The Romano Family

Vincenzo's pov

As I drove through the empty streets, my grip on the wheel tightened. The headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating the road ahead, but my mind was elsewhere—on a girl who had no business being in my thoughts.

Mia.

She was five-foot-five, with amber eyes that held too much light for someone like me. Long brown hair that always seemed slightly messy, as if she had just run through a storm. She was reckless in ways I couldn't understand. Annoying in ways I couldn't ignore. And yet, against all logic, she had embedded herself into my life.

I didn't come to this town to form connections. I came to finish a job. A simple task—get in, handle business, get out. That was how I operated. That was how I survived.

But then Mia happened.

She didn't cower like the others. Everyone else feared me—and rightfully so. I was Vincenzo De Luca. Capo of one of the most ruthless crime families in New York. A man whose name alone made people flinch. A man who had killed without hesitation. A man who had no place in his world for softness.

And yet, this little woman had walked right into my life without an ounce of fear, filling the silence with her ridiculous chatter, her endless questions, her infuriating jokes.

I should've pushed her away. I should've let her believe the rumors, let her see the danger and run. But I didn't. Instead, I let her sit beside me on that goddamn bench, night after night, until she became something I never intended her to be—important.

I hate that I have to leave her.

But I have to remember—there is no place in my world for her. Mia doesn't belong in the dark. And I will not be the one to drag her into it.

She was sleeping now, curled up in the passenger seat, her chest rising and falling steadily. Her lips slightly parted, her breathing soft. The moonlight from the car window illuminated her face, highlighting the faint freckles across her nose, the delicate curve of her jaw.

She looked fragile. Too fragile for my world.

I exhaled slowly, resting my hand against the steering wheel as we pulled to a stop. Elijah's car followed behind, his headlights shutting off as he parked a few feet away. He was here for my protection, my second-in-command, my underground boss when I wasn't around. One of the very few people I trusted.

And yet, right now, I wasn't thinking about business. I was thinking about her.

Mia stirred slightly, shifting in her seat. A small, sleepy sigh escaped her lips before her amber eyes fluttered open. She blinked, still half-dazed from sleep, and then rubbed at her eyes like a damn kitten. Her cheeks turned a shade of pink when she noticed me staring at her.

I didn't look away. I never did.

She let out a small yawn, stretching her arms before mumbling, "Have we reached?"

I nodded.

She pouted. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked peaceful," I admitted before I could stop myself.

Her lips quirked into a teasing smile. "Did the big, bad Vincenzo go soft on me?"

I scoffed, shaking my head. "Get out of the car before I leave you here."

Mia only laughed, unbothered by my threat, and hopped out. I sighed, stepping out as well. I shouldn't have brought her here. I shouldn't be doing this. But for one night, I let myself forget who I was and who I could never be for her.