POV: Luca Moretti
"What the hell is she?" As I spoke to Enzo in a whisper, my eyes locked on the woman who had just walked into my kingdom as if it were hers.
The private club was full of smoke, music, and laughter, which is the kind of noise that can block out bad feelings. But it didn't tonight. A stranger showed up tonight, cutting through the fog like a blade.
In the dim light, her velvet-black dress shimmered and looked like temptation itself on her body. Not one of ours. Too calm. Way too dangerous.
"Boss?" Enzo leaned in closer and held his half-dead cigar in his hands. "Do you want me to check her out?"
I wasn't quick to answer. I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I watched every flick of her eyelashes and every deliberate sway of her hips. She didn't come here to drink. She wasn't here to have fun. She was out hunting.
"No," I finally said in a low voice. "Let her go." I'm interested in where she's going.
Enzo made a face. "She's not on any list." Everyone who comes in here signs in blood, you know that.
That's right. I laughed. "That makes her more interesting."
It was clear that she knew I was watching her. Her eyes, which were hot and sharp, met mine across the room. The club's confusion stopped for a second. Nothing but silence. Just her.
She slowly raised her glass and smiled in a way that seemed more like a threat than a welcome.
I got up.
"Where are you going?" Enzo made a noise.
"Where princes go when someone breaks in without permission and enters their castle."
I got through the crowd. Men straightened their backs, and women leaned in to be seen. I didn't see any of them, though. Just her.
When I sat down at her table, she tilted her head and looked at me like she already knew everything about me.
It was a soft voice with a blade hiding inside it that said, "Be careful staring." "You'll give up everything."
I got close enough to her to smell her perfume, which smelled dark, flowery, and dangerous. "What am I giving away?"
Her lips were curled in a friendly way. "In charge."
What the heck? That wasn't how anyone talked to me. Not the government. Not competitors. Not even family.
But instead of anger, something else started to move. Something...natural.
I slid into the chair next to hers. "Perhaps you don't know who I am then."
"Oh, yes, I know who you are." It was clear that she was sure of herself. "Luca Moretti." The prince who couldn't be hurt. "The man who brings down governments and gets rid of enemies."
I made a face. "And you were still brave enough to come here?"
With a poison-sweet smile, she leaned forward. "Scary things don't bother me."
I almost thought she was another snob who was drunk and didn't have any sense for a moment. But then she said something that made me stop moving.
"You keep your brother close, but your enemies close."
My heart stopped beating. Matteo is my younger brother and the ghost in my shade. Not many people outside of my group knew about him.
My eyes got smaller. "Who sent you?"
She took slow, calm sips from her drink, as if my question were just another way to flirt.
She said, "No one sent me." "I came by myself."
"Fake news." The table jumped when I slammed my glass down. "No one comes in here without a leash." Whose dog are you?"
It was like her eyes were cutting right through me. "Maybe tonight I'm not the one on a leash." "Perhaps you are."
There was a dark feeling in my chest that was half anger and half interest. She was careless. Or very smart. Both were also dangerous.
Enzo showed up on my shoulder, tense. "Boss, do you want me to"
Without taking my eyes off of her, I said, "Leave us."
Oh, Luca
"I told you to leave."
Enzo thought for a moment and then blended back into the crowd.
Her smirk got bigger. "You fire your men too quickly." Courageous. Or haughty."
"Both," I answered. "But I'm not stupid." You had a reason for coming here. Before I decide to end the night by putting your body in the river, tell me what it is.
Her laugh was low and scary. "Threats?" Already? "You don't like not being in charge, do you?"
"I don't like playing games."
"After that, you'll dislike me."
I felt her words cut right through me, and for a split second, I saw pain sparkle behind her eyes. I feel bad. She didn't mean to tell those secrets.
She caught herself, leaned back, and smiled again to hide it. "Calm down, Prince. "I'm not here to kill you."
I got closer, and my voice became a whisper so it could get under her skin. "All right. You would be dead by now if you were that way.
She looked straight into my eyes without fear, but her hands told me otherwise, one finger lightly tapping against her glass. An alert. A tick. Something.
I had a strong feeling that she wasn't here by accident. She knew too much. Too well did she carry herself. And there was something else going on beneath her confidence... a storm about to happen.
What the hell was she?
I told them, "Tell me your name."
She thought for a moment, just long enough to be sure it was a lie when it came out. "Aria."
"Aria..." I tried the name out by rolling it around on my tongue. "Beautiful." But it's not true."
She laughed and her lips twitched. "Why are you so sure?"
"Because every liar I've met picks a name that sounds too good to be true." Too well done. Aria, you are nothing if not well-groomed.
Her voice dropped as she leaned forward again. "Perhaps I lied." You might also just want to think I did it. Because telling you the truth, Luca Moretti, could make you lose everything.
The word "ruins" hit me like a bullet. My whole life was based on not being able to be touched or shaken.
Still, she was there, claiming power.
I told them to be careful. "You have no idea how near the edge you are."
"Oh, I know just where the edge is." When she reached for her glass, her fingers might have touched mine by mistake. "And it feels good to stand on."
Something dangerous curled up inside me, making my chest tighten. Want. Fury. I'm interested.
A deadly mix.
She had to look up at me because I stood up quickly.
"Do you want to play?" My voice was rough and low. "Okay. You can't play them down here in front of people, though.
I put out my hand.
Her eyes sparked with something, maybe fear or doubt. Then she put her soft, steady hand on mine.
I stood over her and pulled her to her feet. Then I whispered in her ear, "Let's see how brave you are upstairs."
I didn't wait for her answer before leading her to the private stairs.
As we walked by, everyone turned their head, and whispers went through the room.
The woman who appeared out of thin air. The prince who never let anyone else sit on his throne.
I looked back at her as we got to the steps. She was happy. But I didn't see fear in her eyes.
It was a win.
At that very moment, one scary thing became clear: she wasn't going to walk right into my trap. I walked right into hers.