Page 25 of The Mafia's Second Shot

She sits across from me, her gaze searching mine. “Did you find out who betrayed you?”

I nod, the weight of the answer pressing down on me. “Dante. One of my lieutenants. He’s been working with Rossi for months.”

Zoey frowns, her hands tightening around the edge of the chair. “Why?”

“He says it was to protect his family,” I explain. “But I don’t know how much of that I believe.”

She leans forward slightly, her expression softening. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, the words tasting bitter on my tongue. “Every move I make feels like a risk. I can’t trust my own people, and Rossi’s men are planning something. I can feel it.”

Her eyes widen slightly. “You think there’s going to be another attack?”

“Not just think,” I say, sliding the file across the desk to her. “I know.”

She hesitates before picking up the file, her gaze scanning the pages. When she looks back up at me, there’s a fire in her eyes I wasn’t expecting.

“Let me help,” she says.

The words catch me off guard. “Zoey, this isn’t?—”

“No,” she interrupts. “Don’t tell me it’s not my fight. I’m already in it, whether I like it or not. So let me help.”

I shake my head, running a hand through my hair. “You don’t understand what you’re asking for. This isn’t just about gathering intel or setting traps. This is life and death, Zoey.”

“I know that,” she says, her voice steady. “And I know you can’t do this alone.”

Her determination is unwavering, and for the first time in weeks, I feel a flicker of something I haven’t allowed myself to feel: hope. Maybe she’s right. Maybe having her by my side isn’t a liability—it’s a strength.

“All right,” I say finally. “But if you’re going to help, you follow my lead. No exceptions.”

She nods, her expression serious. “Deal.”

Later that night,Marco storms into my office, his face grim. “We’ve got a problem,” he says, dropping a new file onto my desk.

I open it, my heart sinking as I read the details. Rossi’s men aren’t just planning another attack—they’ve targeted one of my key safe houses, a location I thought was secure. And they’re coming for Zoey, too.

“They’re moving fast,” Marco says. “We don’t have much time.”

I glance at the clock, my mind racing. If Rossi gets his hands on Zoey or the resources at that safe house, it’s over. I can’t let that happen.

“We’ll stop them,” I say, my voice firm. “No matter what it takes.”

But as I stare at the file in front of me, I can’t shake the feeling that this is just the beginning—and that the real fight is still to come.

19

ZOEY

The weight of everything happening settles in my chest as I step into the training room. The space is stark, with nothing but a few mats, punching bags, and a rack of weapons lining one wall. Liam stands in the center, his expression serious as he motions for me to join him.

“You’re here to learn how to stay alive,” he says, tossing me a set of boxing gloves. “Not to fight. If it comes to that, you’ll already be in trouble.”

I catch the gloves, my fingers trembling as I slide them on. “Not the pep talk I was hoping for.”

“This isn’t about hope,” he replies, his voice even. “It’s about survival.”

For the next two hours,Liam walks me through the basics. How to block, how to throw a punch that counts, how to spot an opening and exploit it. It’s brutal and exhausting, every move reminding me of just how out of my depth I am. But as the minutes pass, something shifts.

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