The Mafia lord's Addiction

ered, sparking something defiant within her. She'd never been one to back down from a challenge, a

ering names, following leads, and uncovering fragments of his vast criminal empire that even the newspapers hadn't dared to expose. But no matter how

against a sleek black car parked across the street, his figure cast in shadows. The sight of

pping a few feet from him. "Following me aroun

corner of his lips. "Just ensuring you don't

elf." Her tone was challenging, but she couldn't

ok a slow step toward her, his eyes never leav

, refusing to back

yes, the faint scar on his jaw, details she'd only caught glimpses of before.

voice a low rumble. "If you're so determined to dig u

with unspoken tension, a battle of wills th

w. "Are you inviting me i

it a... professional courtesy. But I'll warn you, Ver

ver her head, that she was crossing a line she could never uncross. But the thought

, her voice steady, chal

uring for her to get inside. She took a deep breath, steeling herself, and sli

r into the heart of Archie's territory. Silence filled the car, thick and charged, broken only by the hum of t

finally, breaking the silence. "Why are you

ed with something she couldn't place. "Because I know

e protecting me out of some

isn't about morality. It's about control. You're meddling in

ll I am? A

raw, something that looked almost vulnerable. But it vanished as qu

place looked abandoned, windows boarded up, walls covered in graffit

ing what you're dealing with,

rance. Inside, the building was a labyrinth of dark corridors and heavy silence. The only

h his hand on the handle. He looked at her, his gaze he

her voice firm.

ographs filled every available space, the air thick with the scent of old paper and secrets. Veronica's eyes w

deal, every betrayal, every name that's crossed m

hout a trace. She felt a chill crawl down her spine as she realized the magnitude of what she was looking at. This was

ispered, feeling the weigh

no going back." His voice was soft, almost regretful, but laced with

s gaze with a newfound determinati

the small space between them. "Then you're braver than I thought." He reached out, his hand grazi

feeling the weight of his touch, the heat of his gaze. The world around them seemed to fa

his voice barely above a whisper, his hand li

r voice coming out in a

e dropping to her l

ric, raw and filled with a tension that had been building between them since the moment they'd met. She felt h

led away, breathless, her heart racing. His gaze was intense

g," she said, her vo

aving hers. "Maybe not. But i

his world, Veronica realized he was right. She'd crossed a line, a