SHADOWS NEXT DOOR

ChapterThree

Ellie Harper’s POV

Brooklyn’s waterfront stinks of fish and fear, the kind that sticks to your skin like cheap perfume. I’m crouched behind a rusted shipping container, my heart slamming against my ribs, the kitchen knife in my boot a pathetic comfort. Frankie “Knuckles” Russo, Nico’s tank of a right-hand man, is beside me, his gold chain glinting in the dawn’s gray light. He’s all muscle and no nonsense, but his eyes keep darting to me, like I’m a bomb about to blow. Fair.

I just found out Nico Valenti, my hotter-than-sin neighbor, isn’t just the Ghost, Brooklyn’s Mafia king, he’s my brother. My dad, Tommy Harper, who I thought died when I was ten, is alive, hiding millions in a ledger that’s got every thug in the city hunting me. Oh, and the Viper, some psycho mob boss, thinks I’m his fiancée because of Dad’s debts. My life’s a dumpster fire, and I’m still running toward the flames.

Frankie’s got Gina, the Viper’s hitwoman, cuffed and gagged, her leather jacket torn from our brawl back at Nico’s. She’s glaring daggers, but I’m too wired to care. Nico stayed behind, facing a tear-gas ambush from the Viper’s crew, his last words run ringing in my ears.

I wanted to stay, to scream at him about this sister crap, but Frankie dragged me out, promising a plan. That plan? A heist to steal Tommy’s ledger before the Viper’s men get it. It’s stashed in a waterfront safehouse, guarded by goons who’d rather shoot than talk. If we pull this off, we cut the Viper’s legs out and maybe save Nico. If we don’t, we’re dead, and I’m starting to think death might be less complicated.

“Move your ass, Harper,” Frankie whispers, his Brooklyn accent thick as tar. “Safehouse is two blocks up. We go in hot, grab the ledger, get out. You good?”

“Good?” I scoff, my voice pure sass despite the shake. “My brother’s a mob boss, my dad’s a ghost, and I’m dodging bullets with a guy named Knuckles. I’m peachy.” I flash him a grin, all teeth, because if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry.

Nico’s face, those gray eyes, guilty and raw, keeps flashing in my head. I’ve been crushing on my own brother. Gross doesn’t cover it, but worse? I still feel something, and it’s messing with me.

Frankie snorts, almost a laugh. “You’re a pain in the ass, like Nico. Stay low, and don’t stab nobody unless I say.” He shoves Gina forward, using her as a shield, and we creep through the docks, shadows swallowing us.

The safehouse is a squat brick building, its windows blacked out, two goons patrolling with AR-15s. My stomach lurches, but I’m not backing down. This ledger’s my ticket to answers about Dad, Nico, and why my life’s a lie.

We slip behind a crate stack, Frankie’s plan buzzing in my ear. He’ll take out the guards; I’ll c***k the safe. Yeah, I know safecracking, learned it as a kid, sneaking into Dad’s “work” desk for candy money. Never thought it’d save my skin. Frankie hands me a lockpick set, his meaty paw surprisingly gentle. “You sure you can do this, kid?”

“Call me kid again, and I’ll pick your pocket,” I quip, twirling the pick like a pro. He grins, and for a second, I see why Nico trusts him. Then he’s gone, moving like a panther, and I hear grunts, a muffled c***k guards down. I sprint to the door, Gina stumbling behind, Frankie’s gun at her back.

Inside, the safehouse is a mobster’s wet dream cases of cash, guns, and a steel safe the size of a fridge. My fingers fly, the lockpick dancing, while Frankie keeps watch. Gina’s muttering through her gag, and I’m tempted to slug her, but the safe clicks open, revealing a leather-bound ledger, pages yellowed, numbers scrawled in Dad’s handwriting. My heart twists, Dad’s alive, and this is his legacy. I grab it, but a floorboard creaks, and my blood freezes.

“Drop it, Harper,” a voice snarls. I spin, facing a guy I’ve never seen, tall, blond, with snake-green eyes and a scar splitting his lip. The Viper. He’s got a .45 aimed at my chest, and three goons flank him, their guns on Frankie. Gina’s gag is off, and she’s smirking, free, her cuffs on the floor. Double-cross. Frankie’s face is thunder, but he’s outgunned, his hands up.

“You’re a hard girl to pin down,” the Viper says, his voice oily, like he’s savoring this. “Tommy’s daughter, Nico’s sister, my bride-to-be. Hand over the ledger, and maybe I let you live long enough to say ‘I do.’”

I clutch the ledger, my sass kicking in. “Bride? Sorry, snake-face, I don’t do arranged marriages with guys who shop at Villains-R-Us.” My mouth’s gonna get me killed, but I’m buying time, praying Frankie’s got a move. The Viper laughs, stepping closer, and I smell his cologne sickly sweet, like death.

Frankie shifts, subtle, his eyes flicking to me. Stall. I keep talking, my voice dripping venom. “What’s so special about this ledger? Dad’s numbers game worth dying for? Or you just like chasing girls who’d rather spit on you?”

The Viper’s smile fades, and he grabs my wrist, twisting hard. I gasp, the ledger slipping, but here’s the twist that flips my world upside down. The door crashes open, and Nico storms in, bloodied but alive, his gun blazing. Two of the Viper’s goons drop, but it’s not Nico’s entrance that stops my heart. Behind him, limping, is a man I haven’t seen in fifteen years, Tommy Harper. My dad.

Alive, gray-haired, his face scarred but unmistakable. And he’s not alone. A woman, mid-40s, with Nico’s gray eyes, steps in, a shotgun in her hands. Nico’s foster mother. The Valentis adopted Nico to hide him, but me? I was Tommy’s secret, raised by a single mom to keep me off the Mafia’s radar. We’re not siblings. We’re twins.

My knees buckle, the ledger hitting the floor. Nico’s eyes meet mine, raw with relief and something deeper love, not brotherly, but the kind that burns. The Viper’s stunned, his gun wavering, and Frankie seizes the moment, tackling a goon. Chaos erupts gunfire, shouts, Tommy firing at the Viper, who bolts, Gina vanishing with him. Nico grabs me, pulling me behind a crate as bullets fly.

“Ellie,” he rasps, blood streaking his face. “You’re not my sister. You’re everything.” His hand cups my cheek, and I’m drowning, the truth a lifeline and a curse. Twins. Tommy lied to us both, splitting us to protect his empire. The ledger’s a map to millions, but it’s also proof, Tommy’s been playing the Viper, Nico, everyone.

The safehouse shakes, an explosion outside, Viper’s crew, blowing the docks to hell. Nico’s mom screams for Tommy, who’s hit, blood pooling. Frankie’s fighting, but we’re pinned. Nico shoves the ledger into my hands. “Run, Ellie. Find the stash. End this.” His eyes beg me to trust him, but the Viper’s out there, and Tommy’s dying, whispering my name.

I bolt for the back door, ledger clutched tight, Nico’s gunfire covering me. My twin. My heart. The docks are ablaze, and I’m running blind, the Viper’s shadow on my heels, my father’s secrets burning a hole in my soul.