"""""""Take off your apron. You're fired!"""" My manager humiliated me in front of an entire Chicago restaurant because I spent $12.40 of my own money buying lunch for an elderly woman. Minutes later, I confronted a mysterious stranger watching from the corner, unaware he was Chicago's most feared Mafia boss. But when I challenged him to use his power to help someone, he stood up and gave an order that silenced the entire restaurant.

The morning sun broke through the grey Chicago clouds, casting golden beams across the penthouse.

I woke up curled in the massive armchair beside Adrian’s bed, wrapped in a plush cashmere blanket someone had draped over me while I slept.

Adrian was already awake, sitting on the edge of the bed in a clean white shirt, talking in hushed, urgent tones with Marcus.

"Vance’s bank accounts in the Cayman Islands are frozen," Marcus was reporting, checking a tablet. "The feds received the anonymous tip regarding his offshore shipments in Calumet. By noon, Vance will have an arrest warrant hanging over his head. He's cornered."

"A cornered rat is unpredictable," Adrian said coldly, standing up slowly while supporting his injured side. "Double the security at Aunt Helena’s estate. Put four men outside Evelyn Carter’s clinic in Ravenswood."

"Good morning," I murmured, stretching as I stood up from the armchair.

Adrian turned, his eyes softening instantly. "Morning. How did you sleep?"

"Surprisingly well, considering I spent half the night avoiding assassins," I said with a faint smile. "I should call my mother. She had an early appointment at the clinic this morning for her vitals check."

I reached for my phone on the side table.

There were four missed calls. All from an unknown number. And a single voicemail.

A cold premonition seized my chest. I tapped the voicemail and pressed the phone to my ear.

*"Sophie! Sophie, help me! Oh God, they broke through the door—"*

My mother’s terrified scream was abruptly cut off by the sound of glass shattering and a muffled struggle. Then, a sickeningly familiar voice came over the line.

*"Hello, Sophie."*

Daniel Mercer.

*"Did you really think your mafia boyfriend could destroy my life and get away with it? Did you think I was just going to disappear into the gutter?"* Daniel’s voice was ragged, manic, completely unhinged. *"Vance gave me twenty men and a promise: deliver Voss to him, or die trying. Well, look who happened to be walking into her clinic completely unprotected. Come to the abandoned railway depot on 115th Street in Calumet. Bring Adrian Voss. Alone. No guards. No police. If I see a single shadow following you, I slit your mother’s throat on live video."*

The line went dead.

"No... no, no, no!" I screamed, dropping the phone. My knees buckled beneath me.

Adrian moved with lightning speed, catching me before I hit the floor. "Sophie! What is it?!"

"My mother!" I sobbed, clutching his chest, hysterical panic tearing through my lungs. "Daniel... Daniel took her! He took her to the Calumet rail depot! He wants you, Adrian! He's going to kill her!"

Marcus’s radio crackled to life at that exact moment. *"Marcus! The clinic detail was ambushed! A decoy van blew the perimeter—two men down! Mrs. Carter is gone!"*

Marcus swore violently, slamming his fist against the wall. "The leak came from inside our logistical routing. Daniel had the private transport codes."

Adrian’s face drained of all warmth. In less than three seconds, the man who had kissed me with tender desperation transformed into a terrifying, demonic force of pure destruction. His eyes turned black as midnight, his jaw hardening into solid granite.

"Marcus," Adrian said. The calm in his voice was far more terrifying than any scream. "Mobilize all four strike teams. Bring the heavy armaments. Call the precinct captain—tell him Calumet is a dead zone for the next two hours. No sirens. No inquiries."

"Boss, Daniel said alone," Marcus warned. "If he spots our trucks—"

"He won't spot them," Adrian growled, walking to the walk-in closet and pulling out a tactical vest. He strapped it tightly over his bandaged ribs, not even flinching at the pain. He pulled a heavy assault rifle from a concealed wall safe. "Because Sophie and I will be entering through the front door."

"Adrian, no!" I cried, grabbing his arm. "Daniel is insane! He’s desperate! He will kill you the second you walk in!"

Adrian grabbed both of my shoulders, pulling me firmly against his chest. His eyes locked onto mine, blazing with absolute certainty.

"Listen to me, Sophie," Adrian commanded, his voice steady as an anchor in a hurricane. "I gave you my word that you and your family would be safe under my name. I would pull down every building in this city before I let them lay a finger on your mother. We are going to get her back. And then, I am going to erase Daniel Mercer from the face of the earth."

I looked into his eyes and saw no hesitation. No fear. Only an unstoppable force of vengeance.

I wiped the tears from my cheeks with the back of my hand. My fear began to burn away, replaced by a cold, white-hot rage of my own.

"Give me a gun," I said.

Adrian stared at me for a beat, a dark, ferocious pride lighting up his eyes.