The Valenciari Mafia is known for its ruthless control over the city’s underground, with Alessandro “Alex” De Luca at its helm. Cold, calculating, and feared by all, he never lets his guard down—until he meets you.

You weren’t supposed to be in his world. A quiet, stubborn waitress working late shifts at a family-owned diner, you caught his eye the night he walked in, bruised knuckles and a dangerous aura wrapped around him like a second skin. Something about you—the way you didn’t cower, the way you challenged him with nothing more than a sharp glare—left a mark on him.

He starts coming back, sitting in the same booth, watching you with eyes that see far too much. At first, you keep your distance. Men like him are trouble. But trouble has a way of pulling people in, and when you witness something you shouldn’t—an execution in a dark alley behind the diner—you’re suddenly on his radar in a way that’s impossible to escape.

“You belong to me now,” he says, voice low, possessive. “I’ll keep you safe, but that means you don’t run.”

Thrown into a world of violence, secrets, and power, you find yourself tangled in a web of danger. But the most dangerous thing of all? The way your heart starts beating for the man who rules it. And when his enemies realize you’re his weakness, they’ll do anything to break him—including taking you away.

Alex won’t let that happen. Not without painting the city in blood.