Luca pov.
“I can’t believe you’re getting married! And to Nico’s daughter, of all people. Do you even realize who Nico is? Of course you do-every cop knows him by now. He’s even worse than that other notorious mafia don, Alexander Knight!”
Marcus’s frustrated voice reached my ears from the driver’s seat, but I kept my eyes closed, my mind swirling with endless, consuming thoughts.
“Damn you, Luca! Are you ignoring me again? Even after using my day off to do you a favor, can’t you at least find the decency to pretend to listen!?” he snapped, his tone filled with exasperation.
Silence.
I didn’t respond, my fingers flipping the coin in my hand as my thoughts drifted.
From the information I had gathered, Alexander was set to be at Sin City-a notorious club owned by none other than the ruthless mafia don, Xaiver Harrington. The place was infamous for hosting shady business deals, and tonight’s agenda was rumored to involve illegal drug dealings.
Xaiver was the kingpin in the drug trade, with countless underground clubs under his control, each heavily guarded. But he wasn’t my target-Alexander was.
This was my chance. The chance I had been waiting for.
If I caught Alexander red-handed in a deal with Xaiver, no amount of influence or dirty tricks would keep him from facing justice. The evidence I had was enough to bring down his entire empire and send that evil bastard to prison for good.
“Hmph, since you’re ignoring me, I won’t tell you we’ve arrived at the club,” Marcus said as the car came to a halt.
I stopped the movements of my hand and opened my eyes, frowning as I took in the crowded club. Men of high status lingered, entering and exiting with excited, intoxicated expressions.
I shifted my gaze to the coin in my hand, my frown deepening when I saw which side had landed face up.
Tail. Which meant I might not be so lucky today.
“Remember our plan?” I asked, glancing at Marcus.
He dramatically rolled his eyes, took out his sunglasses, and put them on before turning around and adjusting them higher on his nose.
“Sometimes I wonder why I let you drag me into this,” he grumbled. “You better have a good excuse for the captain tomorrow because when he finds out you disobeyed his orders and went after Alexander, he’s going to be really mad. And of course, I’ll be the one who gets implicated since he knows he can’t do anything to you.” He sighed heavily. “I should just get my resignation letter out of that drawer at this point”.
The corner of my lips curled into a humorless smirk as he got out of the car and hurried to my side, opening the door for me. I gripped the coin tighter, stepping out with a casual air, my hands tucked into my pockets. Marcus moved effortlessly ahead, his arms stretched as he pushed people out of the way.
“Step aside, step aside. VIP guest here,” he announced, clearing a path as curses were thrown our way.
“VIP guest? What the hell is that?”
“I don’t know, but I think that idiot’s just making it up to skip the line,” someone murmured bitterly.
Marcus stopped in front of the three intimidating bouncers, their eyes sharp as they shifted their gazes from him to me, scrutinizing me thoroughly. I met their stares head-on with a blank expression.
“Platinum card.” One of the bouncers demanded, and Marcus nodded, glancing around as though he was in some kind of action movie before pulling out a golden card and handing it over.
I tilted my head, observing as the bouncers studied it before exchanging glances and nodding.
“Welcome to Sin City, sir. Have a lovely night,” they announced in unison, bowing as they unhooked the velvet rope to clear the entrance.
A smirk tugged at the corner of my lips as I straightened and strode inside without sparing anyone a glance.
“Did you see the way they just let him in? Is there really a VIP section in this club?” a voice whispered behind in disbelief.
Now, you’re probably wondering why a cop would have a VIP card to one of the most infamous clubs in the country. The answer was simple: money and connections.
As soon as we entered the club, three things hit me all at once-lust, alcohol, and drugs. The scene before me was chaotic. Xavier Harrington truly lived up to his infamous reputation. This place reeked of illegal activities, yet he had never been arrested. Why? Because people like him, Alexander and Nico practically owned the police. They could do whatever they wanted as long as it was swept under the rug.
“Oh my God, we actually made it in! I thought we were going to get busted right away. Where did you even get this?” Marcus exclaimed, turning to me as we stopped at a corner of the club, away from the crowd gathered around a stripper.
“From a friend,” I replied nonchalantly, making his eyes widen in disbelief.
“From a friend?! How do you even have a friend who comes to a place like this? You really need to be more careful about who you hang around with.” He shook his head in disappointment as he casually tucked the card into his pocket without any hint of shame.
I stared at him blankly for a moment before shifting my gaze, scoping the place.
Alexander wouldn’t be in this section of the club; he was likely in the exclusive area with Xavier. That was where I needed to be. Even with the platinum card, security would be tight, so I had to be both careful and smart about getting in.
“Hey, handsome. Care for a drink?” a woman approached us with a tray in hand, her smile seductive, eyes glinting with lust as they remained fixated on me.
“Of course, don’t mind if I do-” Marcus began, reaching for a glass.
I swatted his hand swiftly, stopping him mid-motion.
“Ouch! What the fuck, Luca-?”
“Drugs,” I said coldly, cutting him off. “They’re all laced with drugs.” I shifted my gaze away from the woman, ignoring the amused smirk curling on her lips.
“What?!” Marcus gasped in shock. However, before he could say anything more, my breath caught painfully in my throat as my eyes landed on someone-someone who had always haunted my thoughts. My gaze locked on the woman standing on the stage.
For the first time in a long while, my heart pounded so fiercely against my chest that I could practically hear its echoes. My hands clenched into fists, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away, fearing this was just another illusion-that Emily wasn’t actually standing there, dancing around a pole.
Of all the places I had imagined finding her after her disappearance, a strip club wasn’t one of them-especially not Sin City.
“Luca, are you listening to me-”
I didn’t hear the rest of what was said. My legs were already carrying me through the crowd the moment she got off the stage. Maybe it was instinct-or the overwhelming terror that she’d vanish from my sight again if I didn’t run. Either way, I couldn’t stop running. No, I didn’t want to stop running.
February 3, 2024.
“Luca… let’s not see each other again. I can’t do this anymore. I-I’m sorry, but I love my husband, and we have a son. I can’t destroy my family for you. So when you see me, ignore me. When you see my number, don’t call it. I don’t ever want to see you again.”