Chapter 10 - The Empire and the AlleySix months later, the rain was falling sideways again between the tenement buildings, turning the pavement dark and slick under the broken streetlamps.
Mia walked down the steps of the French bakery, pulling her coat tighter against the wind, holding a warm pastry in a paper bag. She didn't count the cracks in the sidewalk anymore. She didn't need to.
Parked at the curb was the sleek black sedan, its engine idling with a soft, steady purr. The rear door opened, and Viktor stepped out into the rain, holding a massive black umbrella that he instantly tilted over her head, shielding her completely from the storm.
He didn't look like a stray dog anymore, and he never would again. He was the undisputed king of the underworld, the ruler of a sprawling empire built on absolute loyalty and calculated blood.
Yet, as Viktor reached out to take the paper bag from her hand with a gentle, lingering touch, Mia smiled up at him.
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"You know," she murmured as they climbed into the warm leather interior of the car together, "you still owe me eight hundred dollars for that water bill."
Viktor laughed—a deep, rich sound that held no shadows, only warmth—as the car pulled away from the curb, leaving the rain and the alley far behind.
