Taken by the King of the Underground
I have no way to run away from the Italian Mafia don
God, the black lead is so handsome...
"Who do you work for?" He asked out of nowhere with a severe expression.
"I don't work for anybody," I replied almost immediately.
I saw his expression in the mirror in front of me.
He was openly staring without shame, smirking. I caught his stare through the mirror raising my head high.
The tension in the room doubled as he kept my stare not backing down. I suddenly felt hot within.
——————————————
Hazel Woods is a skilled con artist who loves playing mind games with rich elite people, coming from a poor and abusive home, Hazel swore she would do anything to survive under a system that feeds nothing to people like her.
Hazel had gone to a casino, a new place to start an operation. There she meets Matteo Castello, an Italian Mafia don and the king of the underground, on coming across him, Hazel tries to pull off her charm by manipulating him into gambling with her unknown to Matteo, Hazel had duped him.
Matteo Castello gets whatever he wants; he is worshipped and highly respected by people who work for him, dangerous and loves to torture people who play him, there's one thing Matteo Castello doesn't take dearly, it's if anyone fools with him and his money.
Hazel Woods has fallen victim to his cobweb and months later, fate has a lot in stall for her. Matteo Castello kidnaps Hazel after finding out who she was and now he must make her pay for everything she stole from him but what happens with these two when things do not go as planned?

Detective Lana Cross has paid her dues in the department. Raised in foster homes, beaten down by life, and hardened by trauma, she's clawed her way up in a system designed to keep her out. Her last big case catching Vincent Greaves, aka the Skull Artist should’ve earned her a promotion and peace of mind. Instead, it left her scarred and sidelined.
The Skull Artist’s crimes were beyond anything the city had seen: victims were killed, their skulls removed, and crime scenes turned into sickening “exhibits” abstract expressions made of flesh, bone, and blood. Greaves claimed it was all part of “revealing what lies beneath.” Lana caught him, barely, and the case was buried.
But now, just when she’s told her promotion is on the table, another body turns up displayed exactly like Greaves’ original work. Except Greaves is still locked in maximum security.
The case threatens to unravel everything she’s fought for. And as the press explodes and her department hesitates, Lana is told she can have her promotion… if she solves this new case.