Upper East Side, New York City
THE FIRE WAS ALWAYS THE same – heat swallowing the walls, smoke clawing into my lungs, Zach screaming my name as the world turned to ash. I woke with it burning in my chest, a gasp cutting through the silence.
The room around me was dark, lonely, too still, shadows stretched long against the pale wallpaper of the Carlyle suite. The city’s glow pressed faintly through the curtains, but it couldn’t touch the heaviness in me. My skin was damp, my heart still racing.
I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling as though the flames might lick across it any second. Sleep never stayed long. Most nights, it barely came at all.
The sharp buzz of my phone rattled against the nightstand. I reached over, frowning when the screen lit up.
Maria.
My stomach tightened. Maria had never called me before. I knew it wouldn’t be good.
I answered. “What is it?”
Her voice broke on the other end, choked with tears. “Matteo – ”
I was already swinging my legs out of bed, pulling on my pants. “What happened?”
“Someone – ” She sniffed through tears. “Someone tried to hurt me – ”
I didn’t let her finish. My voice cut in, hard, already moving where I knew this was going. “Where’s Zach.”
“I’m with him. At Lenox Hill.”
The suite door slammed behind me. By the time the elevator doors slid open, I was inside, stabbing the button, the phone pressed hard against my ear. “What happened?”
Her words tumbled out in shudders. “I was supposed to get shot, not him – ”
Her breath hitched, but I didn’t wait for her answer. I didn’t need to hear it. I already knew.
The line was still open when I pulled the phone from my ear and hung up.
The sliding doors of Lenox Hill opened too slow, the sterile light of the hospital spilling over me as I stormed through. My pulse was hammering, my chest tight, the weight of every step pushing me faster down the long corridors. The white walls blurred, the antiseptic sting of the air clawing at the back of my throat.
I didn’t even register the signs overhead, just followed instinct – followed the pull – until I slammed through the lounge doors with both hands.
“Where the fuck is he?” My voice tore out, sharp enough to snap every head in the room toward me.
The first face I saw was Trevor Su. Taller now than when I first met him over ten years ago. The one Zach always leaned on. He stood, hands out like he’d been waiting for me.
“Surgery. He’s fine – ”
But my eyes were already moving past him.
Maria sat against the far wall, shoulders curled in on herself, her face streaked with tears. Next to her, Natalia – one arm around Maria, her sharp gaze meeting mine like steel. I knew the look. Cosa Nostra blood, Francesca’s friend. Hacker. Trouble.
The sight of Maria in her fragility only sharpened the rage in me. My vision tunneled, breath cutting short as words ripped from me before I could stop them.
“If my brother dies because of you – ”
“Hey.” Natalia’s arm tightened around Maria. She didn’t flinch at my tone, didn’t soften. “Everyone’s scared. If you’re angry, take it outside. Come back when you’ve calmed down.”
My jaw clicked hard enough I thought it might crack. I didn’t look at Natalia. I couldn’t. My glare stayed locked on Maria, who hunched lower into her seat, tears falling, refusing to meet my eyes.
The silence stretched, heavy as a blade.
“Come on, man.” Trevor’s voice was softer now, closer. He touched my arm, trying to guide me back toward the doors.
