Page 3 of Bound to the Enforcer

His eyes flick to me, assessing. I meet his gaze without flinching, though a chill runs down my spine. Domenico has a way of looking at people that makes them feel like prey. And right now, I'm the one on his radar.

"You don't have to do this alone." His words are like smooth honey. "You need to think about your future. You need to think about your empire. Your father built something powerful. And now, it's yours."

I clench my jaw. "I know and intend to grow that empire to even greater heights, just as he wanted."

Domenico takes a step closer, his smile widening. "I see. But this business of women running organizations is bizarre, no? When have we ever had a woman as a leader? The answer is never, and there is a reason for that."

"We have one right now," Alessio speaks up. "She will be the first, and I am sure she will not be the last."

My uncle's jaw locks in place. The greys in his beard show far more than the last time I saw him. Age is catching up with him. The tension riddles his body, and the edge in his tone tells me all I need to know.

He is trying to make a claim to the throne. I am not stupid. I can read between the lines. It's obvious.

"I feel I can offer you a helping hand of sorts. You are still young, fresh out of college and too fresh for this world,cara. Twenty-three is no age to be playing gangster. There is much you need to learn and no one to teach you. Apart from me, of course."

There it is. His play. I wonder if he still thinks I am still that naive little girl that he once knew. I am no longer that 10-year-old girl who screamed at the sight of the slightest darkness. I've seen things. My father was assassinated before my very eyes.

"I don't need your help," I say. "I'll handle things on my own. And besides, you know the laws. The next direct blood will take the chair of the family. Had I not been alive, Uncle, then you would have assumed the throne. You would need the rest of the five families to agree for you to usurp me and take my place."

He huffed with a forced smile on his lips. "Well then, we thank the heavens you are alive."

"Yes." The air around us chills. "We do."

Domenico's eyes shine, a small chuckle escaping his lips. "Your spirit burns like my brother's. Well, I wish you luck,cattiva."

He steps forward and closes the distance between us. Alessio moves to my side in warning, but my uncle continues on. He leans down and kisses my cheek gently. When he pulls away, a flash of something moves across his hazel eyes. But as quickly as it comes, it leaves just as fast.

"The night is dark, Sophia. Be careful of what lurks in it."

I watch him leave, the door shutting behind him with a finality that sends a shiver down my spine. I am well aware ofthe brooding 6'3" bodyguard staring down at me, but my mind is still replaying what my uncle just said to me.

"Trust no one." My father's last entry in his journal screams in my mind. This is only the beginning.

There is blood in the water, and the sharks are swarming.

Chapter Two

Alessio

She is brokenhearted. How can she not be? She is all alone in this world now. The only blood relation she has is actively planning to dethrone her. I cannot let that happen.

The stillness between us is thick. I have no idea what to say to her. My words will do nothing to soothe her pain. Nor will they ease the anxiety that riddles her body.

I open my mouth to try and disperse the thick tension when a knock interrupts me.

Sophia's expression hardens as she turns toward the door. "Come in."

I turn to look over my shoulder to find Elliot, one of my guys. He walks in with a solemn look in his eyes. His gaze cuts from mine to meet with his boss's. He inclines his head and moves his pupils to the ground.

"Sorry to intrude like this, boss. I need to speak with Alessio." There is a forcefulness in his tone that I don't like.

"Well." She clears her throat and looks over my shoulder at my foreman. "Speak. Whatever youwant to say to him, you can say to me. Speak."

Elliot looks between me and Sophia, not sure what to do. Smart man. Regardless of the new title the little princess carries, I still call the shots until further notice. I give him a curt nod, so he continues.

Whatever disaster he has to deliver, it is best she knows what she is up against.

"Trevor was found hanging from one of the facilities in Chicago, and the new shipment of pills is gone." The words spill from his lips quickly, but I catch every word.

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