MIA'S POV
The docks smelled like salt water and rotting fish. I sat in the backseat of Roman's SUV with Tony beside me, his hand resting on a gun that made my stomach twist.
"You should've stayed at the restaurant," Tony said.
"Too late now."
Through the windshield, I watched Roman standing with Marco and about fifteen men. They formed a line near a warehouse entrance, all of them armed. Headlights appeared in the distance, moving toward us.
"That's Viktor," Tony said. "Stay down if shooting starts."
My mouth went dry. "How often does this happen?"
"Not as much as it used to. Roman's father solved everything with violence. Roman tries other ways first."
"But he still brought guns."
"Because Viktor only understands violence."
The vehicles stopped and men climbed out. Even from here, I could count at least twenty. A man walked forward from their group, tall and broad with a shaved head. Viktor.
Roman moved to meet him halfway, alone. Marco started to follow, but Roman waved him back.
"What's he doing?" I whispered.
"Showing he's not afraid." Tony leaned forward. "Stupid, but effective."
Roman and Viktor stood facing each other in the empty space between their men. I couldn't hear their conversation, but I could see Viktor gesturing angrily, his voice carrying across the docks even if the words didn't.
Roman remained still, his posture relaxed despite the twenty armed men at Viktor's back. He said something that made Viktor step closer, invading his space.
"This is bad," Tony muttered, reaching for his door handle.
Roman held up a hand without looking back, signaling Tony to wait. Viktor was still talking, his face red now, jabbing his finger toward Roman's chest.
Then Roman laughed. Viktor's face darkened, and suddenly he had a gun pointed at Roman's head.
"Jesus Christ," Tony breathed, opening his door.
But Roman didn't move. He stood there with a gun to his head, still smiling, and said something that made Viktor's hand shake.
Marco and the others raised their weapons, but Roman signaled them to hold. The moment stretched impossibly long, Viktor's finger on the trigger, Roman completely still.
Then Viktor lowered the gun.
He said something sharp in Russian and turned back toward his men. They climbed into their vehicles and drove away, leaving Roman standing alone in the empty space.
Tony let out a breath. "He's insane."
Roman walked back to his men, said something to Marco, then headed for the SUV. When he climbed in beside me, his hands were steady, his expression calm.
"What did you say to him?" I asked.
"That if he killed me, he'd start a war he couldn't win. And that I knew about his shipment to the Irish in Boston tomorrow night." Roman pulled out his phone, typing. "Viktor's expanding too fast. He's making enemies everywhere. I reminded him that some enemies are more useful as allies."
"He had a gun to your head."
"Yes."
"You could've died."
"But I didn't." He glanced at me. "You wanted to see how I operate. That's how. Viktor respects strength and information. I showed him both."
"That wasn't strength. That was suicide."
"It was calculated risk. There's a difference." His phone buzzed. "Viktor just agreed to pay a fee for using our territory. More money than we would've made fighting him, and no one died."
Tony started the engine. "Where to, boss?"
"My place. It's late."
I checked my phone. Nearly midnight. "I should go home."
"You'll stay in the guest room tonight." Roman's tone left no room for argument. "We have breakfast with a real estate developer at eight. Easier if you're already there."
"I need clothes."
"I'll have someone pick up what you need from your apartment. Text your roommate so she doesn't think you've been kidnapped."
I wanted to argue, but exhaustion was setting in. The adrenaline from the docks was fading, leaving me shaky and tired.
I texted Lila: "Staying at a friend's. Explain tomorrow."
Her response came immediately: "WHAT FRIEND? MIA ANSWER ME."
I turned my phone to silent and put it away.
Roman's penthouse was in Tribeca, all glass with a view of the city that probably cost more than I'd make in my lifetime. The living room was minimalist, expensive furniture that looked uncomfortable, art on the walls that I recognized from a museum exhibition last year.
"The guest room is down that hall, the last door on the right." Roman shrugged off his jacket. "Bathroom's attached. Towels in the cabinet."
"Thank you."
He paused, studying me. "You're shaking."
"I'm fine."
"You're not. First time witnessing something like that?"
"Obviously."
"It gets easier."
"Does it?" I met his eyes. "Or do you just stop caring?"
Something flickered across his face. "Both, probably. Go get some sleep, Mia. Tomorrow's a long day."
I found the guest room, larger than my entire bedroom at home. The bed was made with white sheets that looked impossibly soft. I sat on the edge, my hands still trembling.
Tonight, I'd watched Roman stand with a gun to his head, completely calm. I'd seen the violence he lived with, the calculations he made where one wrong word meant death. This was his world. And I'd agreed to stay in it for thirty days.
My phone buzzed. Lila called. I let it go to voicemail.
A knock at the door made me jump. Roman stood in the hallway, holding a glass of water.
"Thought you might need this."
I took it, our fingers brushing. "Thanks."
"Mia." He didn't move from the doorway. "What happened tonight, that's the exception, not the rule. Most days are boring. Meetings, paperwork, conference calls."
"But days like tonight happen."
"Yes."
"And you've been doing this since you were twenty-five."
"Yes."
I drank the water to avoid looking at him. "Your father. Did you really kill him?"
"Go to sleep, Mia."
"You won't answer."
"Not tonight." He turned to leave, then stopped. "But eventually, I will. That's what these thirty days are for. You get the truth. Just not all at once."
He closed the door, leaving me alone.
I changed into the t-shirt I'd been wearing under my waitress uniform and climbed into bed. The sheets were as soft as they looked. Through the window, the city glowed, millions of people who had no idea what had happened at the docks tonight. What happened every night in the shadows they didn't see.
My phone buzzed again. This time it was a text from an unknown number: "Stop digging into Roman Caruso. This is your only warning."
My blood went cold. I screenshot the message and was about to show Roman when another text came through, this time from Lila: "Some guy came by asking about you. Said he was your uncle. Mia, you don't have an uncle. I didn't tell him anything but I'm scared. Call me."
I was out of bed and down the hall before I could think. Roman's bedroom door was open, light spilling out. He sat on the edge of his bed, still fully dressed, staring at his hands.
"Roman."
He looked up, his expression guarded. "What's wrong?"
I showed him both messages.
His jaw tightened as he read them. He stood, pulling out his phone. "Tony. Get to Mia's apartment. Now. Her roommate's in danger."
"What? No, Lila….."
"Is fine. Tony will get there in ten minutes." He was already texting someone else. "This is Viktor. He's trying to scare you off."
"How do you know?"
"Because I'd do the same thing if I were him. You're my weakness now. Everyone saw you with me tonight."
"I'm not your weakness. We barely know each other."
Roman looked at me then, really looked at me, and something in his expression made my breath catch. "That doesn't matter. Viktor thinks you're important to me. That makes you a target."
"So what do we do?"
"You stay here where I can protect you. Lila can stay here too if she wants, or I'll put security on her apartment." He moved past me toward the living room. "And tomorrow, we make sure everyone in this city knows that touching you means war."
"Roman, I didn't sign up for….."
"Yes, you did." He turned back. "The moment you agreed to thirty days, you signed up for all of it. The boring meetings, the dangerous negotiations, and the enemies who'll try to use you against me."
My phone rang. Tony.
"She's fine," he said when I answered. "Shaken up, but fine. The guy was definitely one of Viktor's. I've got him in the car."
"Bring him here," Roman said, loud enough for Tony to hear. "And bring Lila. She's staying with us tonight."
He hung up before Tony could respond.
I stared at Roman. "You can't just kidnap Viktor's guy."
"Watch me." His expression was cold now, all the calm from earlier replaced with something dangerous. "Viktor threatened what's mine. That requires a response."
"I'm not yours."
"For the next thirty days, you are. And everyone needs to understand what that means."
He walked back toward his bedroom, then paused. "Get dressed, Mia. When Tony gets here with Viktor's man, you're going to watch what happens when someone threatens my people. Consider it part of your education."
The door closed behind him, and I stood in the empty hallway, my heart racing.
Day one wasn't even over, and I'd already lost control of everything.