s, clinking glasses, and the occasional shout of a drunk pa

-had become my escape. It wasn't anything

who didn't know me as Adrian Ferrar

the weight of my father's name. To them I was just an

the heavy expectations I'd abandon

ear, blend into the shadows, and lead a life

Mafia empire. I wasn't respon

ng drinks and listening to people's

ovements automatic as I nodded

wasn't glamorous, but it was

looking for something normal, somet

with a rag, as I moved on auto

, casting a dull glow across th

t my mind from wandering back

ing in a burst of cool ni

expressions cutting thro

g hair, that heavyset build, and the

spoken of hi

edge of our family's gatherings, his

't here for a casual drink

all my life, and no matter how hard

here no one was supposed to care, th

onged in a world I'd left behind. But life ha

th at the back, his expression mixed with worry that made m

. I could feel the tension radiating off him like heat fr

standing beside my father during one of those late-night meetings t

at the far end of the room, watching ever

friends-only business associates

as long as I could remember, our families locke

t life behind. But seeing him now, here, reminded

him on some matters in t

asn't a part of that world. I was Ai

g my hands to stay steady as I p

he air was thick with something unspoken. I kept my distance, ser

d toward Rocco every now and then, memorie

oor swung open again, and the second wave

epped inside. They were younger than Rocco, but no less imposing. One of them, broa

sharpness to his features, followed a

features and a cold look in his eyes that made

le. But as they moved toward the back booth, something inside me stirred-a faint fl

him seemed to thicken, like he carr

ond, before I snapped back to r

g in. I hadn't expected an apology, but he'd practically

world had treated me like I was beneath t

eye on him and his associate, watching

t never was. The night dragged on, the hours blending

d from the back booth every now and the

wiping down the b

shot.

verything froze. Glasses clattered to the floor as people

rs as I tried to make sense of what had just happen

as no Hitman. That was Luca Roman

that needed to be known

booth, walking toward the d

d them, in the shadows of

ad happened. It was written all over their fa

without a second thought. Luca's eyes flicked t

op. Didn't say a word. He and Marco slipped out into the

didn't know them. I didn't know what had just happened, but

es blurred, there