Chapter 6: First Encounter
The knife missed my head by three inches.
I didn't flinch. Just watched it fly past and stick into the wall behind me with a solid thunk.
"Your aim is getting worse," I told Vincent.
"That was a warning shot." He pulled another knife from his belt. "You're distracted. I could have killed you three times in the last five minutes."
He was right. I was distracted.
We were in the warehouse, the same one where I'd dealt with Marcus two weeks ago. I was supposed to be focusing on Vincent's training session—he wanted to teach the younger guys some knife-fighting techniques.
But my mind kept wandering to the girl who was being brought to me right now.
Lucia Santos.
One day late on her payment. I'd known she wouldn't be able to pay. The math was impossible. But I'd been curious to see how long she'd last.
Turned out, not even one full cycle.
"Boss, they're here." Romano appeared in the doorway. "Tony and Marco have the girl."
"Bring her in."
Romano disappeared. Vincent came over and pulled his knife from the wall.
"This the teenager who borrowed money for her mom?" he asked.
"Yeah."
"What are you going to do with her?"
Good question. I'd been asking myself that all morning.
Usually, when people couldn't pay, I put them to work. Runners, lookouts, package carriers. Simple jobs that paid off their debt over time.
But Lucia Santos didn't strike me as someone who could handle that kind of work.
The door opened again. Tony and Marco walked in first. Then, between them, came Lucia.
She looked smaller than I remembered. Younger. Her hair was messy, like she'd just woken up. She wore jeans and a sweatshirt that had seen better days. No makeup. Dark circles under her eyes.
She was terrified. I could see it in the way she held herself, in the slight tremor in her hands.
But she wasn't crying. Wasn't begging. Wasn't collapsing in a heap like some people did.
She stood straight, shoulders back, chin up.
And when her eyes met mine, I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
Electricity.
Like someone had just plugged me into a socket.
What the hell was that?
"Leave us," I told Tony and Marco.
They left without a word, closing the door behind them. Vincent lingered.
"You too," I said.
Vincent raised an eyebrow but walked out. Now it was just me and Lucia in the warehouse.
She stood perfectly still, waiting for me to speak first.
Smart girl.
"You missed your payment," I said.
"I know." Her voice was steady. Quieter than in my office a month ago, but steady. "I'm sorry. I thought I had more time."
"The contract was very clear. Thirty days."
"I didn't read it carefully enough." She took a breath. "That's my fault."
No excuses. No blaming anyone else. Just simple admission of her mistake.
I walked closer to her. She tensed but didn't back away.
"Do you know what happens to people who can't pay me?" I asked.
"Your men said I have to work for you now."
"That's right. Until your debt is paid, you belong to me." I stopped a few feet away from her. "Everything you are, everything you have, everything you do—it's all mine. Do you understand?"
She swallowed hard. "Yes."
"Are you going to run?"
"No."
"Are you going to go to the police?"
"No."
"Why not?"
For the first time, her composure cracked. Her eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back.
"Because you're paying for my mother's treatment," she whispered. "Because if I do anything you don't like, you'll stop. And she'll die."
"So you understand the situation."
"I understand that I made a deal with the devil." She looked directly at me. "And now I have to live with it."
The devil. Is that what she thought I was?
Maybe she was right.
"What are you going to make me do?" she asked. "Your men wouldn't tell me."
I studied her. This tiny, exhausted girl who worked three jobs and still couldn't make ends meet. What could I possibly use her for?
An idea was forming in my mind. A crazy idea. One that Romano would probably tell me was stupid.
But something about Lucia Santos made me want to take a risk.
"How much do you know about me?" I asked.
"I know you're a criminal. I know you lend money and hurt people who don't pay. I know you're dangerous."
"That's the public version. What else?"
She shook her head. "That's all I know."
"I run this entire district," I told her. "Loans are just one part of my business. I also control shipping, gambling, and several legitimate companies. I employ over three hundred people. I make millions of dollars a year."
"Okay." She didn't understand why I was telling her this.
"The problem with success," I continued, "is that everyone wants what you have. Rivals. Enemies. People who think they can take my territory." I paused. "The Rossi family, for example."
Recognition flickered in her eyes. "I've heard that name."
"They've been trying to push me out for years. Recently, they've gotten bolder. More aggressive." I walked around her in a slow circle. She turned to keep facing me. "They killed three of my men two weeks ago. Stole a shipment worth two hundred thousand dollars."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I need to know who in my organization is loyal and who's feeding information to the Rossis. I need to know who I can trust."
Understanding dawned on her face. "You think someone who works for you is a traitor."
"I know someone who works for me is a traitor. I just don't know who yet."
"What does this have to do with me?"
I stopped circling and stood directly in front of her. "People are careful around me. They watch what they say. They hide things. But you?" I smiled. "You're nobody. You're just some girl who owes me money. People won't see you as a threat."
Her eyes went wide. "You want me to spy for you."
"I want you to work in one of my businesses and keep your ears open. Listen to conversations. Watch who talks to who. Report back to me everything you see and hear."
"I don't know anything about your world. I wouldn't even know what to look for."
"That's fine. I'll teach you." I pulled out my phone and showed her a photo. "This is the Rossi family patriarch, Giovanni Rossi. This is his son, Marco Rossi. These are his top lieutenants. If you see any of these faces, if you hear any of these names, you tell me immediately."
She stared at the photos, her face pale.
"Where would I be working?" she asked.
"I own a nightclub downtown. Diamond Heart. You'll work as a server."
"A nightclub?" She looked horrified. "I've never even been to a nightclub."
"You'll learn fast. You'll serve drinks, smile at customers, and listen. That's all."
"And if I say no?"
I put my phone away. "Then your mother's treatment stops today. And you'll still owe me fifty-two thousand dollars, which means I'll find some other way for you to work off your debt. A way you'll like much less than serving drinks."
The threat hung in the air between us.
Lucia's hands clenched into fists. I could see her mind working, calculating her options.
She had none, and she knew it.
"When do I start?" she finally asked.
"Tonight."
"Tonight? But I have shifts at my other jobs—"
"You quit those jobs. From now on, you work for me exclusively. I'll pay you enough to cover your rent and food. Everything else goes toward your debt."
"How long will this take? To pay off what I owe?"
I did the math in my head. "If you work six days a week, about two years."
Two years. I watched her process that. Two years of her life, gone. Two years of working for me, spying for me, being under my control.
"Okay," she said quietly. "I'll do it."
"Good." I pulled out a business card and handed it to her. "This is the address. Be there at 8 PM. Ask for Sophia—she manages the servers. She'll train you."
Lucia took the card with shaking hands.
"One more thing," I said. "If you betray me, if you tell anyone what you're really doing, if you try to play both sides..." I leaned in close. "I will destroy everything you love. Starting with your mother. Do we understand each other?"
She met my eyes. And in that moment, I saw something I hadn't expected.
Not just fear.
Hatred.
Pure, burning hatred.
"We understand each other perfectly," she said.
Good. Let her hate me. Hate was useful. Hate kept people sharp.
"Tony will drive you home," I said. "Get some rest. You have a long night ahead of you."
I turned to walk away.
"Mr. Cross?"
I stopped and looked back.
"Why me?" she asked. "You must have other people who could do this. People who actually know your world. Why choose someone like me?"
It was a good question.
The truth was, I didn't fully know the answer myself. Something about her pulled at me. Made me curious. Made me want to see what she was capable of.
But I couldn't tell her that.
"Because you're desperate," I said instead. "And desperate people are the most loyal. They'll do anything to protect what little they have left."
Her jaw tightened, but she nodded.
I walked out of the warehouse, leaving her standing there alone.
Vincent was waiting outside.
"Well?" he asked. "What's the verdict?"
"She's going to work at Diamond Heart."
"As a spy?" Vincent looked surprised. "Boss, she's a kid. She doesn't know anything."
"That's exactly why she's perfect."
Vincent shook his head. "Or she'll get herself killed within a week."
Maybe. But something told me Lucia Santos was tougher than she looked.
And if I was wrong?
Well, I'd dealt with worse mistakes before.
My phone buzzed. A text from Romano: The Rossis just made contact. They want to meet.
Finally. Things were moving.
I typed back: *When and where?
The response came immediately: *Tomorrow night. Neutral ground. They're bringing Marco.
Marco Rossi. Giovanni's son and heir. This was big.
I smiled.
Tomorrow night, I'd find out what the Rossis really wanted.
And starting tonight, I'd have Lucia Santos watching my business from the inside.
Two separate games, both in motion.
One of them would give me the answers I needed.
I just had to figure out which one.
And hope I wasn't making the biggest mistake of my life by trusting a girl who had every reason to want me dead.