Chapter 2 - The Man Everyone Feared
I couldn't sleep.
Not because of Luca Moretti.
That was what I told myself.
But it wasn't true.
I kept replaying the moment in the hallway.
The way he looked at me.
The way he wasn't surprised by danger.
The way Marcus looked like he'd seen a ghost.
The next morning, I arrived at Hôtel Verrine early.
Too early.
Marcus was already there.
And the second he saw me, he sighed.
"You shouldn't have come."
I put my coffee down.
"Good morning to you too."
"Elena."
His tone changed.
Serious.
"You need to understand something."
"What?"
"Luca Moretti doesn't enter places by accident."
I frowned.
"So?"
"So if he was here, there was a reason."
"He was injured."
Marcus looked away.
"That's exactly the problem."
I crossed my arms.
"You make him sound like a monster."
Marcus was quiet.
Then he said:
"Because people who underestimate him usually don't get another chance."
I didn't like that answer.
"Did he hurt anyone?"
Marcus didn't respond immediately.
That told me enough.
"You don't know."
"No."
"Then maybe everyone is just afraid of a story."
Marcus looked at me.
"You kissed Luca Moretti in front of three men searching for him."
I felt my face heat.
"When you say it like that..."
"Because that's exactly what happened."
Before I could answer, the hotel manager walked toward us.
"Elena."
I turned.
A woman in an expensive black suit stood near the entrance.
Elegant.
Professional.
Cold.
"Yes?"
"My employer would like to speak with you."
I immediately understood.
"No."
Marcus looked shocked.
The woman raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"I don't think meeting mysterious employers is part of my job description."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"You have courage."
"People keep telling me that. Usually right before telling me I'm making a mistake."
She handed me a card.
"Mr. Moretti would like to thank you."
I looked at the card.
Black.
Simple.
Only one name.
LUCA MORETTI.
"I don't need thanks."
The woman studied me.
"You saved his life."
"I kissed him."
"Exactly."
Her expression became unreadable.
"Most people run when they see danger."
She paused.
"You walked toward it."
I looked at the card.
"Why me?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she said:
"Because Mr. Moretti wants to know why the only person in New Orleans who wasn't afraid of him was a woman working a night shift in his hotel."
Then she left.
I stood there holding the card.
And for the first time...
I wondered if the dangerous part wasn't that Luca Moretti knew my name.
May you like
Maybe the dangerous part was that he wanted to know everything about me.
---
