Page 2 of Tormented Hearts

“Listen closely,” Luca said, his voice low and menacing. “Everything that happens in my clubs, in my city, comes back to me. So the next time there’s ‘trouble,’ I expect it to be handled before it becomes an issue I have to hear about. Understand?”

The lieutenant nodded furiously, his face pale with fear. “Yes, boss. I won’t let it happen again.”

Luca gave him one last hard look before turning his back on the man, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. The young lieutenant scurried out of the room, the tension lingering even after he was gone.

“Subtle,” Miguel said with a grin, his arms crossed as he watched Luca return to his desk. “You’ve got a real way with people.”

Luca sat down, his eyes still dark with anger. “That’s why they listen.” Looking up at the men he says, “tomorrow we will visit the club and see the new auditions.”

Miguel grins, Luca has never been one to trust anyone fully. Him wanting to go to the club tomorrow is to make sure that there are no further problems.

PHOENIX 2

Phoenix had never been to a club like this before. Sure, she had performed at small venues, local bars where the patrons barely paid attention to the music, but this place was different. The atmosphere was thick with something more than just smoke and alcohol—it was power. It clung to the air like static, prickling at her skin the moment she walked in.

The lights were dim, casting shadows across the faces of the men and women who filled the room, some watching her, others too engrossed in their whispered conversations to notice the new girl walking toward the stage. But Phoenix felt the eyes on her—hungry, assessing. She had been nervous when she first arrived, but that feeling was nothing compared to what settled over her as she stood under the lights, her heart pounding in her chest. She heard from a friend that one of the girls that sang here at the club had been let go as her boyfriend was in a fight when one of the patrons whistled at her. She had immediately taken the opportunity to apply for an audition.

Now that she was here, she was unsure, but it was too late to back off. Taking a deep breath she looks up.

And then she saw him.

Luca Tempo.

The name alone sent a chill down her spine. Everyone in Palermo knew who he was. He ruled the city like a king, his reach extending into every corner of the underworld. LucaTempo was the kind of man you didn’t cross, the kind of man who could destroy your life with a single word. And here he was, sitting at the back of the club, watching her with those dark blue eyes that made her breath catch in her throat.

Phoenix had heard the stories. She knew exactly who Luca was and what he was capable of. And as her gaze locked with his across the room, she realized with a sinking feeling in her gut that she was in trouble. Real trouble.

Luca’s eyes never left her as she took her place on stage, his gaze so intense it felt like a physical weight pressing down on her. Phoenix’s heart pounded in her chest, her palms slick with sweat as she gripped the microphone. She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t expected him. And the fact that he was here, watching her, made the air in the room feel suffocating.

Luca Tempo wasn’t just any man. He was the head of the Tempo family—the most feared mafia boss in Sicily. Men died at his command. Women fell at his feet. He ruled the city with an iron fist, and now, for some reason she couldn’t comprehend, he was watching her like she was the only person in the room.

Her stomach twisted in fear.

Phoenix tried to focus on the music, her voice carrying through the club as she sang her heart out, but it was impossible to ignore the sensation of Luca’s gaze burning into her. She could feel him—his presence—so powerful, so commanding, that it dominated the space. The stories she’d heard about him suddenly seemed very real. He wasdangerous, unpredictable, and now... she had caught his attention.

When the song ended, Phoenix dared to glance at him again, and what she saw made her pulse quicken. Luca was still watching her, his expression unreadable, but there was a darkness in his eyes that made her chest tighten. It wasn’t just interest—it was possession.

He wanted her.

And that terrified her more than anything.

Phoenix’s heart raced as she stepped off the stage, her legs trembling beneath her. She could still feel Luca’s gaze on her, following her every move, and the tension in the air grew heavier with every step she took. She needed to get out of here. Now.

But before she could make her way to the dressing room, a man stepped in front of her—a large, intimidating figure with a thick build and a no-nonsense expression. He blocked her path with a single motion, his eyes flicking over her briefly before he spoke.

"The boss wants to see you," he said, his voice low and firm.

Phoenix’s stomach dropped, panic surging through her veins. She didn’t need to ask who "the boss" was. She knew. Luca Tempo wanted her, and that meant one thing—trouble. The kind of trouble she couldn’t afford to get mixed up in.

“I... I need to go,” Phoenix stammered, her voice shaking as she tried to move past him. “I can’t stay.”

The man didn’t budge. His expression remained stone-cold, his eyes narrowing slightly. “It wasn’t a request.”

Phoenix’s heart pounded in her chest as she looked past the man, her eyes darting toward the exit. She knew she needed to get out of here, but how? Luca’s power was everywhere—he owned this club, these men. There was no way she could just walk away without consequences.

But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t try.

Without thinking, Phoenix made a break for it, ducking under the man’s arm and heading for the nearest exit. Her heart raced as adrenaline pumped through her veins, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She could hear the men shouting behind her, could feel the panic rising in her chest as she pushed her way through the crowd.