The Mafia King's Heart

The city looked beautiful from a distance.

Skyscrapers glittered beneath the night sky, expensive cars filled the streets, and music drifted from rooftop bars. To everyone else, it was a city of opportunity.

To Amelia Reed...

It was just another twelve-hour shift.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail as she walked into St. Gabriel Medical Center.

“Morning, Amelia!” called one of the nurses.

“Morning!”

The emergency room was already packed. Ambulances came and went. Doctors shouted instructions. Monitors beeped without pause.

Amelia loved the chaos.

It reminded her why she became a nurse—to save lives.

By the time her shift ended, it was nearly midnight.

She rubbed her aching shoulders as she stepped out into the cool night air.

“I deserve the biggest cup of coffee in the world,” she muttered.

The café across the street was still open.

As she crossed the road, her phone buzzed.

Mia: Don’t forget dinner tomorrow! And no canceling this time!

Amelia smiled.

Amelia: I promise.

She slipped her phone into her pocket and continued walking.

Halfway down a quiet side street, she heard raised voices.

Then—

A gunshot.

She froze.

Another shot echoed through the alley.

Every instinct told her to leave.

Instead, she peeked around the corner.

A man in an expensive suit collapsed onto the pavement.

Three armed men surrounded him.

One lowered his pistol.

“Boss says no witnesses.”

Amelia’s breath caught.

She stepped backward.

Her shoe knocked over an empty glass bottle.

It shattered.

The alley fell silent.

Slowly...

Every head turned toward her.

“There!” one of the men shouted.

Without thinking, Amelia ran.

Rain began pouring from the sky as she sprinted through the streets.

Her heart pounded.

Her lungs burned.

She turned one corner.

Then another.

The footsteps behind her grew louder.

“They’re gaining on me...”

Suddenly, a sleek black car stopped in front of her.

The rear passenger door opened.

A man’s deep voice came from inside.

“Get in.”

Amelia shook her head.

“I don’t even know you!”

“You don’t have time to.”

She glanced behind her.

The gunmen were only seconds away.

The man stepped out of the car.

He was tall, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, with dark hair and piercing gray eyes that seemed impossible to read.

There was something commanding about him.

The kind of presence that made the world around him feel smaller.

He held out his hand.

“Amelia Reed.”

Her eyes widened.

“How do you know my name?”

“I know a great deal about you.”

Fear gripped her chest.

“Who are you?”

He looked at the approaching gunmen before answering.

“My name is Luca Moretti.”

The color drained from her face.

Everyone knew that name.

Some called him a billionaire.

Others called him a criminal.

Most simply called him...

The Mafia King.

The gunmen rounded the corner.

One raised his weapon.

Luca didn’t even look at them.

His eyes remained fixed on Amelia.

“You have exactly one choice.”

He extended his hand again.

“Come with me...”

“...or they bury you before sunrise.”

A bullet struck the side of the car.

Luca’s bodyguards stepped from the shadows, weapons drawn.

Chaos erupted.

Amelia stared at Luca’s outstretched hand.

Trust a mafia king...

Or die.

With trembling fingers...

She placed her hand in his.

Luca closed the car door behind her.

As the engine roared to life and the city disappeared behind them, Amelia realized one terrifying truth.

Her old life had just ended