Page 21 of Masked Mafia's Runaway Bride

For months, Enzo and I had been monitoring the shipment Ryan had talked about. It would be one of the largest shipments they have received in years—guns, drugs, name it all. It was almost like Don Carlos was preparing for a fucking war, a war he was going to win if I didn’t stop him.

I clicked through my encrypted files until I found the confirmation I needed. Soho. Tomorrow. Don Carlos was moving his precious cargo right into a zone I’d been eyeing for months. It was the perfect opportunity, and I wasn’t about to let it slip away.

I grabbed my phone and called Enzo.

He walked in a few minutes later, his grin already telling me he was about to start trouble. “You only call me to this office when you’re plotting something big. Should I be worried?”

I rolled my eyes, gesturing for him to sit. “Don Carlos is moving a shipment through Soho tomorrow. I just confirmed it.”

His grin widened. “And here I thought you told me to focus solely on your father. Now you’re dragging me into shipment business?”

“It’s all connected,” I smirked, trying to hide my defeat. Though the truth was, I hated it when he was right.

Enzo leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. “All connected, huh? You’re sounding suspiciously like me. And here I thought you didn’t want to get your hands dirty with his operations.”

“This isn’t about him,” I said, but even I wasn’t convinced. “It’s about territory. If we intercept that shipment, we can cripple his standing in Soho. You’ve seen the numbers. That loss would hit him where it hurts.”

Enzo raised a brow. “And Sergio? Where does he fit into this neat little plan of yours? Yes, I dug into him. He’s Don Carlos’s son with a military background. Somehow, you two seem to have been close friends.”

My stomach twisted at the mention of his name. I kept my expression neutral. “He’s just collateral. He’s working for his father. So it’s nothing personal.”

Enzo didn’t buy it for a second. “Nothing personal? Mirella, you’ve got that look. The same one you had when you were about to get tangled up with some mess. How do we know Sergio isn’t just as bad—or worse—than his father?”

I sighed, leaning back in my chair. “I know him, Enzo. We were kids together. We grew up together. He’s not like Don Carlos.”

“Youknewhim,” Enzo corrected, his tone sharp. “People change, especially in this line of work. You can’t afford to get sentimental.”

His words hit harder than I wanted to admit. I stared at my desk, the weight of everything pressing down on me. “I’m not sentimental,” I muttered. “I’m focused.”

“Focused?” Enzo leaned forward, his voice lowering. “Then explain why you’re hesitating. If this were anyone else, you wouldn’t bat an eye. We would be talking about how to bring down the fucking ground down. We have the men to rain down hell on them.”

He was right, and I hated it. I hated the knot in my chest every time Sergio’s name came up. I hated the way my mind replayed the way he looked at me—like I was someone worth knowing.

Enzo sighed, leaning back again. “Listen. You know what weakness does in our world. When bullets start flying, you don’t have time to think about feelings. You have to act.”

I met his gaze, forcing myself to look calm. “I’m not weak, Enzo. I’m on top of this.”

“You’d better be,” he said, his tone softening just slightly. “Because the moment you let someone get under your skin, it’s game over. You, of all people, should know this, but we need to plan. This won’t be an easy operation,”

We spent the next hour strategizing. Enzo mapped out routes and contingencies, his sharp mind turning plans into something almost foolproof. The whole time, a small voice in the back of my head whispered that I was betraying Sergio. But I silenced it. This was business. Nothing personal.

By the time we were done, I was exhausted. Enzo stood, stretching before heading for the door. He paused, looking back at me. “You sure you’re ready for this?”

I nodded. “I’m ready.”

He smirked, shaking his head. “If you say so, Raven.”

When the door clicked shut, I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling. Raven was ready. Raven was focused. Mirella, though? She was another story entirely. I needed to take a shower and wash out all these intrusive thoughts.

The hot water hit my shoulders, washing away the grime of the day, but it did nothing to clear my head. Sergio’s touch lingered like a ghost, impossible to shake. I closed my eyes, and the memory of his hands guiding mine came rushing back. His voice had been steady, his tone low and almost teasing. And the way he leaned in—it was maddening. He’d been so close, his breath warm against my ear. For a moment, it felt like the world had stopped.

I turned the water to cold, shivering as the chill snapped me back to reality. This wasn’t the time to lose focus. Enzo’s words echoed in my mind:You can’t afford weakness. When bullets fly, you need to act.

He was right. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by a man, even if that man was Sergio—especially because that man was Sergio. He was a complication I couldn’t afford.

Wrapping a towel around me, I stepped out of the shower and grabbed my phone from the bedside table. A text lit up the screen.

“You up?”

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