Their reach was like a force of nature, something far too powerful to resist and all too familiar to fear.
The late Don, Vladimir Rossi, was more than a man; he was a living nightmare, a legend whose name was still whispered on the streets even years after his death.
To some, he was the devil incarnate.
To others, he was a twisted icon—a figure who proved just how far one could climb if they had enough ruthlessness.
To the law, he was wanted for every crime under the sun—racketeering, drug trafficking, tax evasion, you name it—Vladimir's empire was built on X-D, a deadly, addictive drug that took hold of the city and left trails of devastation in its wake.
The Rossi family controlled every part of its economy: the flow, the production, the distribution.
But they operated from a distance, always careful to keep their hands clean, as if their carefully constructed facade could mask the rot beneath.
Four years ago, I'd started my investigation into X-D, back when I first met Mason—my ex, and a Callahan, one of the Rossi family's closest allies.
Despite my ties to Mason, every lead ran cold. I found myself in an endless maze, each clue linking back to the Rossi's but leading nowhere solid.
When Mason married Bianca, I dropped the investigation entirely.
It had become too dangerous, too twisted with hidden agendas and deadly alliances, and I wasn't the kind of agent they sent into such convoluted missions.
Reiner knew this, which is why I couldn't shake the feeling that he'd sent me here to watch me flounder—to make me bite off far more than I could chew.
There was an uneasiness gnawing at me, a heaviness that clung to my stomach like a rock.
The nausea had mostly faded, leaving only a hollow exhaustion that pulled at me, forcing me to find excuses to slip away, to take a moment alone in the bathroom. The number of bathroom breaks I'd taken was getting ridiculous.
It was frustrating, but finally, after a month of battling it, my appetite had started to return, giving me a fleeting sense of relief. My stomach bug was gone.
If anything, it was the one sign that maybe, just maybe, I was starting to feel more in control.
I stood outside his office door waiting for Mr. Rossi to emerge.
