The mafia boss walked into his kitchen looking for missing money and found his housekeeper’s four-year-old daughter apologizing for scratching the marble with her leg brace

Midnight at the north docks.

A thick fog rolled off the river, wrapping the rusted steel cranes and wooden shipping crates in a cold gray shroud.

A sleek black SUV pulled into the deserted alleyway near the water. The doors opened, and four men stepped out, led by Enzo—Dominic Valenti's chief enforcer. Enzo was a heavy-set man with a scarred neck and a reputation for brutal efficiency.

He stepped into the clearing, lighting a cigarette. "Evelyn! Get out here! We don't have all night!"

Silence answered him. Only the sound of the river lapping against the wooden pilings.

Enzo frowned, reaching for the sidearm inside his coat. "Evelyn?"

Suddenly, bright floodlights snapped on from the tops of three shipping containers, blinding Enzo and his men in an instant.

"Drop your weapons!" Marco's voice boomed through a megaphone from the shadows.

Enzo’s men panicked, drawing their guns, but before they could fire a single shot, red laser sights lit up their chests. Twelve of my heavily armed men stepped out from behind the crates, rifles raised and ready.

"Don't do it, Enzo," I said, walking slowly into the light, my hands casually tucked into the pockets of my overcoat.

Enzo froze, his eyes widening as he recognized me. "Moretti... What the hell is this?"

"This is my estate," I said smoothly. "And you are trespassing on grounds where you don't belong."

"Evelyn set us up?" Enzo hissed.

"Evelyn didn't have a choice," I replied. "She's currently reflecting on her career choices in a small room without windows. And as for you... you're going to give me everything I need to tear Dominic's empire down to the ground."

Enzo spat on the ground, glaring at me. "You think you can start a war with the Valentis over a housekeeper and a crippled kid?"

The word had barely left his mouth before I moved.

In two quick strides, I closed the distance between us, grabbed Enzo by the collar, and slammed him face-first against the side of the metal shipping container. The loud CRACK of his nose breaking echoed across the dock.

My men moved in instantly, disarming his three henchmen and forcing them to their knees.

I held Enzo pinned against the cold steel, my hand clamped around his throat, leaning in until my mouth was inches from his ear.

"Say that word again," I whispered, my voice dripping with lethal promises, "and I will throw you into this river with twenty pounds of marble tied to your ankles."

Enzo gagged, spitting blood, his hands clawing at my wrist. "Okay! Okay! Jesus, Moretti!"

"Dominic killed his own brother four years ago," I said, tightening my grip slightly. "He wanted Julian's inheritance, but he needed Julian's daughter to unlock the family trust fund. Tell me I'm wrong."

"It... it's true," Enzo gasped out. "Dominic needs the girl's signature through a court guardianship to access Julian's offshore accounts. That's why he wanted her!"

"Where is Dominic right now?"

"He's... he's at his penthouse downtown," Enzo wheezed. "Expecting my call at 1:00 AM."