The echo of gunfire was the only language she spoke fluently, but today, it would also be her introduction back into his world.
*****
"How are your wounds?" Xavier asked, his eyes scanning every scar and bruise on her body.
"Healing faster than I expected," Blonde murmured, though he heard her clearly.
He handed her a gun. She raised it, steadying her arm as they stood inside the shooting range.
The shots rang out, each bullet hitting its mark. Blonde's lips curled faintly. "The first time I pulled a trigger, I was shaking."
Xavier's jaw tightened, his eyes narrowing as if replaying a memory of his own. He reloaded the weapon and passed it back to her. "You're meeting Enrico."
"After two weeks of being locked up here, I finally get the chance." She slid in the bullet and fired again. "He must be busy."
"He is," Xavier muttered, his shoulders shifting in a slow shrug. "Too many enemies to deal with."
Blonde dropped the gun, pulled off the glasses, and exhaled. "I'm done for today. Let's go."
They walked down the marble staircase, into a long corridor lit by dim chandeliers. Xavier swiped a digital card across the door, the lock clicking open.
"Stay here," he told her. "I'll let him know you've arrived."
As his footsteps faded, she studied the oil paintings hanging on the walls, portraits of men with ruthless eyes, women dressed in shadows.
"Everything has changed," she whispered.
From inside the room came a deep voice. "Let her in."
Xavier reappeared, gave her a slight nod, and walked away.
Blonde entered. Enrico stood with his back to her, a drink swirling in his glass. He turned, his black shirt unbuttoned halfway, tattoos spilling across his chest. His body screamed danger, and her throat tightened. She swallowed hard and forced her gaze away.
"I know I fucked up four years ago," he said. "That night I left you there, but I won't apologise. It made you the woman standing in front of me now."
She stayed silent, her face unreadable.
Enrico's eyes lingered on her hair, the champagne shade catching the light. "I miss the colours of hair you used to have."
Her mouth twitched, her stare sharp. "Don't drag me back to Alessia. She's dead."
He studied her, lips pressing together in a half-smirk.
"Why did you want me back? Why beg me to buy you, when you still owe me?"
Blonde stepped closer, locking eyes with him. "Because this world swallowed me through you. The only safe place for me to move is by your side. I didn't come for revenge, Enrico. I came to kill."
Enrico drained his glass and set it down with a soft clink. "So, where do we start, love?"
She shrugged off her jacket, lifted her singlet, and turned her back to him. The long, jagged scar across her spine gleamed under the light. "This is where it began. I need to know whose knife left this mark."
Enrico moved behind her, his fingertips tracing the scar. His voice dropped low. "Only one man stabs like this."
She pulled her shirt back down and faced him, biting her lip, waiting.
"I've been stabbed by more dons than I can count," Enrico said. "Each one leaves his signature. This one…I know."
Her eyes searched his face, but she didn't speak.
"If we work together, love, you follow my lead. No questions."
Blonde nodded once. "I will, Enrico."
"La Notte Nera," he said flatly. "He's the enemy we share."
Her breath hitched. "What do you mean?"
Enrico's hand shot forward, his fingers tightening around her throat. "Don't play with me. I know he took you. I know he trained you. He sent you to kill me." His grip pressed harder. "You were meant to offer me to him for your freedom. He's been watching me for three years, waiting for this moment."
She clawed at his wrist, her voice breaking. "How did you know?"
He released her suddenly, walking back to his chair. "In this life, trust is suicide. To take down villains, you have to become one. Blood is our map, and it always leads to the truth."
Blonde rubbed her neck, steadying her breath. "I was never going to help him. I wanted to help you destroy the people who destroyed your family and win my freedom through you."
Enrico's expression hardened. He didn't answer right away. Then his voice came low, dangerous. "La Notte Nera won't fall alone. Many will die before we get to him. Evil runs deep, love. Know your enemy…if you want to beat them all."
"This document has everything about him every single detail. We start with his son, Lorenzo Nera." Enrico raised the file, then signalled her to follow.
They stopped at a shelf. Enrico pressed a book and the library wall split open, revealing a hidden passage. A cold, dark room stretched before them. He flicked on the light.
Screens glowed on every side, their wires crawling like veins across the walls. On one end, a board carried faces and names, each marked in red. The other side gleamed with steel pistols, daggers, switchblades, katanas, machetes, brass knuckles, and even throwing stars lined up in glass cases.
"There's only one person who knows about this place," Enrico said.
"Xavier," the Blonde answered without hesitation.
He nodded. "I took him in after La Notte murdered both his mother and mine in front of us. We were just kids. That face…" His jaw tightened. "We'll never forget it."
Blonde's eyes narrowed. "How did it happen?"
Enrico sat on the edge of the wide bed, legs crossed. His voice dropped lower. "My mother left my father. He was caught in an illegal trade that broke the Rosette rules. She took me far away, into a quiet neighbourhood. Xavier was next door. Our mothers grew close. After school, she trained us both."
He stood again, pacing to the board, his finger brushing a name. "Then came the message La Notte killed my father. After my mum left, he slept with our chef. She gave him a son."
Blonde remembered meeting Alexander Rosette four years ago. She nodded faintly, masking recognition.
"My mother told the cook to run, to hide with her boy. But on her birthday night…" His voice cracked, then steadied. "Armed men stormed the house. Xavier's mother was awake. She raised the alarm and took a bullet. Still breathing, she staggered inside. My mum shoved me to the window, told me to run if it got worse."
"Where was Xavier?" Blonde asked softly.
"Inside, waiting for his mother. I pulled him out through the porch. We hid and watched them murder our mothers. Then one man ripped off his mask." Enrico's eyes turned cold. "La Notte. His face is carved into my memory. That night, I swore I'd take the Rosette name back. And when people heard it, they'd bow."
He faced her, rage shadowing his features. "It's time he pays. He murdered the woman I loved most. I'll murder the ones he loves slowly. Pain worse than death."
Blonde's lips curved, her eyes sharp. "Then let's do it, Mr. Gangster. Let's crush the people who ruined us. Make him pay for your parents. For mine."
Enrico stepped closer, his voice low, rough. "Let's help each other get revenge."
She tilted her head, teeth grazing her lip as her fingers traced his tattoos. "I'm not a pawn in your game. Make me your queen."
A low sound escaped his throat. His hand closed around hers, dragging her against his chest. His whisper brushed her ear. "I'm a dangerous man. But I'll protect you with everything I've got even if I burn every rule I've lived by. But don't confuse kindness with weakness. Betray me…" His grip tightened. "…and you'll drown in my wrath."
Blonde's smile deepened. She slipped free, poured two glasses from the table, and handed him one. Their glasses clicked together.
They turned to the board, eyes locked on the faces.
Her lips curled into a wicked grin, her eyes glittering with fire.
"Let the show begin."