Chapter 1 - The Cost of a Spoonful
The spoon stopped three inches from Adrian Moretti’s face.
Elena’s heart hammered against her ribs like a trapped bird as she stood frozen in the doorway.
Her three-year-old daughter, Mia, was standing on a leather chair beside the most feared mafia boss in New York.
The five terrifying men in tailored suits had just been dismissed with a single word.
Adrian chewed the oatmeal slowly, his dark eyes fixed on the little girl holding the spoon.
Elena had worked in this sprawling estate for eight months, living by a strict code of invisibility.
She knew what happened to people who interrupted Adrian Moretti.
She knew what happened to people who touched his things.
But as Adrian swallowed the food and leaned back in his chair, he didn't reach for his weapon.
He simply told Elena that Mia was welcome in his study anytime.
Elena scooped Mia into her arms and offered a breathless, terrified apology before rushing out of the room.
She practically ran down the long marble corridor toward the staff quarters.
Her hands were shaking so violently she could barely hold her child.
She packed her small canvas tote bag in the locker room, convinced she would be fired by the end of the day.
Instead, the heavy oak door of the staff room swung open.
Carlo, Adrian’s towering underboss with a scar across his jaw, stepped inside.
He closed the door behind him and locked it.
Elena pulled Mia tightly against her chest, her blood turning to ice.
Carlo stared at her with an expression she could not read.
"Do you have any idea what your kid just did?" Carlo asked, his voice a low gravel.
Elena swallowed hard, unable to find her voice.
"I will pack my things immediately," she finally whispered.
Carlo shook his head slowly.
"He killed the last man who touched his food, Elena."
He took a step closer, pulling a thick envelope from his tailored jacket.
"Mr. Moretti doesn't want you to leave."
Carlo held the envelope out to her.
"He wants you to understand exactly why you need to stay."
Elena reached out with a trembling hand and took the envelope.
She tore the paper open and pulled out a stack of glossy photographs.
They were pictures of her tiny apartment in Queens.
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But they hadn't been taken from the street.
They were taken from inside her bedroom, showing Elena and Mia fast asleep in their bed just last night.
