Chapter 3

 Fog rolled across the water, covering the rows of shipping containers in a thick gray blanket. A few broken lights flickered above the loading area, casting long shadows across the concrete.

 Dante Moretti stepped out of his black car.

 He didn't bring his entire army.

 Only six men.

 That was enough.

 His eyes moved across the docks.

 "Stay behind me," Marco said to the others.

 Dante gave him a cold look.

 "I don't need protection."

 "I know."

 Marco checked his weapon.

 "That's why I'm worried about everyone else."

 Dante almost smiled.

 Almost.

 They moved between the containers.

 At the end of the dock sat a black shipping truck.

 The doors were open.

 Dante stopped.

 "Nobody moves."

 His men froze.

 He looked at the truck.

 Something was wrong.

 Too quiet.

 Too easy.

 He approached slowly.

 Inside were several large wooden crates.

 The Morettis had intercepted shipments countless times.

 But these crates weren't carrying weapons.

 Dante noticed something written on the side.

 VOLKOV PROPERTY.

 His expression hardened.

 "Don't touch anything."

 Marco stepped closer.

 "Boss, should we take the shipment?"

 "No."

 Dante walked around the truck.

 His eyes caught a tiny red light underneath one of the crates.

 His instincts screamed.

 "Everyone down!"

 The explosion came seconds later.

 BOOM!

 The entire dock shook.

 The truck lifted from the ground before crashing onto its side.

 Dante was thrown several feet across the concrete.

 Gunfire immediately followed.

 "AMBUSH!"

 His men scattered behind containers.

 Dante rolled behind a steel barrier as bullets struck the metal above his head.

 He pulled his gun.

 "Marco!"

 "I'm alive!"

 "How many?"

 "I don't know!"

 Dante looked through the darkness.

 Three shooters.

 No.

 Four.

 They were positioned on the rooftops.

 Professional.

 "Snipers," Dante muttered.

 He raised his weapon and fired twice.

 One figure dropped.

 Another disappeared behind a wall.

 Dante moved.

 He didn't wait for his men.

 He ran through the smoke toward the nearest building.

 A gunman appeared around the corner.

 Dante grabbed his wrist before he could fire.

 He twisted.

 The weapon fell.

 One punch.

 The man crashed against the wall.

 "Who sent you?"

 The man laughed.

 "You'll never find her."

 Dante's eyes narrowed.

 "Her?"

 Before he could ask another question, the man bit down on something.

 His body went limp.

 Dante stared at him.

 Poison.

 He searched the man's jacket.

 Nothing.

 Except a small silver coin.

 On one side was a black circle.

 On the other...

 A crown.

 Dante closed his fist around it.

 The Black Circle.

 They weren't trying to steal the shipment.

 They were trying to start a war.

 ---

 Across the city, Valentina stood in front of her bedroom mirror.

 The black envelope from earlier was still on her desk.

 The Devil of Rome is coming.

 She had spent hours trying to understand what it meant.

 Then her phone rang.

 "Ivan."

 His voice was tense.

 "Boss, we have a problem."

 "What happened?"

 "The shipment at the eastern docks was attacked."

 Valentina's eyes sharpened.

 "By whom?"

 "We believe it was the Morettis."

 Silence.

 Valentina picked up the envelope.

 "How many men did we lose?"

 "None."

 "Then why are you calling it a problem?"

 "Because the shipment wasn't ours."

 Her fingers stopped.

 "What?"

 "The containers were marked with the Volkov name, but our people never loaded them."

 Valentina's expression turned cold.

 Someone had planted a fake Volkov shipment.

 And they wanted the Morettis to find it.

 "Where is Dante Moretti?"

 "We believe he was there."

 A slow smile appeared on Valentina's lips.

 "So the Devil walked straight into the trap."

 Ivan hesitated.

 "Should we send men?"

 "No."

 "Boss—"

 "I want to know who built the trap first."

 She walked toward her wardrobe and pulled out a black leather jacket.

 Ivan sighed.

 "You're going yourself."

 "Yes."

 "That's dangerous."

 Valentina picked up her gun.

 "Everything interesting is dangerous."

 She ended the call.

 ---

 Twenty minutes later, Valentina arrived at the docks.

 She stepped out of her car alone.

 Her heels struck the concrete as she walked through the smoke.

 Several bodies lay scattered around the area.

 She stopped beside one of them.

 A Moretti soldier.

 Her eyes moved across the dock.

 Then she saw him.

 A tall man stood several yards away, dressed in black.

 His shirt was slightly torn from the explosion, and a small cut marked his cheek.

 He was holding a silver coin.

 Valentina recognized the symbol immediately.

 Their eyes met.

 For several seconds, neither moved.

 Dante studied her.

 So this was the Bloody Queen.

 Valentina studied him.

 So this was the Devil of Rome.

 Neither looked away.

 Dante slowly raised his weapon.

 Valentina did the same.

 Their guns pointed directly at each other.

 "Valentina Volkov," Dante said.

 Her lips curved into a dangerous smile.

 "Dante Moretti."

 The air between them became deadly.

 "You planted the shipment," Dante accused.

 Valentina laughed softly.

 "If I wanted you dead, Dante, I wouldn't need a truck full of explosives."

 His eyes narrowed.

 "Then who did?"

 Valentina looked down at the silver coin in his hand.

 "The same people who sent me this."

 She pulled another identical coin from her pocket.

 Dante's expression changed.

 For the first time, they both understood.

 They weren't enemies standing across from each other.

 They were targets.

 A sudden gunshot rang through the darkness.

 Valentina ducked.

 Dante grabbed her arm and pulled her behind a concrete barrier.

 She immediately shoved him away.

 "Don't touch me."

 "You're welcome."

 "I didn't ask you to save me."

 "Next time, I'll let the bullet decide."

 She glared at him.

 Then another bullet struck the wall above them.

 Dante looked toward the rooftops.

 "Looks like they want us both dead."

 Valentina checked her gun.

 "Then let's disappoint them."

 For the first time that night, Dante smiled.

 "Agreed."

 They stepped out from behind the barrier together.

 The Bloody Queen and the Devil of Rome had just formed their first alliance.

 Neither of them knew it yet...

 But that single decision would change both their empires forever.