Lust In The Line Of Fire
The morning sun spilled golden light across the villa’s sleek hardwood floors, but inside the living room, the mood was anything but warm.
Adriano stood near the window, arms crossed, his jaw tight. Around him, his crew gathered, a quiet hum of shuffling papers, sipped coffee, and checked weapons humming in the background.
Serena sat cross-legged on the couch, a tablet in one hand, a steaming mug of black coffee in the other. “Alright,” she said, clicking through a few screens. “Let’s go over identities again. For the third time.” She side-eyed Adriano. “Per the Capo’s very intense insistence.”
“I’m standing right here,” Adriano muttered, not looking away from the window.
“Exactly,” Serena deadpanned. “Hence why I said it loudly.”
Diamond stifled a smile beside him, her hand on his forearm, trying to ground his energy.
Serena cleared her throat dramatically. “Adriano, you’re now Dominic Valente, tech billionaire with investments in surveillance software and AI for military application. Net worth: obnoxiously high. Backstory: shady but clean enough for Forbes. Wife died in a ‘tragic sailing accident’.” She paused. “You’re emotionally damaged, so try not to smile too much. Should be easy for you.”
Luca chuckled.
“Diamond,” Serena continued. “You’re now Andrea De la Cruz, his new, dangerously gorgeous fiancée. You were his late wife’s assistant. Very scandalous.” She smirked at Diamond. “Fashion consultant, social media influencer, likes diamonds, yachts, and a drama.”
Diamond blinked. “Wait. Assistant turned fiancée?”
Serena grinned. “Yep. Your backstory reads like a trashy romance novel. Try not to overact it.”
Luca snorted. “Babe, you’ve got to vogue your way through this.”
“Luca,” Adriano warned.
“Just sayin’—a little leg, a little sass, a whole lotta cleavage. You’ll sell it.”
Adriano turned to glare. Luca held up his hands in surrender, lips twitching as he tried not to laugh.
“Moving on,” Serena said quickly. “Alessandro—you’re Dr. Elias Fortier, an arms investor and international logistics consultant for non-existent peace organizations.”
Alessandro raised a brow. “I sound like the devil in a tuxedo.”
“You are,” Serena muttered. “And Gabriele—”
“Doesn’t need a fake ID,” Gabriele said from the corner, arms folded. “I’ll be handling external surveillance with my men.”
“Right,” Serena nodded. “But we’ve still got a burner ID card with the name Rafael Mancini. Just in case things go tits up and you need to disappear.”
“Appreciated,” Gabriele said, his gaze flicking briefly to Diamond across the room.
Alessandro caught the glance. Then another. Then another.
His eyes narrowed slightly. But he said nothing.
Adriano rubbed his temple, irritation bleeding through his tone. “We’ve already gone through this plan twice. But I want to make sure everyone remembers—our goal is the ruby necklace. Nothing else. No detours. No ego trips. You maintain a low profile unless it’s time to stir the pot.”
“Copy that,” Marco said, sipping his espresso. “Lay low until boom time.”
“Boom time?” Enzo repeated. “What are you, twelve?”
“Boom time’s universal language,” Luca shrugged.
Adriano ignored them. “Gabriele?”
“I’ll have my men on standby outside the estate,” Gabriele answered, tone calm. “Watching all perimeter roads. Radio silence until I say otherwise. If anything goes wrong, we swarm in.”
Adriano nodded, still visibly tense.
“Enzo?” he called.
Enzo tapped a few things on his phone. “The Black Sky auction’s hosting top-tier catering. Kitchen staff will be moving in and out the back entrance.” He looked up. “I’ve already embedded our guys in that rotation. They’ll be disguised, armed, and inside when everything pops off.”
“Nice,” Marco said, impressed. “So our waiters will be passing canapés and popping skulls.”
Enzo raised his glass. “Only the finest service.”
A rare smirk flicked across Adriano’s lips but it didn’t last long.
“All right,” Serena said, closing her tablet. “Kiki Wong’s coming here early tomorrow. She’ll start prep by 5 a.m. She’ll work on Adriano, Diamond, and Alessandro to make sure your disguises are flawless. New hair. Facial prosthetics. New teeth, if necessary. She’s intense.”
“She sounds terrifying,” Diamond muttered.
“She is,” Serena replied. “But she’s also the best.”
Adriano took a sharp breath and looked at everyone. “Get some rest. Tomorrow’s D-day.”
As everyone dispersed, Diamond nudged Adriano gently. “You’ve been tense all day.”
“I’m fine,” he said flatly.
“No, you’re not.”
Adriano sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t like anything we’ve done before. We’re walking into a building filled with La Rosa Nera and global arms dealers, corrupt CEOs, political monsters. It’s a fucking powder keg. One wrong move and we’re all dead.”
Diamond reached for his hand, entwining her fingers with his. “I know you’re scared. I am too. But we’re ready. You’ve got the best crew in the game, and you’ve got me. We’re gonna pull this off.” She smiled softly. “And when we do? You’ll remind everyone that the youngest Greco is not the weak one.”
His eyes softened. “You always know what to say.”
“Because I believe in you.”
He pulled her into his chest, burying his face in her hair.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too,” she replied, kissing him slow and soft.
—
The villa bar was dimly lit. A single low lamp cast shadows across the glass bottles lining the wall.
Gabriele stood behind the bar, pouring whiskey into a short tumbler. His shoulders were tense, his eyes tired.
The sound of footsteps approached before Alessandro walked into the room.
He grabbed a glass from the counter and slid onto the stool. Gabriele poured him a drink silently.
They sat in companionable silence for a beat.
Alessandro spoke first. “Big day tomorrow.”
Gabriele nodded, taking a sip. “Biggest yet.”
“How you feeling?”
Gabriele shrugged. “Nervous. We’re infiltrating the most dangerous auction on the continent. And we’re aiming for one of its most protected pieces.”
“Strange hearing you say you’re nervous,” Alessandro said, taking a slow sip. “You remember that job in Palermo? The sniper on the church roof?”
Gabriele cracked a grin. “You mean when you slipped and nearly fell into a wedding party?”
“They had good cake,” Alessandro said with a grin.
“And when you tried to charm that priest for information?”
“He liked me.”
“He was ninety-seven and blind in one eye.”
“And he still called me handsome.”
They both laughed quietly.
Alessandro leaned back, a rare ease on his face. “Truth is, I live for this kind of shit. High stakes, all or nothing, blood pumping adrenaline. Makes me feel like I’m still alive.”
Gabriele looked at him with something like admiration. “Yeah. You’ve always had a death wish.”
“I prefer ‘unapologetically confident.’” Alessandro smirked, then added, “And then there’s Diamond.”
Gabriele’s body stilled.
His eyes flicked to Alessandro. “What about her?”
Alessandro tilted his head, speaking with genuine respect. “She’s fearless. Brave as hell. She’s thrown herself into this world like she’s been here all along. Didn’t expect that from a girl who used to dance in heels for cash.”
Gabriele’s lips curled into a smile. “She’s really something, isn’t she?”
“Yeah.”
Gabriele stared into his glass. “Adriano’s lucky. She’s a catch.”
Alessandro raised a brow, smirking. “Oh yeah?”
Gabriele nodded. “Mhmm.”
There was a pause.
Then Alessandro set his glass down.
“…Why’d you fuck her?”
Gabriele froze.
The air between them shifted instantly.
Every sound seemed to disappear except for the soft tick of the antique clock on the bar shelf.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Hey guys. Sorry I didn't uploading yesterday. Life’s been kicking my ass lately. But I'm back now ♥️