The party was a glittering nightmare. Gold chandeliers bathed the marble hall in honey light, champagne flowed like a river, and everyone's eyes were on Nikolai Drazic the untouchable mafia king.
Liora didn't belong here, and she knew it. Her dress clung in all the right places, her smile was a weapon, but her heart was pounding. Somewhere in this room, an assassin waited.
Nikolai stood across the hall, surrounded by his men, one hand lazily resting on the lapel of his suit. Even from here, she could feel his gaze. He always looked at her like he was trying to read every sin she'd ever committed.
Liora pretended to sip champagne and drifted closer to him, the scent of his cologne hitting her like smoke and gunpowder.
"You're staring," she murmured under her breath, her lips barely moving.
"You wore that dress on purpose,he replied without missing a beat. "Now every man here wants to kill me or kiss you.
"I'd prefer the latter," she said with a coy tilt of her head and in that second, she saw it.
A shadow in the crowd. A man in a dark waiter's uniform, his hand slipping inside his jacket.
Time slowed.
She didn't think she just moved. Her champagne glass shattered as she grabbed Nikolai's arm and yanked him sideways. A suppressed gunshot cracked, the bullet embedding into the wall where his head had been.
Gasps filled the room.
In an instant, Nikolai's bodyguards surged forward, shoving guests aside, but the assassin was fast. He ducked behind a pillar, pulling another pistol from his belt.
"Stay behind me," Nikolai ordered, stepping in front of her.
No," she shot back, adrenaline flooding her. "I'm smaller I can get closer.
"Liora
But she was already moving, slipping between stunned guests, her heels silent on the marble floor. The assassin saw her and smirked a mistake. She faked a stumble, dropping low just as he fired, the bullet slicing past her ear.
Nikolai was there a heartbeat later, slamming the man against the wall. The gun clattered to the floor.
"You should've aimed better," Nikolai growled in Serbian before twisting the man's wrist until there was a sickening crack.
The guards dragged the groaning assassin away, but Nikolai didn't take his eyes off Liora.
"You're insane," he said finally.
"Saved your life," she countered, breathless. "You're welcome.
His jaw tightened, but there was something else there too something heated. He stepped closer, the party noise fading until it was just them.
"You keep doing that," he murmured, his voice low and dangerous.
What?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"Making me wonder if you're the bullet or the shield."
Her lips curved into a smile. "Why not both?"
For a long second, they just stood there him, the mafia king who was supposed to kill her one day, and her, the woman sent to destroy him.
Then his hand slid to her waist, warm and possessive. "Be careful he whispered. "One day, I might decide I can't let you go.
She laughed lightly, though her heart was thundering. "Good thing I'm not planning to leave just yet.
But deep down, she knew this game was getting dangerous.
that night.
She lay on the plush bed, staring at the velvet canopy, the faint metallic scent of blood still lingering from the attack earlier. The assassin's body had been removed, the marble floor scrubbed clean, but her heart still pounded in time with the memory of the blade glinting in the light.
The room's double doors clicked open without a knock.
Nikolai walked in. His white shirt sleeves were rolled up, faint streaks of red still marring the cuff a reminder he had handled the situation himself. His dark eyes locked on her like a predator assessing prey.
But why didn't you scream," he said simply, voice low, almost curious.
She raised an eyebrow. "Should I have?
He stepped closer, stopping just at the foot of her bed. "Most women would have fainted. You… just stood there and watched what I did to him .
Liora sat up, pulling the silk robe tighter around her. "Maybe I've seen worse.
Nikolai's gaze sharpened, as if filing that piece of information away for later. Then he smirked. "Or maybe you're more dangerous than you look.
Her pulse skipped. She could almost hear the system's mission reminder in her head: Seduce him. Betray him. Deliver him to the FBI.
Easier said than done when the man in front of her radiated lethal charm.
"You're my fiancée," he continued, as though he was stating an undeniable fact rather than a convenient lie. "That means you're under my protection. But it also means…
He walked around the bed, stopping at her side, leaning down until his lips were near her ear. "…you're under my control.
She forced herself to hold his gaze when he straightened. "And if I don't like being controlled?
He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Then I'll have to make you like it.
The air between them thickened. She decided to push him just a little. "What if I told you I think you set up that attack?
For a moment, his expression froze, then he laughed, low and dangerous. "You think I need theatrics to keep you close? If I wanted you afraid, Liora, you wouldn't be sitting here in silk. You'd be in chains.
The image sent a shiver down her spine, though she quickly masked it.
Nikolai moved toward the door, but paused with his hand on the frame. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow, you'll be coming with me to a meeting. No more staying behind like a kept pet.
"Is that your way of saying I'm useful?" she called after him.
He glanced over his shoulder, his smirk returning. "Not yet. But I intend to find out.