Aurelio's POV – Blood on His Hands
Aurelio had faced death before.
Had stared down the barrel of a gun, heard the whispers of his enemies plotting his downfall, and walked through fire without so much as flinching.
But nothing—nothing—had ever made him feel this helpless.
His daughter was out there. Alone. Taken.
And he hadn't even known she existed until tonight.
He stood in his office, his hands braced on the edge of his desk, his mind a hurricane of violence. Matteo was speaking, but the words were a distant hum, drowned out by the blood roaring in his ears.
"Boss—"
"They knew where she was."
"This wasn't random."
"Whoever took her has been watching for a long time."
His jaw clenched. Of course, they had been.
Because Raven wasn't just anyone.
She had walked back into his city with secrets stitched beneath her skin. She had brought danger to his doorstep without a damn word.
And now Luna was paying the price.
Aurelio's fists curled so tightly his nails bit into his palms. "Where's Raven now?"
Matteo hesitated. "At the hotel. I have men posted outside, but she—"
Aurelio didn't wait for the rest.
He was already moving, his heartbeat a war drum against his ribs.
Raven's POV – The Price of the Truth
Raven was unraveling.
She hadn't stopped pacing since the phone call. Since the moment she had lost sight of Luna. Since the moment she had been too late.
Her daughter was gone.
Taken by people who had sent her a warning days ago.
People who wanted to punish her.
She should have known this was coming.
She had been digging too deep, asking too many questions. The corruption tied to her investigation was thick with blood and buried bodies, and she had underestimated how far the people responsible would go to keep their secrets safe.
They didn't just want her out of the way.
They wanted to break her.
And what better way to do that than by taking the only thing that mattered?
She pressed the heels of her palms against her temples, trying to force her breathing to slow. Panic was useless. Fear was useless.
She needed a plan.
She needed—
The door slammed open.
Her pulse jumped, but before she could react, a strong hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her forward.
The scent of power and fury hit her first. The scent of him.
Aurelio.
His grip was bruising, his body rigid, his jaw clenched so tight she thought he might break his own teeth.
"Tell me everything." His voice was a storm barely contained, dark eyes burning with rage.
Raven forced herself to meet his gaze. "Let me go."
"You don't get to make demands." His hold didn't loosen. "They took our daughter, Raven. And you expect me to just stand here while you feed me lies?"
His words hit like a physical blow.
Because he was right.
This wasn't just her loss.
It was his, too.
Aurelio's chest rose and fell in sharp, uneven breaths, his anger barely restrained. "Who are they?" he demanded. "Why did they take her?"
Raven swallowed hard. "Because I started looking into things I shouldn't have."
Aurelio's eyes darkened. "What things?"
She hesitated.
Because telling him the truth meant exposing a secret that tied them both to the shadows.
It meant admitting that this wasn't just about her investigation.
It was about him, too.
Raven took a slow breath. "Your father's deals. The off-book ones. The ones that were never supposed to see the light of day."
A muscle ticked in Aurelio's jaw. "What do you know?"
"That you weren't the only one cleaning up his mess after he died."
Aurelio's expression turned to steel. "Who told you that?"
Raven met his gaze head-on. "The same people who just took our daughter."
The air between them went razor-sharp.
And then, for the first time since he had stormed in, Aurelio let her go.
Not because he wanted to.
But because he was realizing something—
This wasn't just her problem.
It was his, too.
And now?
It was personal.
The Meeting – A Ghost From the Past
The text came an hour later.
Meet me alone. You know where. Time's running out.
Aurelio didn't hesitate.
The warehouse was old, abandoned—once used to smuggle weapons under his father's reign. Now, it was nothing but rusted metal and shadows.
He stepped inside, every sense on high alert.
And then—
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Aurelio froze.
The man before him smirked. "Hello, old friend."
Aurelio's fingers twitched toward his gun. "You're dead."
The man tilted his head. "Not quite. But I have to admit, I liked hearing that you thought so."
His voice was smooth. Amused. And familiar in a way that made Aurelio's blood run cold.
Because once upon a time, this man had been someone he trusted.
Someone he had fought beside.
And someone he had betrayed.
Aurelio's voice was ice. "Where is she?"
The man's smirk widened. "She's safe. For now." He took a step forward. "But I wonder—how far are you willing to go to keep it that way?"
Aurelio's hands curled into fists. "What do you want?"
The man's gaze flickered with something dark. "You already know."
And Aurelio did.
Because this wasn't just about revenge.
It was about unfinished business.
And now, the cost of his past was coming due.
Luna's POV – The Man in the Shadows
Luna had stopped crying hours ago.
She sat curled up in the corner of the dimly lit room, her knees pulled to her chest, her small fingers digging into the fabric of her dress.
She wasn't afraid.
She was angry.
The man who had taken her hadn't hurt her. Not yet. But the way he looked at her made her skin crawl.
He knew things.
Things about her mom. About the dad she had never met.
And he had told her one thing that made her blood go cold—
"Your mother isn't as innocent as she seems."
Luna lifted her chin. "You don't know anything."*
The man chuckled. "Oh, but I do. And soon?" He leaned in, voice a whisper against her ear. "Your father will too."
Luna didn't move.
Didn't blink.
But deep inside, something shifted.
Because for the first time in her life—
She wasn't sure if she could trust the people who were supposed to protect her.
Chapter Twelve: The Devil's Bargain
Aurelio's POV – Blood on His Hands
Aurelio had faced death before.
Had stared down the barrel of a gun, heard the whispers of his enemies plotting his downfall, and walked through fire without so much as flinching.
But nothing—nothing—had ever made him feel this helpless.
His daughter was out there. Alone. Taken.
And he hadn't even known she existed until tonight.
He stood in his office, his hands braced on the edge of his desk, his mind a hurricane of violence. Matteo was speaking, but the words were a distant hum, drowned out by the blood roaring in his ears.
"Boss—"
"They knew where she was."
"This wasn't random."
"Whoever took her has been watching for a long time."
His jaw clenched. Of course, they had been.
Because Raven wasn't just anyone.
She had walked back into his city with secrets stitched beneath her skin. She had brought danger to his doorstep without a damn word.
And now Luna was paying the price.
Aurelio's fists curled so tightly his nails bit into his palms. "Where's Raven now?"
Matteo hesitated. "At the hotel. I have men posted outside, but she—"
Aurelio didn't wait for the rest.
He was already moving, his heartbeat a war drum against his ribs.
Raven's POV – The Price of the Truth
Raven was unraveling.
She hadn't stopped pacing since the phone call. Since the moment she had lost sight of Luna. Since the moment she had been too late.
Her daughter was gone.
Taken by people who had sent her a warning days ago.
People who wanted to punish her.
She should have known this was coming.
She had been digging too deep, asking too many questions. The corruption tied to her investigation was thick with blood and buried bodies, and she had underestimated how far the people responsible would go to keep their secrets safe.
They didn't just want her out of the way.
They wanted to break her.
And what better way to do that than by taking the only thing that mattered?
She pressed the heels of her palms against her temples, trying to force her breathing to slow. Panic was useless. Fear was useless.
She needed a plan.
She needed—
The door slammed open.
Her pulse jumped, but before she could react, a strong hand wrapped around her wrist and yanked her forward.
The scent of power and fury hit her first. The scent of him.
Aurelio.
His grip was bruising, his body rigid, his jaw clenched so tight she thought he might break his own teeth.
"Tell me everything." His voice was a storm barely contained, dark eyes burning with rage.
Raven forced herself to meet his gaze. "Let me go."
"You don't get to make demands." His hold didn't loosen. "They took our daughter, Raven. And you expect me to just stand here while you feed me lies?"
His words hit like a physical blow.
Because he was right.
This wasn't just her loss.
It was his, too.
Aurelio's chest rose and fell in sharp, uneven breaths, his anger barely restrained. "Who are they?" he demanded. "Why did they take her?"
Raven swallowed hard. "Because I started looking into things I shouldn't have."
Aurelio's eyes darkened. "What things?"
She hesitated.
Because telling him the truth meant exposing a secret that tied them both to the shadows.
It meant admitting that this wasn't just about her investigation.
It was about him, too.
Raven took a slow breath. "Your father's deals. The off-book ones. The ones that were never supposed to see the light of day."
A muscle ticked in Aurelio's jaw. "What do you know?"
"That you weren't the only one cleaning up his mess after he died."
Aurelio's expression turned to steel. "Who told you that?"
Raven met his gaze head-on. "The same people who just took our daughter."
The air between them went razor-sharp.
And then, for the first time since he had stormed in, Aurelio let her go.
Not because he wanted to.
But because he was realizing something—
This wasn't just her problem.
It was his, too.
And now?
It was personal.
The Meeting – A Ghost From the Past
The text came an hour later.
Meet me alone. You know where. Time's running out.
Aurelio didn't hesitate.
The warehouse was old, abandoned—once used to smuggle weapons under his father's reign. Now, it was nothing but rusted metal and shadows.
He stepped inside, every sense on high alert.
And then—
A figure emerged from the darkness.
Aurelio froze.
The man before him smirked. "Hello, old friend."
Aurelio's fingers twitched toward his gun. "You're dead."
The man tilted his head. "Not quite. But I have to admit, I liked hearing that you thought so."
His voice was smooth. Amused. And familiar in a way that made Aurelio's blood run cold.
Because once upon a time, this man had been someone he trusted.
Someone he had fought beside.
And someone he had betrayed.
Aurelio's voice was ice. "Where is she?"
The man's smirk widened. "She's safe. For now." He took a step forward. "But I wonder—how far are you willing to go to keep it that way?"
Aurelio's hands curled into fists. "What do you want?"
The man's gaze flickered with something dark. "You already know."
And Aurelio did.
Because this wasn't just about revenge.
It was about unfinished business.
And now, the cost of his past was coming due.
Luna's POV – The Man in the Shadows
Luna had stopped crying hours ago.
She sat curled up in the corner of the dimly lit room, her knees pulled to her chest, her small fingers digging into the fabric of her dress.
She wasn't afraid.
She was angry.
The man who had taken her hadn't hurt her. Not yet. But the way he looked at her made her skin crawl.
He knew things.
Things about her mom. About the dad she had never met.
And he had told her one thing that made her blood go cold—
"Your mother isn't as innocent as she seems."
Luna lifted her chin. "You don't know anything."*
The man chuckled. "Oh, but I do. And soon?" He leaned in, voice a whisper against her ear. "Your father will too."
Luna didn't move.
Didn't blink.
But deep inside, something shifted.
Because for the first time in her life—
She wasn't sure if she could trust the people who were supposed to protect her.