The dim glow of the bar's neon lights flickered as Elena Vasquez wiped down the counter, exhaustion settling deep into her bones. The place was nearly empty, save for a few stragglers nursing their drinks. She glanced at the clock—just past midnight. Another long shift, another night of barely scraping by.
Then the door slammed.
Elena's heart jumped as two men in black suits strode inside, their presence suffocating. They moved with a quiet menace, their eyes scanning the room before locking onto her.
"Elena Vasquez?" one of them asked.
Her grip on the rag tightened. She didn't need to ask who they were—she already knew.
"I—I think you have the wrong person," she stammered, stepping back.
The taller of the two men smirked. "No, sweetheart, we don't." He reached into his pocket, pulling out a small black notebook. Flipping it open, he read aloud, "Luis Vasquez. Twenty-six years old. Gambler. Druggie. And as of last week, owes the Castellano family fifty grand."
Elena's stomach twisted into knots. Luis. Her brother.
She had tried so hard to keep him out of trouble, to protect him from the streets that had swallowed so many others. But once again, he had made a reckless choice—one that now had deadly consequences.
"I don't have that kind of money," she said, voice shaking.
The second man, Matteo, leaned against the bar, his dark eyes unwavering. "We know. That's why the boss wants to see you."
"The boss?" she whispered.
The Castellanos were the most feared mafia family in the city. Their name alone sent shivers down spines. And at the top of their empire was Luca Castellano—the heir, the king of the underworld, and a man rumored to be as ruthless as he was untouchable.
Elena shook her head. "I'll talk to my brother—"
"Your brother is gone," Matteo cut in. "Disappeared. Probably running. That means his debt falls on you now."
Her heart pounded. This couldn't be happening.
"Come quietly, Elena," the taller man warned. "Or we drag you there. Either way, you're seeing Luca tonight."
Elena took a shaky breath. She didn't have a choice.
As the men led her out of the bar and into the black SUV waiting outside, one thought echoed in her mind.
She was walking into the lion's den.