The Mafia's Temptation

One year ago...

Letty sat in the backseat of the black SUV, her head resting against the cool glass of the window. The Las Vegas skyline blurred past, giving way to emptier streets as the car moved toward the outskirts of town. The air inside the vehicle was thick with tension, though she barely noticed,her earphones were in, muffling the world around her.

She wasn't paying attention to her parents' conversation in the front. But something about her mother's voice, strained, urgent,caught her attention. Letty glanced up and saw her mother's knuckles turning white as she clutched her husband's arm.

"Are you sure about this, Santos?" Marie's voice was sharper now, forcing Letty to pull out one of her earphones. "You're meeting with an FBI agent, for God's sake. Do you have any idea what could happen if he finds out?"

Santos Sanchez, a well-respected businessman or so the public thought exhaled heavily. "Marie, it's the right thing to do. I can't live like this anymore. If I give Ryan what he needs, we can finally get out."

Marie shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "There's no out of this life, Santos. You know that."

A sharp jolt interrupted them as the driver suddenly swerved, taking an unfamiliar turn. The streetlights became sparse, the road narrowing into a dark, desolate path flanked by towering oak trees.

Santos stiffened. "Where the hell are we?"

The driver didn't answer.

Marie's breath hitched. Her gaze darted to the rearview mirror, her pupils blown wide with fear. "Santos,oh my God. He knows."

"Pull over," Santos commanded, his voice deadly calm.

The driver ignored him, his grip tightening on the wheel.

"Listen to me!" Santos barked, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I said-"

The car jerked violently.

Then everything happened in slow motion.

The driver slammed his foot on the gas, hurtling the SUV straight toward a massive oak tree at full speed. Marie screamed. Santos reached for the wheel. Letty's hands shot up, bracing for impact.

Then-

Metal crunched. Glass shattered. A sickening boom.

Darkness.

___

Two Days Later

The steady beeping of a heart monitor pulled Letty from the void.

Her eyelids felt like lead as she struggled to open them, her vision swimming. The fluorescent lights above her burned too bright, making her squint. Her body ached all over, as if she'd been crushed and put back together wrong.

Where was she?

She turned her head slightly, her gaze landing on a girl with vibrant red streaks in her dark hair, clad in ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

The girl noticed her stir and bolted upright. "Holy shit! You're awake!" She jumped up and darted out of the room before Letty could even process what was happening.

Moments later, a doctor entered, his expression shifting from mild surprise to professional concern.

"Miss...?" He checked the chart before looking at her expectantly. "Can you tell me your name?"

Letty's lips parted, but nothing came out.

Her mind was blank.

The panic hit her all at once. She didn't know her name. She didn't know anything.

She reached up instinctively, fingers brushing against something cold resting against her collarbone. A necklace. A delicate gold chain with a small pendant.

The doctor's eyes softened. "Your name is Letty," he said, nodding toward the necklace. "It was the only clue we had when you were brought in."

Letty. The name felt foreign. Wrong. Like it belonged to someone else.

The girl with red-streaked hair stepped forward again. "I'm Giselle. I found you."

Letty turned to her, confused.

Giselle shoved her hands into her pockets. "I was street racing when I saw you lying there. Thought you were dead at first. But you were still breathing, so I called for help."

Letty swallowed hard, trying to make sense of it all. "What... what happened to me?"

The doctor hesitated before answering. "You were in an accident. Severe head trauma caused some memory loss. We believe it's temporary, but we can't be sure."

Her heart pounded. Memory loss? She didn't remember an accident. She didn't remember anything.

Giselle gave her a reassuring smirk. "Don't worry, chica. You're in good hands. I'll help you figure things out."

Weeks later,the smell of freshly brewed coffee and vanilla filled the air as Letty wiped down the counter of Sugar Rush, the café-slash-bakery where Giselle worked. It had been a month since she woke up in the hospital. A month of trying to piece together a life that didn't feel like hers.

She still had no memories. No family. No answers. Just Giselle, who had taken her in, helped her get a job, and kept her distracted from the gaping hole in her past.

"Hey, Letty!" Their boss, Mrs. Thompson, called from the back. "Can you do a cake delivery for me? Last-minute order, VIP client. Address is on the box."

Letty wiped her hands on her apron. "Sure thing."

A few minutes later, she was stepping out of the shop, the cake box balanced in her hands. The sun had long set, and the streets of Vegas hummed with their usual nightlife chaos.

The address led her deeper into the city, past neon-lit casinos and high-rise hotels, until she reached a quieter neighborhood. As she turned into a pretty dark alley to take a shortcut-

A group of men loitered near a dumpster, laughing loudly. Their laughter died as they spotted her.

"Well, well," one of them drawled, stepping forward. His eyes were glassy, his pupils dilated,high on something. "What do we have here?"

Letty froze.

Another man smirked. "You lost,? sweetheart?"

Her pulse skyrocketed.

She took a step back, but the men moved in, blocking her path.

Fear clawed at her throat. She had no memory of her past, but every instinct screamed at her,this is bad.

"Don't be scared," the first man sneered, reaching for her.

Letty tried to run-

A shadow moved behind them.

A low, menacing voice cut through the night. "I suggest you back the fuck off."

The men whipped around.

A tall figure stepped into the dim light, his presence commanding, dangerous. His dark suit was crisp, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar. His chiseled jaw was clenched, eyes sharp like a predator sizing up his prey.

The men hesitated.

"Who the hell are you?" one of them spat.

The stranger didn't answer. Instead, he took a deliberate step forward. The sheer intensity in his gaze made the men shuffle backward, suddenly unsure.

One of them muttered a curse before grabbing his friend's arm. "Not worth it. Let's go."

They scattered into the night.

Letty let out a shaky breath.

The stranger turned to her. "You okay?"

She nodded, though her legs felt weak.

He studied her for a moment, then glanced at the cake box still in her hands. A smirk ghosted his lips. "A girl like you shouldn't be wandering around these streets alone."

Letty swallowed. "I didn't- I mean, I had a delivery."

His gaze lingered. Then he reached into his pocket, pulled out a sleek business card, and tucked it into her palm.

"Next time, if you ever need help..." His voice was smooth, confident. "Call me."

She glanced down at the card. No name. Just a phone number.

By the time she looked up again, he was already walking away.

And for some reason, she had a feeling their paths would cross again.