2. Pedro
Pedro
It’s been three days since Bay swam back home to sort out her family issues.
Her bed in my apartment’s guest room is untouched, neatly made by the cleaners.
She didn’t bring much with her, so the room feels empty and cold, like she was never here.
I never thought I’d miss someone barging into my personal space like a tornado, but here I am, checking her room every chance I get.
A month has passed since that insane fight with the merfolk in our home, and I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that another world exists just beneath the surface.
Life’s been chaos ever since—managing things while Luca and Mariano were in Italy, Bay chasing revenge, and barely a moment to breathe.
Now that Luca’s back and the wedding ceremony is delayed thanks to Alin’s uncontrolled powers, I can finally focus on what I want— her .
“Fuck it. When is she coming back?” I mutter, glancing again around her empty room.
The gray marble floor, the green rug she loves, saying it matches her tail—just thinking about it makes me smile.
I’d wanted to up date the apartment’s cream, gray, and green design to something else, but then she came along, grinning wide, saying it was her favorite color.
A vibration snaps me from my thoughts, and I pull out my phone, surprised by the early message from Luca.
Bring your ass to my office. We need to make some things clear.
07:28 am
It’s the day Luca’s supposed to register his marriage, and he’s already up, pissed off about something. There’s no point in asking through text, so I just type back, ‘ On my way,’ and sigh, giving the empty room a final look before heading up.
As I step toward my apartment entrance, another buzz. It’s Graham, and my stomach sinks as I read:
Another warehouse hit;half the weapons were gone by the time we arrived. Check your email for the footage.
07:33 am
I think I’ve just figured out why Luca’s so mad.
Opening the email, I watch the grainy footage.
Six figures dressed in black slip out of a white van, moving with precision as they storm the back entrance of the warehouse.
Only one camera caught them—a new one I installed last week, just in case. Guess someone didn’t get the memo.
We have a snitch.
I zoom in on the van’s plate and text Graham to run a trace. His response is fast:
It’s stolen. Reported missing in Russian territory.
07:41 a.m.
As the elevator opens on the 4th floor, Luca’s apartment door swings open, and Alin storms out, pure fury in her steps. I glance around, just making sure no water’s about to come flooding down the hall.
“Good luck with my not-so-soon-to-be husband!” she snaps as she stalks toward the elevator.
Against my better judgment, I ask, “What happened?”
She lets out a deep sigh, frustration evident.
“He said we’d register tomorrow because he has ‘issues to deal with.’ Every day, there’s some damn issue!
All he had to do was take a couple hours off today, for once!
” She’s pacing, hands waving as she mimics Luca’s expressions, too wrapped up in anger to see my blank expression.
“We do have serious issues,” I say, and her angry glare shoots my way.
“Oh, not you too! ” She says, huffing into the elevator.
“Ah…” I sigh, my hundredth of the morning, and it’s barely 8 a.m.
Stepping into Luca’s office, I find Mariano standing behind him, both focused on his laptop.
“We have a snitch,” I announce, and they both turn their attention to me.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Luca snaps, slamming his hands on the desk as he stands.
“Aren’t we here for the warehouse breach?” I ask, thrown off.
“No,” he growls. “But start with the ‘snitch’ theory because I’m this close to taking your head off.”
I take a second, trying to figure out what else he’s talking about. “Here’s what Graham sent me,” I say, and describe what is shown in the footage while playing it for them.
“This is what Mariano and I were just watching, but why do you think there’s a snitch?” Luca presses.
“The only footage we got was from a camera I installed, last week ,” I explain, and let him connect the dots.
It takes just a second before a string of curses fills the air.
He strides to the whiteboard next to the oval meeting table at the center of the room and flips it to a map of our territory, each warehouse marked by its storage type, man count, and camera coverage.
He marks the hit warehouse with a red X. “That makes three in five days,” he mutters. “They’re going after our closest warehouses first, working their way through our line.”
“They’re moving fast after the last take down. How the hell do they have enough manpower for this?” Mariano says, sinking into Luca’s desk chair.
I replay the footage, catching something. “Wait—look here.” I freeze the screen, zooming in on the last person leaving the scene with a full kit bag.
“That’s definitely not a man’s build,” I say, pointing. Luca snatches the phone, inspecting it.
“Too short, too slight. Look at the way they move. That’s a woman,” I say, surprised. The Russians never use women in the field like this.
“Pedro, I need you on this. Find out who we’re dealing with,” Luca orders, tossing my phone back to me. I’ve got a hunch Mateo, one of my men, could be useful here, so I send him everything and shove my phone away. He’ll get the job done.
“I’ll meet with Mateo later today. Anything else?” I ask, ready to head out.
“Yes. Sit down,” Luca says, his voice steely.
I take a seat, heart hammering. What’s this about?
“Why the hell is Bay staying in your guest room?” Luca asks, his voice sharp. “I found out from Mariano, by the way.”
I exhale, trying to stay calm. “Yes, she’s in the guest room. She couldn’t take the sound of… you and Alin. ”
“So you didn’t sleep with her?” he presses, his tone lethal.
“Do you think she’d still be in the guest room if I had?” I retort. “What’s the problem?”
“Good. And it’s staying that way.” He exhales sharply, trying to regain his composure.
“What?!” The implications hit me all at once.
“You heard me. Alin overheard you two flirting on my proposal day, and now she’s hung up on your history with women.
We’ve been fighting about it ever since, and she doesn’t like the sound of you two together,” he explains, no remorse in his voice.
“Bay’s family. You’re not going to mess with that. ”
He’s silent a second before adding, “Capo’s orders. Bay stays in your guest room— only. If you so much as try for a relationship, a fuck or anything other than what it is now, I’ll send her home and you? I’ll ship you right to Italy, where Dad’s got plenty to keep you busy.”
Did I just hear that right? I can feel rage bubbling up, barely held back.
“So, you’re forbidding me to be with her because of your wife’s insecurities?” My voice comes out louder than I intended, echoing through the office. Mariano shoots me a warning glare, his stance shifting subtly—a silent reminder not to overstep.
“It’s the capo’s order,” he cuts me off, clearly ready to step in if I cross a line.
“The capo’s concerned about my personal life?” I snap. I’ve been clear about my intentions before, and now he’s threatening me over them?
“Pedro!” Luca’s roar vibrates through the office. “I don’t owe you explanations. I’m giving you an order. End of conversation.”
His words hang in the air like a steel door slamming shut. My fists clench, my nails biting into my palms as I swallow a wave of curses. Without another word, I spin on my heel—the weight of his authority pressing down on me—and slam the door shut behind me.
Out in the hallway, my anger simmers beneath the surface, threatening to boil over.
If I take even one step toward Bay, Luca won’t hesitate.
He’ll send her back home to the ocean depths without a second thought—and me?
I’ll be on the next flight back to Italy, my name erased from this family like it never existed.
And I can’t let that happen.
I lean back against the wall, the cool plaster doing nothing to calm the fire raging inside me.
Every instinct screams to fight, to argue, to demand what I want.
But then I picture Bay—her laugh when she’s teasing me, the way her purple eyes light up when she talks about her dreams of living on land, away from her family.
I think of all she’s endured to get here.
The betrayals, the isolation, the sheer strength it took for her to escape her past and try to build something new.
She’s been through hell, and the last thing I want is to drag her back into the flames because of me.
My chest tightens as I think about the future. Could I really step back and watch her move on? Pretend my feelings don’t exist just to protect her from Luca’s wrath? Every fiber of my being rebels against the thought, but what choice do I have?
If I push now, she loses everything. This family, this chance for stability— gone . I’d be the selfish bastard who ruined it all.