{ Mia }
Lily sat tied to a chair, wrists bound tight with rough rope, her face streaked with tears. Her small shoulders shook with every sob. She looked up, eyes red and wide, whispering through broken breaths, "P-please… I didn't… I don't know anything, please don't hurt me…"
For a second, my chest ached so hard I almost forgot why I was here.
"It's me," I said quickly, stepping out of the shadows. "Lily, it's me. You're safe now."
Her sobs stilled. She blinked at me, disbelief cutting through the fear.
"…M-Mia?"
I dropped to my knees, fumbling with the ropes until the knot gave way. Lily's wrists were raw, her hands trembling as soon as they were free.
"Mia?" she whispered again, like saying my name out loud might make me disappear. "You're— you're real—oh God, I thought— I thought I was—"
"No time," I cut her off, yanking the ropes off her ankles. "We're leaving. Now."
Gunshots cracked outside, sharp and ugly, echoing through the walls. My head jerked toward the door. My watch read 5:20.
"Shit," I hissed under my breath. He's early.
I grabbed Lily by the waist and hauled her up. "Hold on to me. Don't let go."
Her weight was nothing—I'd carry her if I had to. We burst into the hall, feet pounding down the stairs.
The guards spotted us instantly, guns snapping up in unison.
"Stop!" one barked.
I didn't stop. I slid Lily behind me, yanked the pistol from my pocket, and fired two clean shots. Both bullets hit home—forehead, then temple. The men crumpled like puppets with cut strings.
Smoke curled from the barrel. My lips twisted into a smirk. "Let's get outta here."
Lily clung to me, wide-eyed, as I dragged her down the last flight.
The exit burst open—one of the outside guards lunging at me with a wild punch. I ducked low, heat brushing past my cheek. My foot snapped up, catching him in the gut. Before he could recover, I caught his arm, swung him forward, and slammed him to the ground in one fluid motion. He didn't get back up.
I tightened my grip on Lily, tucking her against me like she might shatter. "Almost there," I muttered.
{ Enzo }
Engines roared down the block as I pulled up, my men flanking me. The building reeked of smoke and blood, faint even from outside. I stepped out of the car, coat falling heavy on my shoulders, my hand already wrapped around the grip of my pistol.
And then I saw her.
Mia—dragging Lily in her arms, hair wild, her chest heaving. Her face streaked with sweat, but her eyes burned like fire. Behind her lay two bodies, headshots clean enough to be executions. Another guard writhed in the dirt at her feet, broken.
My men froze at the sight.
So did I.
The corner of my mouth curled, but it wasn't a smile. It was darker than that—pride tangled with fury, relief with rage. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't supposed to fight like one of us. And yet… she had.
I holstered my gun slowly, eyes locked on hers.
"Mia," I breathed, low and dangerous, more to myself than to her.
I watched, every nerve on fire, as she handed Lily over to me. Safe. Whole. But that damned smirk—my chest tightened. She knew exactly what she was doing.
"You're early," she said, her tone teasing, infuriating, impossible.
My fists clenched. My knuckles a pale white. I wanted to roar, to stride across the street and make her pay for every second she'd toyed with me. But the girl moved with precision, slipping into the passenger seat of my car like she owned the place, calm as ever, waiting for me to get in.
The chauffeur started the engine. Tires whispered against the asphalt. My eyes burned, tracking her every move, every slight gesture. She leaned back, arms crossed, smug, untouchable.
I slammed my palm against the hood of the car, letting out a growl that made my men flinch. Rage, protectiveness, and something I didn't want to name twisted in my chest. That girl… she had balls. She had nerve. And she had somehow survived all the chaos I'd unleashed tonight.
I could feel it—the mafia instinct, the need to control, to punish, to drag her into submission—but also… she'd won. She'd gotten what she wanted, and now she was sitting there, mocking me.
I shoved the door open, slamming it with enough force to rattle the windows. The chauffeur froze, glancing at me, but I didn't care. I leaned over, voice low, dangerous, trembling with fury and something else entirely.
"You little—" I growled. "…don't think this is over."
Mia's smirk widened. She didn't answer. She just leaned back, relaxed, giving me the briefest shrug. The car pulled off. I stayed on the curb a second too long, eyes locked on her, heart hammering.
She had beaten me tonight—but mark my words… next time, I would decide the rules.
I tore my eyes from Mia only when Lily's small, trembling frame caught my attention. Her hands were still shaking, tears streaking down her face, and my heart clenched tighter than it had for that girl in the passenger seat.
"Hey… it's okay," I said, voice low, dangerous but gentle—like a lion calming a cub. My hands hovered near hers before I actually touched her, careful not to scare her further. "You're safe now. I've got you."
She flinched slightly at my voice, then leaned into me, relief flooding through her in little shivers. I held her close, one arm around her shoulders, the other gripping her wrist lightly to steady her.
My men were silent in the backseat, but I didn't care. Every ounce of my attention went to her—checking for injuries, scanning for fear, making sure she was breathing right, alive and unharmed.
I could feel the rage simmering behind my eyes, not gone, just redirected. Mia had outplayed me tonight, sure, but Lily… she was family. And no one—no one—would touch her without paying me first.
I looked briefly at Mia, smirk still plastered across her face, leaning back like a queen who'd won a war I hadn't noticed started. Then back at Lily, whose sobs had quieted to shaky breaths.
"Do you… understand what I'm saying?" I murmured, voice soft but edged with warning. "No one hurts you again. Not tonight. Not ever."
And as I held her, feeling the weight of my own fury and relief, I realized something: in this world, loyalty and family were everything. And tonight… my family had survived.