THE MAFIA KING'S DEADLY ENEMY

Aria's POV "I need you to bring this man in." Chief Carter pushed a thick file across his desk toward me. I reached for it and opened it. A photograph was attached to the first page, and a young man stared back at me. Damien Voss. I studied his face for a moment. He couldn't have been more than twenty five, yet there was something unsettling about his expression. His black hair was neatly styled, his jaw sharp, and his eyes seemed cold even through the photograph. He was dressed in an expensive black suit, looking every bit like the billionaire businessman the public believed him to be. Age: 25. Suspected activities: Drug trafficking. Illegal weapons trafficking. Organized crime. I turned to another page. Photographs of warehouses, vehicles, suspicious transactions, and several men believed to be connected to his organization. My jaw tightened. Three years as a detective, and I still hated men like him. I looked at Damien's photograph again. The calmness in his eyes bothered me. He looked nothing like the monster described in the report. "We need him arrested," Chief Carter said. I lifted my gaze. "When?" "Today. He's slipped through our hands twice this year already, and I'm not losing him a third time on my watch." I frowned. "Today?" "Yes." I closed the file halfway. "Shouldn't we prepare for the operation first?" Chief Carter leaned forward. "We don't have time. Damien is going to the airport today to welcome his fiancée. It's the best opportunity we've had to catch him outside his heavily guarded properties." I glanced at the file again. "And his security?" "Dangerous." That single word made me pause. Chief Carter's expression hardened. "Don't underestimate him, Aria. Damien Voss isn't an ordinary criminal. If the information we have is accurate, he's connected to some very powerful people." I took a slow breath. "So you want me to bring him in before he leaves the airport." "Exactly." I closed the file. "Yes, sir." I stood and tucked the folder under my arm. As I walked out of the office, I couldn't shake the feeling that this mission would be different from the others. "Aria." I stopped. Lucas was standing outside the office. The moment he saw the file in my hand, his expression changed. "Another mission?" I nodded. "A dangerous one." He stepped closer. "I'm coming." I sighed. "Lucas—" "Don't even start." He reached for my hand. "I know you. You're going to tell me it's too dangerous and that I should stay behind." "Because it is dangerous." "And that's exactly why I'm coming." Lucas had been my partner for years, and my fiancé for almost as long, though lately I wasn't always sure why. "You don't have to protect me every time," I said quietly. His expression softened. "I know. But I still want to." I couldn't help smiling. "Fine. But you follow my orders." He smiled back. "Deal." A few minutes later, we gathered the rest of the team, including Anita, my closest friend on the force. We headed toward the airport. None of us wore our uniforms. We needed to look like ordinary travelers until the right moment. The airport was already crowded when we arrived, families embracing, travelers rushing toward departure gates, security cameras sweeping the terminal from every corner. A place this full of people should have felt safe. It didn't feel that way to me anymore. I touched the radio clipped to my shoulder. "Everyone, report." "Team One is ready." "Team Two is in position." I scanned the area. "Stay alert. Nobody makes a move until I give the order." I slipped the radio back into place. Then a black SUV pulled up near one of the restricted entrances, and my attention immediately shifted. Four men dressed in black stepped out. Security. They spread around the vehicle before one of them opened the rear door. A man stepped out. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. Even from a distance, there was something commanding about him. He didn't look around nervously or rush. He simply walked as though everyone around him was supposed to move out of his way. I reached for the photograph in my pocket, my eyes moving between the picture and the man. My heartbeat quickened. It was him. I pressed the radio. "Target spotted." "Copy," Lucas responded. Damien walked toward the arrival area. Then a tall woman appeared, pulling a small suitcase behind her. The moment Damien saw her, his expression changed. It was subtle, but I noticed. He walked toward her, and she smiled before throwing her arms around him. His fiancée. I watched them for several seconds. They looked genuinely happy to see each other. For a moment, I almost forgot what the file said about the man standing in front of me. Then Damien removed his sunglasses, and his eyes were colder than they had looked in the photograph. His gaze drifted past his fiancée and landed directly on me. I froze. He couldn't have known who I was, not yet, but for one strange second it felt like he saw straight through me anyway. Something about that look settled low in my stomach, and it had nothing to do with fear. I reached for my weapon. This was my chance. I stepped forward. "Damien Voss!" He stopped. His fiancée looked at me in confusion. I pulled my gun and aimed it at him. "Don't move!" Nearby travelers began to scatter, ducking behind luggage carts and pillars. Somewhere across the terminal, an alarm started blaring, and I caught sight of airport security already moving in our direction, too far away to reach us in time. One of Damien's men immediately reached for his weapon. I reacted before he could aim. Bang! The bullet struck his leg. He fell to the ground with a cry. Screams broke out across the terminal as the remaining men raised their weapons, but Lucas and the others appeared from different directions, surrounding them. I pulled out my police identification. "I'm Detective Aria Cross. Damien Voss, you're under arrest for drug trafficking, illegal weapons trafficking and organized crime." Damien stared at me. He didn't look frightened. Instead, the corner of his mouth lifted. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette. Was he seriously doing this now? He lit it and took a slow drag, completely ignoring the guns pointed at him. "Drop your weapons!" I ordered his men. Nobody moved. Then Damien looked down at the man I'd shot. The injured man was still breathing heavily, one hand pressed against his leg. "Boss..." he pleaded. Damien's expression didn't change. He pulled out his gun. My eyes widened. "Don't!" Bang! The shot echoed through the airport. The injured man went still. For a moment nobody moved at all. Somewhere behind me a woman had stopped screaming mid breath, and the whole terminal seemed to hold that silence with her. I stared at Damien in disbelief. He had just killed his own man, without so much as a flinch, and the stillness that followed felt worse than the gunshot itself. Damien looked at the body for a moment before lowering his gun. Then he dropped it. The weapon hit the floor. Was he surrendering? Then his hand disappeared beneath his jacket. Bang! The officer beside me was thrown backward and hit the ground hard.