Chapter 2 Messier

Evelyn suffers a headache as she wakes up. She inhaled as if a glass pinched her heart, with smoke drifting in her nose and lungs. She felt frustrated because the chaos earlier was still ringing in her ears. The gunshots, cries, and flames that darkened her view before blackness took over.

She tried to open her eyes against her will. Overhead, there were bright lights, the hospital's sterile odour, and a rigid sheet covering her. A sharp pain in her side protested as her body attempted to sit up.

"Easy," A deep voice sounded, startling her.

She glanced at her side and saw Luca Romano sitting on a chair beside her bed. He never smiled, but his eyes were bloodshot and his shirt had blood stains.

"You're up," he voiced.

Evelyn gulped to moisten her dry throat. "What-what happened?"

"You passed out after the blast. We hardly made it out."

"Matteo?" Her voice cracked as she asked.

Luca took a moment to respond. His mouth clenched, and his gaze averted.

"Noooo," she cried.

She shook her head, tears rolling down her face. Matteo didn't make it. He sacrificed himself to save her. She hated being powerless. If only she had listened to him in the first place, he wouldn't have died. She bit her tongue with that thought.

Evelyn detested the thought of owing anyone anything. Because of Luca, she was alive and in a hospital bed right now. "What made you save me?" She questioned without turning to face him.

"I'm not sure." Luca remained motionless.

Luca already knew she was the niece Dmitri talked about. But he felt a strange pull to her during the battle. Ordinarily, if someone else had witnessed his transformation, the fellow would have died by now. But he spared her even when he questioned "why" in his mind.

On a second note, the proposed alliance between the two families wouldn't be possible if Luca hadn't saved Evelyn from getting hurt. Luca's father, Romano, needed a smooth transaction for his forthcoming deal, and the Stones alone could make it happen. Things can't go wrong. So Evelyn had to live because she's the key to making that happen.

"Now what?" Evelyn finally shifted and winced.

Luca reclined in the chair and exhaled slowly. "Now? We handle the consequences. Tonight, both families lost their loved ones. There is a breach of trust. There has been bloodshed. We already know the traitor and must unite to put Petrov where he belongs."

"And?"

"You get better. So we can proceed. That's all."

"With what?" She bit her lip to keep the pain in her chest from getting worse. "With the battle or what?"

A nurse peeked in through the door. We need to carry out some more tests, Miss Stone.

With a quick 'I'll be back,' Luca exited the room, not bothering to look at her. Evelyn watched Luca leave, her eyes portrayed so much anger that she bit her tongue and blood dripped out of her lips, and her knuckles had nearly turned white from clutching the sheets. A beast in human form was saving her. And to make matters worse, she doesn't know her father's condition and can't ask Luca because she didn't know if he saved or ripped him in the course of the commotion.

One thing was sure, though: whatever deal had caused this chaos was far from over.

After the blood test, Evelyn was transferred to another private room. It looks more like a residence than a hospital ward. The nurses kept mute when Evelyn asked why she was being moved. She figured someone had instructed it. Luca maybe. Getting to the new room, she discovered she wasn't in a real hospital. She was in one of the Romano's properties, maybe. They had just arranged for doctors and nurses to come and attend to their injured members. This wasn't new to her, though. It's normal in their world.

A deep voice sounded from behind her, causing her to flinch.

She turned. Luca is here again. He stood shirtless, his face deep in perspiration, his jaw and chest still had blood stains from the battle. His grey eyes blazed like embers as if he hadn't just torn through men like paper.

"How did you..." she retreated, whispering.

"There's no time for that."

"What are you?" She questioned with a half-screaming voice.

"The last man who asked that didn't live long enough to finish the question." Evelyn's back struck the wall, and her legs trembled. He moved a step closer.

"I'm not expecting to see you here again, Luca Romano...."

"You should expect to see more of me because you've just become leverage." Luca cuts in

"Leverage?" she choked. "My father..."

"Alive? Barely. Trust me, he's aware of this. Your Uncle Dimitri knows too. There's a price to pay for your father to stay alive and for the smooth running of businesses between the two families.

"Is this a takeover by you? Did you plan this?"

"We'll refer to it as a reorganization of the underworld." Luca grinned without humour.

Evelyn's heart raced. You're having fun, aren't you? You find pleasure in murder?

"I saved you."

He sped past, unnoticed until his hand struck the wall next to her head. He enclosed her, his breath grazing her cheek. Evelyn, you belong to me now.

Like lightning, the word shattered through the atmosphere.

"What?" she exclaimed.

"Your father has more debt now than just the deals. He struck a blood deal with the Roman line. He dies if he breaks it. The blood will be given to him after you marry me."

"This is crazy." She sighed.

"Your family has ruled the East for far too long. The North and the East will now unite.

"By way of me too?"

"The only person he values enough to use is you. And I am the only one with the strength to keep you safe from what lies ahead."

Her eyes burned from tears, but she would not let them spill. "You think I'll agree to marry a monster?"

"I'm a monster. But a responsible one." Luca smirks.

"And what precisely are the conditions of this union? Am I being tied to you forever?" Evelyn's voice faltered as she spoke.

"A year. The Romano and the Stone had signed an alliance deal for one year before the commotion. From now on, we fight each other's battles, and that's why Petrov won't go Scott free for double-crossing us. "This way, you'll survive. Your dad will survive, and the business will move on."

Fear and anger clashed in Evelyn as she looked up at him. Every action in her life had been planned, and she didn't even have a say. She was now cornered by a man who wasn't just a Mafia Don. He was something more than she thought was real.

"What if I refuse?" She whispered.

Her face was tilted toward his as his hand touched her chin. Then I'll bring you a box containing your father's heart. No one in your family is free after that.

His icy tone stole her breath away.

A sudden, loud metallic noise echoed in the hallway. Luca glances in that direction. His low growl sent goosebumps down her arms.

He faced her once more. "We move in the morning." Then, like smoke, he vanished into the darkness.

Chest heaving, Evelyn fell to the floor. Her phone, which was amazingly still in her pocket, buzzed before she could collect her thoughts. The screen was illuminated by a single message.

"Don't marry him. He is cursed."