Chapter Three: Enemies in Disguise
883 Words
Elena woke to the sound of a gunshot.
Her eyes snapped open, heart racing, body already moving. She rolled off the bed, grabbing the handgun hidden beneath the mattress. The hotel room was dark except for the city lights leaking through the curtains.
Another shot echoed through the street below.
Not for her.
She exhaled slowly and stood, walking to the window. Milan looked peaceful again, as if the storm had never happened. But she knew better.
Storms always left damage.
Her phone buzzed.
Luca: Breakfast. Your place or mine?
She stared at the message longer than she should have.
Elena: Mine. Don’t bring security.
Luca: I never do.
She doubted that.
⸻
Luca arrived thirty minutes later, wearing a fitted black shirt and jeans that screamed wealth without trying. He looked too calm for a man whose family controlled half the city’s underworld.
She didn’t know that.
Yet.
“You look like you didn’t sleep,” he said, stepping into her suite.
“I slept.”
“You’re lying again.”
She smiled faintly. “You’re annoying.”
He smirked. “You kissed me last night.”
“That was alcohol.”
“You barely drank.”
She turned away, pouring coffee. “Why are you here, Luca?”
He leaned against the counter. “Because I like you.”
“That’s not smart.”
He tilted his head. “Why?”
She hesitated. “Because I’m not the kind of woman you think I am.”
He stepped closer. “And what kind is that?”
“The kind you should avoid.”
He studied her face. “I don’t avoid things that interest me.”
She laughed quietly. “That will get you killed one day.”
“Or make me king.”
She met his eyes. “You already act like one.”
He smiled but didn’t deny it.
⸻
Later that afternoon, Luca took her for a drive.
The city blurred past as his car moved through narrow streets and open highways. Elena watched him drive, noting everything—his posture, his calmness, the way people recognized the car and stepped aside.
Power recognized power.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Somewhere quiet.”
“That’s suspicious.”
He chuckled. “Everything about me is suspicious.”
They stopped at a secluded viewpoint overlooking the city. The skyline stretched endlessly, beautiful and dangerous.
“This is where I come when I need to think,” he said.
She stepped out, the wind tugging at her hair. “You think a lot?”
“Too much.”
She leaned on the railing. “About what?”
“About whether people are worth the risk.”
She looked at him. “And your conclusion?”
He stepped closer. “You are.”
Her heart skipped.
“You don’t even know me,” she said.
“I know enough.”
She turned away. “That’s what scares me.”
⸻
That night, everything changed.
They were walking back from dinner when a black car pulled up beside them.
Too fast.
Too sudden.
Luca’s hand tightened on her wrist. “Run.”
Gunshots shattered the air.
Elena’s instincts took over. She pulled him behind a concrete wall, her heart pounding as bullets chipped the pavement.
“Who are they?” she whispered.
Luca’s jaw tightened. “People who want me dead.”
She peeked around the wall. Two men stepped out, guns raised.
She cursed under her breath and reached into her bag, pulling out her handgun.
Luca stared. “You carry a g*n?”
She met his eyes. “You don’t?”
He gave a short laugh. “Fair.”
She fired first.
The sound was deafening. One man dropped, the other ducked behind the car.
Luca grabbed her arm. “We’re leaving.”
They ran, disappearing into the maze of streets. Minutes later, they were in his car, speeding through the city.
Her hands were shaking.
Not from fear.
From familiarity.
“You didn’t hesitate,” he said, glancing at her.
“Neither did you.”
He looked at her differently now.
Like she wasn’t just a woman.
She was something else.
Something dangerous.
⸻
They stopped at his penthouse.
He poured two glasses of whiskey, his hands steady. She noticed that.
“You handled yourself well,” he said.
“You too.”
Silence settled between them.
“Who are you, Elena?” he asked quietly.
She looked at him, really looked at him.
If she told him the truth, he’d leave.
If she lied, he’d stay.
She chose the lie.
“I told you. I’m a writer.”
He studied her for a long moment, then nodded slowly.
“Good,” he said.
“Good?”
“I’d hate to fall for someone who lies badly.”
Her chest tightened.
He had no idea how deeply she was lying.
⸻
Across the ocean, in a dark office, Elena’s mother watched security footage of the attack.
Her lips curled into a slow smile.
“They’ve met violence together,” she murmured. “Perfect.”
Her assistant frowned. “Should we eliminate him?”
She shook her head. “Not yet.”
She turned to the window, eyes cold.
“Let them fall in love first.”
- Writer
