The Mafia Boss Watched Her Dance With His Brother—Then She Slipped Him a Bloody Note
Chapter 1
The ballroom glittered like a palace, but everyone inside knew it was a cage.
Crystal chandeliers hung above hundreds of guests dressed in black, gold, and midnight blue. Champagne flowed freely. A string quartet played near the marble staircase. Men with expensive watches laughed too loudly while women wearing diamonds whispered behind jeweled hands.
And standing at the center of it all was Elena Moretti.
She was dancing with the younger brother of the most feared man in Chicago.
Matteo Romano.
Matteo was thirty-two, charming, handsome, and reckless—the kind of man who could make a room laugh while his older brother could make the same room fall silent.
His older brother was Luca Romano.
Thirty-nine.
The head of the Romano organization.
People called him the Black Wolf.
Nobody called him that to his face.
Luca stood near the balcony with a glass of untouched whiskey in his hand, watching the dance floor.
He wasn’t watching the guests.
He was watching Elena.
She moved gracefully beneath the chandelier, her dark red dress following every turn.
Matteo leaned closer.
“You’re enjoying this.”
Elena smiled.
“I’m enjoying the music.”
“You’re lying.”
“Maybe.”
Matteo laughed.
Across the room, Luca’s expression didn’t change.
But the man beside him noticed.
“You’ve been watching her all night.”
Luca took a slow sip.
“She’s dancing with my brother.”
“I noticed.”
“Then why mention it?”
The man smiled nervously.
“Because you’re staring.”
Luca looked away.
“I don’t stare.”
The man wisely said nothing.
Matteo spun Elena beneath his arm.
For one brief second, her face turned toward Luca.
Their eyes met.
Elena’s smile disappeared.
Something was wrong.
Luca noticed immediately.
He had spent his life reading people.
Fear.
Lies.
Greed.
Desperation.
He could recognize them before most people knew what they were feeling.
What he saw in Elena’s eyes wasn’t attraction.
It wasn’t fear of him.
It was a warning.
Matteo pulled her closer.
“Are you all right?”
Elena nodded.
“Of course.”
But her fingers were trembling.
“You’re shaking.”
“It’s cold.”
“It’s July.”
She forced another smile.
“Then I’m nervous.”
“About what?”
Elena looked past his shoulder.
Toward Luca.
Matteo followed her gaze.
“My brother?”
She quickly looked away.
“No.”
Matteo smiled.
“Everyone is nervous around Luca.”
Elena said nothing.
The music changed.
A slower song began.
Matteo offered his hand.
“One more?”
Elena hesitated.
Then nodded.
They moved across the floor.
Luca watched.
But now he wasn’t watching the dance.
He was watching Elena’s right hand.
She kept it closed.
Too tightly.
Something was inside it.
A folded piece of paper.
And there was something dark on the edge.
Luca narrowed his eyes.
Blood.
A waiter passed Elena.
She whispered something.
The waiter shook his head.
Then Elena glanced toward Luca again.
This time, her expression was unmistakable.
Help me.
The song ended.
Applause filled the ballroom.
Matteo smiled.
“That was perfect.”
Elena looked at him.
“Thank you.”
Then she turned.
She walked directly toward Luca.
The room seemed to hold its breath.
Luca didn’t move.
Elena stopped in front of him.
For a second, neither spoke.
Then she reached toward his whiskey glass.
Everyone nearby froze.
She slipped something beneath the coaster.
A tiny folded note.
Her fingers were stained red.
Luca looked at the blood.
Then at her.
“What’s this?”
Elena whispered so quietly that only he could hear.
“Don’t open it here.”
She walked away.
Luca watched her disappear into the crowd.
Then he lifted the coaster.
The note underneath was wet with blood.
And on the outside, Elena had written only five words:
Your brother is going to die tonight.
