OLIVIA

My knees wobbled on the way out, my stomach flipping like a washing machine on an erratic spin cycle.

Luca Moretti—bloody hell, the Luca Moretti—was my new boss.

The man I flirted with, who looked at me with such intensity it felt like a physical touch, was the very person I should have avoided at all costs.

Great, just great. So much for keeping a low profile in the club. No, I had to catch the attention of the most menacing man in possibly all of London.

The memory of his heated gazes and tempting whispers left me breathless again. I thought I was playing with fire before, but it was so much worse now I knew who he was. The dark promise in Luca's eyes, the way he described each carnal act as if he pictured me as the star—god, my cheeks burned simply thinking about it.

Remembering his smirk made my pulse skitter, and I wasn't even going to acknowledge the dampness between my thighs thanks to the lustful tour of the club.

This was bad. Very bad.

He was dangerous. Off-limits. Yet, a part of me buzzed at the thought of seeing him again. Against all reason, something in me craved to be burned by the inferno he promised.

My mind flashed back to the couple we watched and the raw intensity of their connection, vulnerability and power on full display. Could I surrender like that? Give someone else such power and control? The idea was terrifying and exhilarating.

Would I trust someone like Luca with it? The man was a storm of contradictions. There was darkness in him that scared and intrigued me, but also a gentleness.

I shook my head, trying to dispel the visions, which threatened my self-control. But the more I tried to focus on my purpose at L'Ombra, the more my mind betrayed me, lured by the tantalising what-ifs.

What on earth was wrong with me that I craved a ruthless criminal, a mafia boss?

The chilling air that greeted me outside as I beelined for my car was the splash of reality I needed. Noah.

Noah was in danger—I couldn't let my focus waver, not with his life hanging by a thread. No amount of pleasure outweighed saving my brother.

The Morettis controlled everything happening inside the club. If anyone had harmed him, they would know. The realisation was a pair of vice grips tightening around my heart. One wrong move could spell disaster.

I redirected my scattered thoughts toward meeting with Matt. He would know what to do next.

As I unlocked my car, my phone beeped, snapping me out of my haze. The caller ID flashed Mum—a name I hadn't seen in years. The sight was a gut punch, forcing the air from my lungs, and I sagged against my tiny Fiat.

Maybe she called to wish me a happy birthday like nothing had happened. Maybe she just wanted money... Or perhaps the police had found her dumped by Glen at some A&E.

Their world of lies and denial was exactly why we'd cut ties with her years ago, and I refused to let it take hold of me again.

My mind unwillingly flitted back to one of those tumultuous nights. My stepfather's shouts, my mother's indifference, and the stench of alcohol. Noah and I huddled together in our small room, his arm protecting me. We vowed that night to escape and build a new life far from the chaos. The resolve had shaped us and our bond, the only beautiful thing to come from such ugly circumstances... And now he was gone.

With a deep breath, which did nothing to settle the nausea swirling inside, I hit 'Decline' and tossed the phone onto the passenger seat. My knuckles whitened around the steering wheel while I drove away—I'd locked this part of my past away with no intention of revisiting it.

Forty minutes later, I pulled up in front of the pub. Inside, the aroma of ale and comfort food filled the air, the casualness a world apart from L'Ombra's polished sophistication.

"Olivia, over here," Matt called out from a shadowy corner, his tattooed arms on display while he nursed an almost empty pint.

"Hi." I slid into the seat across from him.

Up close, his face appeared older than his late twenties. Creases etched into his forehead, shadows under his eyes—the hazards of working as a private investigator, I supposed. A scar on his cheek stood out, one absent in the photos my brother had shown me.

"Let me get us a round," he said, heading to the bar.

It was weird meeting without Noah. Despite them being friends for years, we'd rarely hung out together. But now he was the only person I could count on to help me find my brother.

Matt returned to our table with two cold beers in hand and focused back on me. "How are you holding up? I know this is tough."

"Honestly?" I exhaled, the anxiety of the last few weeks pressing down. "I'm terrified. But I'm not giving up on my brother."

"We'll find him. Promise." He took a sip of his beer and leaned closer, fingers brushing against mine. "You look beautiful tonight, by the way. Happy birthday."

Confused, I narrowed my eyes. "Why are you acting as if we're on a date?"

"In my line of work, cover is everything." A low, almost intimate chuckle escaped him as he moved even closer. "We're less likely to draw suspicion if we look like a couple on a date, not plotting against London's underworld families."

Adrenaline once more coursed through my veins, a steady thumping in my chest reverberating through my body. The gravity of our actions—of what I had stepped into—felt all too real. I had to be careful with every step now.

"How did it go at L'Ombra?" he asked, his hand casually resting on top of mine.

I filled him in on everything. The wealthy club interior, Catherine and Scarlett's probing questions, the daunting non-disclosure forms, avoiding any mention of my encounters with Luca.

"Somehow, I didn't mess up." My fingers knotted together under the table. Not completely, at least. "I'm officially part of the staff now. Just hope this gets me closer to Noah."

Saying it aloud made it sound more frightening. This wasn't a crazy idea anymore. I was venturing way beyond my comfort zone into the heart of an underworld empire. Alone. Inexperienced.

"It's a good first step. You're already further than my contacts ever got," Matt said, sipping his beer. "I had to pull some strings to get you the interview, but it paid off. Now the real work begins."

He was right; being inside L'Ombra didn't mean answers would fall into my lap. To find Noah, I needed to tread cautiously and piece together clues. An amateur among those polished criminals.

"Keep your eyes and ears open, Liv. Who comes and goes, any new members or guests. Eavesdrop on staff chatter if you can. But be smart—getting caught snooping would blow everything."

I nodded, taking mental notes as he spoke. Balance playing waitress convincingly with gathering intel...while avoiding the attention of a man whose gaze made my skin burn. Easy, right?

"Rule number one of all undercover operations: blend in, don't shine. You're there to observe, not to be observed."

Heat flooded my face as soon as he said that. "Funny you should mention it... I've already landed on someone's radar."

His brow shot up. "Who?"

"Luca Moretti."

The expression on his face went tight, somewhere between intrigue and caution. "Shit. This could be a huge problem or an opportunity we can't ignore."

"I swear, it wasn't intentional. Didn't even know who he was until later—"

"Use his interest," Matt cut in. "He's not someone who lets his guard down easily, but perhaps you might get through."

He can't be serious. Luca occupied my thoughts, hard muscles and intense gaze replaying in vivid detail, no matter how I tried to resist. An attraction that skirted edges of danger I should run away from. But to use his interest? No. It was wrong.

I couldn't...could I?

No, I didn't want to use him, but the idea of getting close to him was tempting. That man stirred things in me I'd never experienced, wild, terrifying, and irresistible all at once.

My own curiosity flared, driven by the desire to be consumed by him. What would he be like as a lover?

This was a mess. I was a mess... And I couldn't tell Matt what was happening inside my head.

"Or Luca might figure out why I'm really there," I argued, continuing my internal battle. "And I don't feel right about manipulating someone like this, even a crime boss."

"Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty, especially when family is on the line."

His words sank in, heavy and unsettling. How many times had Noah made sacrifices for me over the years? My brother had done so much to protect me and give us a chance at a future. I owed him this, no matter how far beyond my principles I had to go.

"Listen, with Moretti in the picture, the stakes got higher." Matt shook his glass as if it held answers. "He's not some low-life criminal; he's the kingpin—the don of the Moretti family, capo di tutti capi of the whole Italian mafia in London. A mistake won't earn you a slap on the wrist. It'll—"

A rowdy group burst into the pub and drowned him out. He grimaced, shifting in his seat. "This is madness, I know. And I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to you." The worry on his face only added to my own apprehension. "I wish I could send someone else, but—"

"I'll manage."

"You're as fearless as Noah was."

"Is," I corrected him, iciness slipping into my tone at his use of past tense. "My brother is still fighting wherever he is."

"You're right. Poor choice of words. We will find him, and I'll be with you every step. But there are no guarantees here, Olivia, for either of you. You know the risks, right?"

Images of Noah flashed through my mind—his smile, his laughter. The thought I might never see him again made my chest ache. "I get it. Risk and all, I'm in."

Matt studied me, searching for any traces of doubt before finally dipping his head in acceptance. "Good." He tapped the table, lost in thought for a moment. "Noah was always looking out for you, you know. It's probably why he kept you in the dark about his investigation into your dad's identity."

Talking about this now was no easier than the first time Matt told me everything. I'd always believed my brother and I shared everything, but that illusion had shattered. He'd been searching for our father all this time and hadn't told me a word. Why hadn't he trusted me?

"We were supposed to be a team," I whispered, struggling with the tears forming in my eyes. My heart constricted, each beat more intense than the previous.

No matter what, Noah was my brother—the person I cared about above everything else. No secrets between us could ever change it.

Matt pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me, steadying me. If it wasn't for him, I would have gone mad by now, going through this on my own.

We sat in silence for a moment until he moved away and took out a small box from his pocket. "Here. You'll need this. Consider it a birthday gift."

Inside was a silver flower pendant with tiny green stones.

"It's beautiful. But I don't understand..."

"A hidden camera. Prototype tech—I've been developing these for a side project. It will record audio and visuals of anything suspicious at the club when you tap it."

He took the necklace and swept my hair aside to clasp it around my neck, his fingers lingering.

"You want me to spy on them?" The thought sent my pulse racing as I touched the pendant.

"Information is power. The more dirt you can get, the better. If we have enough evidence, we could dismantle their entire empire."

"Is there no other way? It feels risky." But even as I asked, I knew the answer.

"We can't let them keep harming people, Livvy. With proof of their crimes, we can take them down and find your brother."

Had his words not sent a chill through me, I would have bristled at his use of my brother's nickname for me. "You really think they're involved in his disappearance? Luca didn't seem..."

Didn't seem what? Threatening? Cruel? Like an underworld boss? I was being naïve.

"Believe me, I wish it wasn't the case, but my sources point in that direction. They are dangerous and ruthless."

My instincts clashed. Matt seemed so certain, but spying on Luca left a bitter taste in my mouth, like I was betraying some part of myself. Betraying Luca. Which in itself sounded ridiculous—he was a well-known criminal, and I had no reason to trust him...and yet, something inside me did.

Air filled my lungs as I took a steadying breath, which did little to ease the knot inside. Matt waited, his stare probing the cracks in my resolve.

"If the Morettis are responsible for Noah's disappearance"—his voice hardened like concrete—"you want to bring them down, right?"

Emotions rioted within me, bands tightening across my chest. What if Luca had nothing to do with this? But Matt wouldn't make such an accusation without any ground, either.

There were no good choices here. Only shades of grey, and I had to follow the shade, which brought Noah home.

Seconds crawled by, the weight of the looming decision pressing down with each one that passed.

No, I already made that decision when I entered L'Ombra. It was time to acknowledge it.

"If they hurt my brother, I'll bring them down." I met Matt's stare head-on. "Whatever it takes."