***
The gunshot echoed through the darkness like a clap of thunder, shattering the stillness of the night. Elena's scream was swallowed by the wind as Luca shoved her to the ground, his body instinctively covering hers.
The bullet missed them by inches, embedding itself in the brick wall behind. In seconds, he was up, drawing his weapon with lethal grace and scanning the rooftop for the sniper.
"Stay down!" he barked over his shoulder.
Elena's heart pounded in her chest like a war drum. The world around her blurred, her instincts screaming for her to run, but her trust in Luca held her in place. He moved like a shadow-silent, quick, deadly. A second shot rang out, but it never reached them. Luca had already taken cover behind a metal duct.
"Someone followed us," he growled into the darkness, then muttered something in Italian.
"Who the hell is shooting at us?" Elena whispered, crawling to his side.
His eyes flicked to her, those steel-gray depths filled with rage. "Someone who knows what we found."
She followed his gaze to the flash drive clutched in her hand. Still intact. Still damning. The evidence they stole from Don Arturo's safe-the same drive that implicated half the city in illegal trafficking and hinted at something even darker.
Moments later, tires screeched in the alley below. The sniper was gone.
Luca helped her up. "We have to move. Now."
They fled into the night, Elena barely keeping up as he led her through a maze of alleys until they reached a nondescript door in an abandoned factory. Inside, it was dusty and cold, but safe for the moment.
Luca slammed the door shut, bolted it, then finally turned to her. "Let me see your hand."
She blinked. "What?"
"You cut it when you fell. Let me see."
His voice had softened, but his jaw was still tight. She hesitated before extending her trembling hand. Blood trickled down her palm. Gently, he cleaned the wound with a cloth from his pocket, his fingers rough yet tender.
"Why are they trying to kill us?" she asked, voice barely audible.
"Because that drive contains the blueprint of everything Don Arturo buried in shadows for decades. And because of who you are."
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
He hesitated. "There's something I haven't told you. Something about your father."
Elena's breath caught. "My father died in a car accident."
"That's what you were told. But the truth is... your father was one of Arturo's most trusted lieutenants. Until he betrayed him."
The room tilted.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your father tried to expose Arturo's operations. He died trying to get out. Arturo made it look like an accident. That's why he kept tabs on you all these years. That's why he wanted you dead."
"No..." she whispered, sinking to her knees. "You knew this all along?"
Luca crouched beside her. "I didn't know at first. But when I found out, I protected you. Every move I made, every order I disobeyed-it was for you."
Tears welled in her eyes. "You should've told me."
"I didn't want to lose you."
She looked into his eyes, searching for deception but finding only raw honesty. "What else are you hiding?"
He took a deep breath. "There's more on that drive. Not just about Arturo. About my family. About me."
He walked to the rusted desk and plugged the flash drive into a battered laptop. Files flickered on the screen, endless folders of encrypted documents. He opened one titled "Project Harpy."
Elena read aloud. "Human trafficking...blackmail...government ties..."
Then she froze.
Her own name appeared on the list.
"Why is my name here?"
Luca didn't answer immediately.
"Luca."
He turned, his voice hollow. "Because you were supposed to be sold."
The room spun. "What?"
"Years ago. When you were a child. But your father found out and ran. He saved you."
She covered her mouth, trying not to vomit.
"But Arturo never let go. That's why he placed someone close to you. Someone who watched you for years."
Her eyes widened. "Sofia."
"Your best friend worked for him. She was reporting your every move."
Rage replaced fear. "I trusted her! She knew everything. Even about us."
Luca reached for her, but she stepped back.
"No more secrets. If I'm going to survive this, I need the whole truth."
He nodded solemnly. "Then you need to meet someone. Someone who can help us destroy Arturo."
"Who?"
"My sister."
Elena blinked. "You have a sister?"
"She went underground years ago. Changed her identity. She's been building a case against Arturo longer than I have."
"Then why haven't we gone to her?"
"Because to reach her, we have to go through my father."
She stiffened. "Your father? The one who trained you to kill?"
He nodded. "He's the gatekeeper. And he hates me."
Elena took a shaky breath. "Then let's find him."
They drove north for hours in silence, the tension between them thick and unspoken. The night gave way to dawn as they pulled into a remote vineyard cloaked in fog. A guard appeared, rifle in hand, but the moment he saw Luca, he stepped aside.
"He knows me," Luca murmured.
Inside the estate, time seemed suspended. Everything was pristine and old-world-like stepping into a forgotten century. Then he appeared.
Dominic Moretti.
Tall, silver-haired, his presence radiated power. His eyes, identical to Luca's, narrowed at the sight of them.
"You've got nerve showing up here, figlio mio."
"I need your help," Luca said calmly.
Dominic looked at Elena, assessing her with the cool precision of a sniper.
"And who is this? Another one you brought to her death?"
Luca bristled. "She's my mate."
The words hit Elena like a wave. He hadn't said it before. Not like that. Not aloud.
Dominic studied Luca, then her, and finally said, "Follow me."
Deep in the cellar, Dominic unlocked a steel door. Inside was a vault, lined with documents, hard drives, weapons.
"Your sister left this before she vanished."
Luca sifted through the contents, then held up a sealed envelope addressed to him.
He opened it.
Inside was a photo.
A girl with Elena's eyes.
Elena gasped. "That's my mother."
Luca turned pale.
Dominic spoke gravely. "Your mate's mother was my daughter."
The world crashed.
"What?" Elena whispered.
Dominic nodded. "You are blood. That's why Arturo wanted you silenced. Because your existence proves his betrayal."
Elena stumbled back. "I'm... your granddaughter?"
Luca looked between them, his voice breaking. "We're bound by blood. By fate."
Dominic said nothing. He simply placed a file in Elena's hand.
"The final piece of the puzzle. Use it to end Arturo."
As Elena opened it, a truth that had waited decades was finally unveiled.
Blood secrets. Burning truths.
And the beginning of a war they could no longer outrun.