THE MAFIA’S ANGEL

Rain had turned the streets of Milan into ribbons of reflected light by the time Elena Grace stepped out of the restaurant. She pulled her coat closer around her body and glanced toward the road, hoping to find a taxi before the rain became heavier. The evening had started simply enough. Dinner with a friend, a little conversation, and an hour away from the pressure of work. She had no idea that, within minutes, the ordinary night would divide her life into a before and an after. She heard the gunshot before she understood what it was. The sharp crack cut through the rain and sent a strange silence through the street. Elena froze. A second later, she saw a man stumble near the entrance of a darkened building and collapse onto the wet pavement. Her breath caught in her throat. Another man stood several feet away, his dark coat soaked by the rain, his face difficult to see beneath the streetlight. He lowered the gun with frightening calm. Elena should have run immediately. Instead, she stood there, unable to move. The man turned. For one terrible second, their eyes met. Elena finally found her legs. She turned and hurried down the street, her shoes slipping against the wet pavement. Her heart pounded so hard that she could barely hear anything except her own breathing. She did not know who the man was, who the victim had been, or why she had been unfortunate enough to see what happened. She only knew that she needed to get away. She had barely reached the corner when a black vehicle stopped beside the curb. A man stepped out. He was dressed in a black suit beneath a long dark coat, his posture calm despite the chaos around him. Two other men remained close to the vehicle, watching the street with the kind of alertness that told Elena they were not ordinary bodyguards. The man looked directly at her. “Miss Grace.” Elena stopped. “How do you know my name?” He did not answer immediately. His eyes moved briefly over her face before settling on her again. There was nothing hurried about him. Nothing uncertain. He carried himself like someone who was accustomed to being obeyed. “My name is Luca Moretti.” The name meant something. Elena had heard it before. Everyone in certain circles had. Luca Moretti was the heir to the Moretti family, a name associated with wealth, power, and a criminal empire that most sensible people preferred not to discuss openly. He was known for being ruthless in business and colder in person. Men twice his age respected him. Others feared him. Elena stared at him. “You’re Luca Moretti?” “Yes.” “Then why are you talking to me?” “Because you witnessed something you were never supposed to see.” His voice was low and controlled. He did not threaten her, yet Elena felt the seriousness in every word. “I can go to the police,” she said. “You can.” The simple answer caught her off guard. Luca took one step closer, but stopped at a respectful distance. “But before you make that decision, understand what you have seen. The man who died tonight was connected to people who do not forgive witnesses. I have already dealt with the person responsible.” Elena looked at him carefully. “You killed him?” Luca’s expression remained unreadable. “I eliminated the threat.” The words sent a chill through her. She should have been more frightened of him than anyone else standing on that street. Yet there was something strangely steady about the way he spoke. He wasn’t trying to impress her. He wasn’t asking for gratitude. He was simply stating what he had done. “I don’t know you,” Elena whispered. “I know.” “Then why should I trust you?” “You shouldn’t.” She blinked. Luca continued, “Trust is earned. I’m not asking you to trust me tonight. I’m asking you to come somewhere safe until you can decide what you want to do.” Elena looked toward the restaurant behind her. The street seemed different now. Darker. Less familiar. “I can take care of myself.” “I believe you.” That answer surprised her more than anything else he had said. Luca’s gaze softened by the smallest degree. “But being capable of protecting yourself does not mean you should have to face this alone.” Before Elena could answer, one of Luca’s men approached and spoke quietly to him. Luca listened, his expression changing almost imperceptibly. Then he looked at Elena. “Get in the car.” “No.” His eyebrow lifted slightly. “I don’t know where you’re taking me.” “My home.” “Absolutely not.” For the first time, something almost resembling amusement touched his face. “You’re stubborn.” “I don’t think that’s a bad thing.” “I didn’t say it was.” The exchange might have felt absurd under different circumstances. But Elena was still trying to understand the fact that she was standing beside one of the most feared men in the city after witnessing a murder. Then a movement near the end of the street caught her attention. A man stepped out from between two parked cars. Luca noticed him at the same moment. Everything happened quickly. The man raised a weapon. Luca moved in front of Elena. A single shot broke through the rain. The armed man dropped. Elena stared, unable to breathe. Luca turned toward her immediately. “Are you hurt?” She shook her head. “Look at me.” She did. His expression was still controlled, but his eyes were different now. There was something fiercely protective in them. “You’re coming with me.” This time, Elena did not argue. One of Luca’s men opened the rear door of the vehicle. Elena climbed inside, still trembling. Luca entered after her, while the others took their positions around the car. As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, Elena stared through the window at the city disappearing behind them. She had expected fear to be the only thing she felt. Instead, confusion had joined it. She had just watched Luca Moretti eliminate a man without hesitation. Yet when he had looked at her afterward, his first question had been whether she was hurt. It was difficult to reconcile the two versions of him. The ruthless man everyone feared. And the man who had placed himself between her and a bullet without thinking twice. Luca sat across from her, his attention on the road ahead. “You’re safe now,” he said. Elena looked at him. “For how long?” “As long as you’re under my protection.” She should have questioned what that meant. She should have demanded to be taken home. She should have told him that she wanted nothing to do with his world. Instead, she found herself watching him. There was something unsettling about Luca Moretti. Not only his power or the reputation that followed his name, but the quiet certainty with which he carried both. He didn’t need to raise his voice to command a room. He didn’t need to explain himself. People simply moved when he told them to. And yet, somehow, he had listened when she said no. He had not forced her into the car. He had waited. That small detail stayed with her. Luca turned his head and caught her staring. “What?” “Nothing.” “You’ve been looking at me for the last five minutes.” Elena looked away. “I’m trying to understand you.” His mouth curved faintly. “Don’t waste your time.” “Why?” “Because I’m not easy to understand.” “Maybe I like difficult things.” For the first time, Luca looked genuinely surprised. Elena immediately regretted saying it. He leaned back against the seat, studying her with an expression she couldn’t read. “You really are stubborn.” “And you’re very sure of yourself.” “I have to be.” “Why?” “Because people depend on me.” There was something behind those words, something Elena couldn’t quite reach. She didn’t press him. Outside, the rain continued to fall. Inside the car, silence settled between them, but it no longer felt as uncomfortable as it should have. Elena looked out the window again. She had entered the evening as an ordinary woman going home after dinner. Now she was sitting beside Luca Moretti, the most powerful and dangerous man she had ever met, on her way to a place she had never seen. She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring. She didn’t know how long she would remain under his protection. And she certainly didn’t know that the man beside her would slowly become the one person she would begin to see differently from everyone else. For tonight, one thing was certain. Luca Moretti had entered her life as the man who eliminated the threat. She had no idea that he would soon become the man who would change her heart.