Into The Fire
Mia didn't know how long she sat there, staring at Lorenzo across the dimly lit booth. The weight of her decision settled deep in her chest.She should have left. She should have walked away.But she hadn't.And judging by the look in Lorenzo's eyes, he knew exactly what that meant.
"You're playing a dangerous game, mia bella," he said, his voice low and smooth, the sound alone sending a shiver down her spine.
Mia lifted her chin, refusing to let him see how much he affected her. "So are you."
Lorenzo smirked, swirling the whiskey in his glass. "You don't belong in my world, Mia."
"Then why do you keep pulling me in?" she challenged.
A flicker of something dark crossed his face. "Because I'm a selfish man."The honesty in his words took her by surprise. He didn't sugarcoat it. He wasn't pretending to be someone he wasn't.And yet, that didn't stop the pull between them.
Mia leaned forward slightly, her fingers brushing the stem of her untouched wine glass. "You act like I don't have a choice in this."
Lorenzo's smirk faltered, just for a second. "Do you?"
She exhaled sharply, a mix of frustration and something elseâsomething dangerously close to surrenderâcoiling in her chest. He had a point. No matter how much she told herself to walk away, something about him kept calling her back. It wasn't just attraction. It was deeper than that.
It was the way he looked at her like he saw her, even when she barely understood herself.Before she could respond, a man approached the table, his presence immediately shifting the energy in the room.Mia noticed him before Lorenzo did. His steps were calculated, purposeful, and the tension in his body was enough to put her on edge.
"Lorenzo."Lorenzo didn't even turn right away.
He simply exhaled, running a hand along the side of his jaw. "Not now, Marco."Marco's sharp gaze flicked to Mia, his lips pressing into a firm line before returning to Lorenzo.
"It's urgent."Mia tensed. She wasn't naïveâshe knew Lorenzo's world was built on danger.
But seeing it so up close, so unfiltered, made her stomach tighten.Lorenzo finally looked up, his expression unreadable.
"Handle it."Marco shook his head. "This one, you need to see for yourself."Something shifted in Lorenzo's face. For a split second, she saw itâthe crack in his calm exterior.
But just as quickly as it came, it was gone.
He stood slowly, adjusting the cuffs of his black suit before turning back to her."I have to take care of something."
Mia nodded, pushing aside the uneasy feeling creeping into her chest. "Go."But as he stepped away from the table, he hesitated.
Then, before she could register what was happening, Lorenzo reached for her hand, his fingers curling around hers. The gesture was unexpectedâso unlike the cold, ruthless man she had met weeks ago.
Mia's breath caught."I'll come back," he murmured, voice low, promising.
Something inside her cracked.And then he was gone.She exhaled, watching as he disappeared through a side door with Marco. The weight of his absence settled immediately, like the heat had been sucked from the room.Mia stared at the half-empty glass he left behind, the whiskey inside catching the dim glow of the overhead chandelier.She had made her choice.
Now, she just had to survive it.