring, her knife slipping from her hand, her eyes searching mine like she’s seeing me for the first time. Sister. The word chokes me. Every moment her smile, her touch, the way my heart races, turns to ash. I’ve been falling for my own blood, and the Viper’s coming for us both.

Gina cackles, even cuffed. “Oh, this is rich. The Ghost and his sister, Brooklyn’s hottest targets. Viper’s gonna love this.”

Ellie’s voice cuts through, raw and breaking. “Nico, is it true?” She’s trembling, but her chin’s up, daring me to lie. I can’t speak, can’t think. Frankie’s eyes are pitying, and my crew’s shifting, uneasy. The Mafia code’s clear, family’s everything, but this? This is a curse.

Before I can answer, the windows shatter, gunfire erupting from the street. Viper’s crew, moving fast, tear gas canisters rolling in. My guys return fire, but it’s chaos, smoke choking us. I grab Ellie, shoving her behind me, my gun out. “Frankie, get her out!” I roar, but he’s already moving, dragging Gina with him. Ellie’s fighting me, screaming my name, and I’m torn protect her, or face the truth that’s burning us alive.

The gas clears just enough to see her vanish through the back door with Frankie, her eyes locked on mine, full of betrayal and something worse hope. I’m alone, bullets flying, my empire crumbling, and the Viper’s closing in. I’m the Ghost, but I’m haunted now, by a sister I love in ways I shouldn’t, and a father who’s alive, pulling strings. The docks are calling, where Tommy’s ledger and maybe Tommy himself waits. I’m going to war, but for what? Ellie, or the truth that might destroy us both?