teenagers, and missing persons-were a far cry from the dangerous territory she was now navigating. Marco DeLuca was no ordinary missing person. He was a

nd scoured any leads that could point to where he might be. Each clue led her to another dead end, another unanswered question.

wrong. As she sat in her office late into the night, staring at a wall of notes and photographs pinned together with red

ghts. She glanced at the screen. The number was

tigations, Li

calm and controlled, as always.

but so far, I haven't found much. Marco seems to ha

roe. People in my world don't disappear without consequences. Marco was important.

"I get it. So who broke

darker. "You're treading into waters you don't understand. Keep digging, but know

pounding in her ears. She leaned back in her chair, exhaling slowly, tryin

of the city. The area seemed too quiet, almost too perfect, like the calm before a storm. It wasn't the kind of place Marco would hav

e doorbell.

now, every nerve in her body screaming at her that something was wrong. She turned the knob, but the door was loc

a simple message written in bold, sharp handwriti

written it clearly wanted her to st

informant who had worked with the Moretti organization called her out of the

're asking questions you shouldn't be. I got informati

linch. "What

"Don't worry about the money. Just know that every piece of info I give you will

lt a knot form in her stomach. This was getting ugli

he sound of distant waves crashing against the concrete seemed to echo in the silence. The stree

ed on the gun tucked into the waistband of her jeans. She had learned to be prepared for

ments deliberate and slow. Lily tensed, but

," he said, h

s. "You're the one wh

him. It was the same man she had seen outside Marco's apartmen

k and unreadable. "And you're asking about things you have no

hing. "Then tell me somethi

lse is behind it. Someone with power you don't want to cross. Someon

Lily

ings, but I know who they're working with. Luca Morett

"Moretti? What do you

ready. You don't want to get any deeper into thi

disappeared into the shadows, leaving her stan

n. She was no longer just investigating a missing person-she was stumbling upon som

contin