The person Catalina was told to kill never knew she was there.
Important people almost never did. They felt too sure of themselves and their own power to think death could come quietly, with soft steps and a steady heart. Catalina did the same thing with him that she did with every job: she breathed calmly, didn't hesitate, and cleared her mind of all feelings.
He was by himself at the private club, smoking a strong cigar that made the air smell like sweet decay. Two guards stood outside the door. They were easy to trick. One was drawn away by a quiet word, and the other was silenced with a quick slice of her knife. The third man, the one she was after, didn't even look up when she closed the door behind her.
"Mr. Russo?" she said, her voice smooth and polite.
He turned, thinking she was a waitress.
Her knife went between his ribs before he even knew what was happening. Clean. Fast. A perfect kill, quiet, without a mess, and over quickly.
By the time he fell forward, Catalina was already gone, disappearing into the night like a breath taken by the wind.
Valerio was waiting for her in his study when she got back. The room smelled like gun oil and expensive whiskey, the usual smells of her childhood. He was sitting behind his big oak desk, lightly tapping his fingers on the shiny surface.
When she came in, he looked up, a rare sign of approval lighting up his face.
"You get things done quickly," he said. "You always have."
Catalina took off her gloves and placed them neatly on the edge of his desk. "You taught me well."
"Taught you," Valerio repeated, leaning back. "Made you family. Don't forget that. Being loyal is very important these days."
Something in his voice made her feel a little scared. Valerio was changing and becoming tougher in ways she didn't quite understand. The man who once patiently taught her how to disarm someone now talked like trust was something that was quickly disappearing.
"I haven't forgotten," she said.
He looked closely at her. "Good. The world is becoming more cruel, Catalina. I don't want you to lose your way."
She nodded, even though she felt like she had been losing her way for weeks. Losing herself in Luca's arms. Turning into a version of herself that didn't listen to anyone. Becoming soft, which she couldn't afford to do.
Across the city, Luca was standing in front of another crime scene that was bloodless and had no evidence.
The person who was killed, a rival leader, was lying perfectly still, with his eyes closed as if he were sleeping peacefully. There was no struggle, no hesitation, no sign, no mistake, and no clue about who the killer was.
Luca crouched down next to the body, his jaw tight, his mind racing.
"This is the same killer," Matteo, his second-in-command, said from behind him.
"I know." Luca gently touched the wound with a gloved hand. "This kind of accuracy is rare. This is… an artist."
He hated that he was impressed by it.
He hated even more that he couldn't help himself.
"This ghost is hiding something big," Matteo muttered. "We need to find them before Valerio does."
Luca stood up and straightened out his coat. He looked serious, like he was fully becoming the mafia leader. "I will locate them. Nobody makes my people look bad two times."
And yet, even though he was angry, he was also very interested.
Whoever this killer turned out to be was very smart.
Lethal.
Hidden.
And Luca was slowly starting to think about them all the time.
That night, Luca got to the private restaurant early, which he had booked just for the night. It was a small place with candles and a nice smell from herbs, very different from the violence he had been dealing with just hours earlier.
Catalina came in wearing a soft red dress that made it hard for him to breathe. She always seemed like she had secrets she was hiding, with shadows in the way her mouth curved. Maybe that was why he liked her, because she seemed like she was both hurt and strong on the inside.
"You seem like you've had a tough day," she said as she sat down across from him.
"You have no idea," he said quietly, looking closely at her. "But now it's better."
She laughed quietly, which always made him feel warm inside. Luca reached out for her hand across the table. She let him hold it, and her fingers felt cool against his hand.
They talked. About things that didn't matter. The weather outside. A show she didn't think was interesting. A business deal that he pretended wasn't full of violence. They both lied easily, carefully using half-truths and distractions.
When their food arrived, she didn't eat much, and Luca didn't really notice. They were too focused on watching each other, enjoying moments that they shouldn't have.
At one point, he moved some hair away from her ear. She shivered a little bit.
"Sunshine," he said quietly, "you're going to be the end of me."
She looked down, hiding the sadness in her eyes. "You talk like you weren't already finished."
Then he kissed her, slowly but wanting her, a kiss that felt like giving up. Catalina let herself enjoy it. Every time she kissed him, the world didn't feel so chaotic. The parts of her that were shaped by blood and duty became softer. The weight she carried felt lighter. For a little while, she was just a woman in a room with candles, loved by a man who didn't know he should kill her.
They spent the rest of the night close together, out of breath and warm, sharing secrets that weren't really secrets and promises that they never planned to keep.
When she was in Luca's arms, Catalina forgot that she had killed someone earlier.
When Luca saw Catalina's smile, he forgot about the dead man he had looked at that day.
For just one night, the world outside didn't matter.
No mafia wars.
No killers.
No rules.
No commitment to anything except feeling warm, touching, and hearts beating together.
The morning brought them back to reality in a harsh way.
Catalina got out of Luca's bed before the sun came up. As she got dressed, she stopped to watch him sleeping. He looked younger without his responsibilities shown on his face.
He's dangerous, she told herself.
He was dangerous.
She was worse.
Leaving the hotel, she was immediately awakened by the sharp cold. By the time she got to Valerio's property, she wasn't gentle anymore.
In another part of town, Luca got a call about one more dead person.
Their peaceful time together only lasted as long as they were close.
Each kiss made them closer together.
Each lie made their problems worse.
And as time went on, love and being loyal were like two people pulling apart, ready to break t
hem.
Soon, they'd need to make a decision.
They were both not ready for what would happen because of that decision.