The Mafia King's Reluctant Bride

The first thing I noticed was the blood.

Not the gun.

Not the men in black suits.

Not even the body collapsing to the wet pavement.

Just the blood - bright, violent red - mixing with rainwater and running toward my shoes like it was alive... like it was reaching for me.

My breath caught in my throat.

Don't scream.

Don't move.

Don't exist.

The alley smelled like iron and smoke. My back pressed against the cold brick wall as thunder rolled across the night sky. I had only come this way to avoid the storm.

One stupid shortcut.

One stupid decision.

And now I was watching a man die.

The gunshot echoed again in my head even though it had already happened. My ears rang. My fingers trembled around my phone, the screen still glowing with the time.

11:47 PM.

I should have been home.

Instead, I was hiding behind a dumpster, watching three men stand over a body like death itself had come to collect a debt.

"Dispose of it," one of them said.

His voice was low. Calm.

Like he had just ordered coffee.

Two men moved forward, grabbing the body under the arms. The dead man's head lolled to the side, eyes open, empty, staring straight at me.

My stomach twisted.

Don't look.

Don't make eye contact.

Don't be here.

I slowly slid my foot back, praying the sound of rain hitting metal would hide the noise.

Then my heel splashed into a shallow puddle.

Too loud.

Too obvious.

Too late.

One of the men froze.

"Boss," he said quietly. "We're not alone."

My heart stopped.

No. No. No.

Heavy footsteps turned toward me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing myself harder into the shadows, as if I could melt into the wall.

Maybe they wouldn't see me.

Maybe-

"Come out."

The voice was closer now.

Colder.

Sharper.

I didn't move.

"Now."

My legs moved before my brain could argue. I stepped out slowly, hands shaking as I lifted them.

"I-I didn't see anything," I whispered.

Lightning flashed.

And that's when I saw him.

He stood slightly apart from the others, tall, broad shoulders cutting through the rain like it avoided him. Dark hair slicked back. Black coat hanging perfectly over his frame.

But it was his eyes that destroyed me.

Cold.

Calculating.

And locked completely onto me.

He stepped closer.

Once.

Twice.

My pulse slammed so hard I thought I might faint.

"What's your name?" he asked.

Not angry.

Not rushed.

Just... certain.

"Elena," I said before I could stop myself. "Elena Rossi."

Silence stretched between us. Rain pounded around us. Somewhere, thunder cracked again.

He studied my face like he was memorizing it. Like he was deciding something important.

Then his gaze dropped to my trembling hands.

"You saw," he said.

It wasn't a question.

Tears blurred my vision. "I won't tell anyone. I swear. I don't even know who you are."

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

Behind him, one of the men