CHAPTER 4
1031 Words
## A Dangerous Deal
Kai hadn’t slept in thirty-six hours.
The city blurred past the tinted car windows as he sat silently in the backseat of the SUV, gun resting against his thigh while exhaustion clawed at him from the inside out.
Across from him, his right-hand man, Dante, watched carefully.
“You trust him.”
Kai’s eyes lifted slowly.
“That’s a dangerous accusation.”
“It’s an observation.”
Kai looked away again.
Outside, dawn painted the city in pale gray light. People hurried through sidewalks unaware that men were dying in shadows only streets away.
Lucky them.
“We confirmed what Luca said,” Dante continued quietly. “Someone inside the family leaked shipment routes.”
Kai’s jaw tightened.
A traitor within the Morettis.
Again.
Vittorio would want blood.
And Kai would be expected to spill it.
“You think Romano set us up?” Dante asked.
Kai thought about Luca standing alone in the rain with guns pointed at his chest.
If you really want to kill me, Kai… do it.
No fear.
No lies.
Just honesty.
“…No,” Kai said finally.
Dante looked surprised.
That answer alone was dangerous.
—
That evening, Black Viper nightclub glowed red beneath the stormy sky.
Kai sat alone in the private VIP lounge, fingers tapping lightly against a whiskey glass while music pulsed through the walls.
He hated waiting.
Especially when he wasn’t sure why he was waiting at all.
Then the door opened.
Luca stepped inside wearing a black turtleneck beneath a dark coat, silver rings catching under the dim lights.
Kai’s heartbeat betrayed him instantly.
Annoying.
“You asked to see me,” Luca said casually as he closed the door behind him.
Kai leaned back slowly.
“You came.”
“You sound surprised.”
“I expected better survival instincts.”
Luca smirked faintly before sitting across from him.
For a moment, neither spoke.
The tension between them had changed now.
It was no longer just dangerous curiosity.
It was attraction.
Sharp. Heavy. Impossible to ignore.
Kai broke the silence first.
“There’s a traitor inside my family.”
“And?”
“And someone inside yours is feeding information too.”
Luca’s expression darkened slightly.
That told Kai enough.
So Luca suspected the same thing.
“This isn’t random anymore,” Kai continued. “Someone wants war between our families.”
“War already exists.”
“No,” Kai said quietly. “This feels different.”
Luca leaned forward slightly.
“Then what are you suggesting?”
Kai stared at him carefully.
A Moretti and a Romano sitting together like this was already betrayal.
What he was about to say next was practically suicide.
“We find the traitors before our families destroy each other.”
Luca went silent.
Then—
“You want us to work together?”
“I want answers.”
Luca studied him for several long seconds before laughing softly under his breath.
“This is insane.”
“Yes.”
“You realize both our families would kill us for this.”
“I’m aware.”
“And you still asked me here anyway.”
Kai’s gaze flickered briefly toward Luca’s mouth before returning to his eyes.
“…Yes.”
The air suddenly felt too warm.
Luca noticed the look immediately.
Of course he did.
A slow smile appeared on his lips.
“You know,” he murmured, “for someone so cold, you stare a lot.”
Kai’s expression hardened instantly. “Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Too late.”
Luca stood and slowly walked toward him.
Kai should’ve stopped him.
Instead, he stayed perfectly still.
One step.
Then another.
Until Luca stood directly in front of him.
Close.
Far too close.
“You’re tense,” Luca said softly.
“You’re irritating.”
“And yet you keep inviting me back.”
Kai’s pulse thundered in his ears.
Luca reached down slowly, taking the whiskey glass from Kai’s hand and setting it aside.
Then his fingers brushed lightly against Kai’s wrist.
A tiny touch.
Barely anything.
But Kai felt it everywhere.
“Tell me something honestly,” Luca whispered.
Kai looked up at him.
“What.”
“When’s the last time someone touched you without wanting something from you?”
The question hit harder than a bullet.
Kai immediately looked away.
Which was answer enough.
Luca’s expression softened painfully.
Before Kai could react, Luca gently tilted his chin back toward him.
Their faces were inches apart now.
“You deserve better than this world,” Luca said quietly.
Kai let out a bitter laugh.
“You don’t know me.”
“I’m trying to.”
That terrified Kai more than guns ever had.
Because part of him wanted to let Luca.
Slowly, carefully, Luca brushed his thumb against Kai’s cheek again—the same gentle touch from the docks.
And this time—
Kai didn’t pull away.
The room fell silent around them.
Music thumped faintly through the walls.
Rain struck the windows outside.
But all Kai could focus on was Luca standing this close.
Looking at him like he mattered.
Luca’s eyes dropped briefly to Kai’s lips.
Then back up again.
As if asking permission.
Kai’s breath caught.
Every instinct screamed at him to stop this.
To walk away.
To remember who they were.
But loneliness was a cruel thing.
And Luca felt dangerously warm in the middle of all Kai’s darkness.
So before he could think better of it—
Kai grabbed Luca’s shirt and pulled him into a kiss.
It was rough at first.
Desperate.
Months of buried exhaustion and tension crashing together all at once.
Luca kissed him back immediately, one hand sliding against Kai’s jaw while the other gripped his waist tightly.
For one perfect second, the world disappeared.
No mafia.
No blood.
No enemies.
Just warmth.
Just Luca.
Then—
The VIP lounge door suddenly burst open.
“Boss—”
Dante froze instantly.
So did Kai.
Luca stepped back immediately.
Silence crashed over the room.
Dante stared between them in absolute disbelief.
Kai’s expression turned cold again in seconds.
But it was already too late.
Someone else knew now.
- Writer
