Chapter 1 - The Ten Minutes
The digital clock on her kitchen counter changed to exactly midnight.
Only ten minutes had passed since she sent her address to the most dangerous man in the city.
Mila paced across her small living room, chewing nervously on her bottom lip.
The alcohol in her system had completely evaporated, leaving behind only a cold and sharp dread.
She jumped violently when a heavy, rhythmic knock echoed from her front door.
It was not the frantic pounding of a lost neighbor, but a deliberate and commanding sound.
Mila crept toward the door and looked through the tiny glass peephole.
Luca Romano was standing in her dimly lit hallway.
He wore a tailored black overcoat that made his broad shoulders look even more intimidating.
She unlocked the deadbolt with trembling hands and slowly pulled the door open.
Luca did not smile or offer a polite greeting.
His cold, dark eyes immediately dropped to the brass doorknob resting in her hand.
Mila tried to speak, to apologize for the foolish text, but her voice completely failed her.
Luca stepped into her apartment, forcefully pushing her backward with a gentle but firm hand.
He closed the door behind him and locked the deadbolt instantly.
He asked her in a low, dangerous whisper if anyone else had a key to this apartment.
Mila shook her head, completely terrified by the sudden shift in his calm demeanor.
Luca reached inside his coat and pulled out a heavy, matte-black handgun.
He pointed to the metal strike plate on her wooden door frame.
Mila gasped when she saw the deep, fresh scratch marks carved violently into the metal.
Someone had expertly picked her lock before Luca even arrived.
A floorboard creaked loudly from the pitch-black darkness of her own bedroom.
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Luca pushed Mila firmly behind his broad back and raised his weapon.
A tall man dressed entirely in black stepped out of her bedroom holding a suppressed pistol.
