The penthouse was pretty dark, except for the city lights glowing through the big windows.

Alpha Dark was hanging out by those windows, holding a Cuban cigar, and the smoke was curling up to the ceiling. The view was amazing, loads of lights and tons of people, all completely unaware of the monster above them.

His phone went off.

Alpha didn’t bother looking at the screen; he just answered. "What’s the update?"

The voice on the other end was a guy, professional and totally emotionless. "The target collapsed about two hours ago. His daughter found him and called emergency services. Wait — correction. She called someone else first."

Alpha took a slow puff from his cigar. "Who was it?"

"A guy in his mid-twenties. He showed up with private security within minutes and took the target and his daughter to the hospital in a private SUV. The target’s stable now, but the medical staff say he’s exhausted, very stressed, and depressed."

"And is Alexander awake?"

"Nope, he’s still in observation. His daughter and the guy are in the waiting area."

Alpha’s face stayed the same, but his grip on the cigar got a bit tighter. "Keep me in the loop about Alex. I want to know everything he says, who comes to see him, and every little thing he does."

"Got it, sir."

"The guy who brought him in, find out who he is."

"I’m on it, sir. The facial recognition is running now. The hospital’s entrance footage was clear, so we should have a name in about an hour."

"Good. Call me the second you know."

Alpha hung up without waiting for a response.

He turned away from the window, the cigar still smoking in his fingers. Alexander was starting to crack. The stress and pressure, plus the constant reminders that Emma was leverage, were finally wearing him down.

Good.

When people are broken, they make mistakes. And Alpha needed Alexander to make a mistake, just one. Enough to justify getting rid of him for good.

Because Alexander Kane knew too much. He had seen too much. He had done too much.

He was an accident waiting to happen.

About forty-three minutes later, his phone rang again.

"Sir."

"Give me the update," Alpha said.

"ID confirmed. The guy who brought Alexander Kane to the hospital is Zayn Cole Virelli. He’s twenty-five and the youngest son of the Virelli family. He runs La Virelli restaurant and a bunch of other businesses around the world."

Alpha froze.

"Virelli," he said slowly.

"Yeah, sir. Zayn Cole Virelli. He was born in the U.S., grew up partly in Canada and Germany, and came back to the States two years ago. He took over La Virelli from his grandpa and turned it into a global brand. His net worth is estimated at, "

"I don’t care about his net worth," Alpha cut in. "Why was he with Emma Kane?"

"We’re still digging into that, sir. He’s at the hospital and hasn’t left her side."

Alpha took another puff of his cigar. "Are you sure? Zayn Virelli? Not one of his security guys?"

"Absolutely sure, sir. Facial recognition confirmed it at 99.7 percent. It’s him."

"And he’s still there."

"Yes, sir. With the daughter. They seem to be, " The guy on the phone paused. ", close."

"Define ’close.’"

"Physical contact. Hand-holding. Intimate body language. I’d say they’re romantically involved."

Alpha chuckled, but it wasn’t a nice sound. "Alexander Kane’s daughter is dating a Virelli."

"Looks that way, sir."

"For how long?"

"Not sure right now."

"Find out. I want a full timeline: when they met, how they met, everything."

"Got it, sir."

Alpha hung up the phone again.

He was standing in the shadows, lost in thought.

The Virelli’s.

One of the most influential families in town. They had legitimate businesses, a lot of money, and powerful connections. They weren’t the kind of people Alpha wanted to mess with. Not now, especially with Hazard King and his buddy, Maksim Karza, on his plate.

But if Zayn Virelli was mixed up with Emma Kane...

Now that was both intriguing and risky.

Emma was supposed to be out of the picture eventually — once she stopped being useful as leverage. Once Alexander was done using her, she’d be gone.

But if Emma was linked to the Virelli’s, taking her out would mean going to war with a family Alpha didn’t have the time or energy to take on.

Unless...

Alpha smirked slowly.

Unless he could make it seem like someone else did it.

Maybe Hazard King. Or even Maksim.

So many options.

Alpha walked over to his desk and hit the intercom button. "Linda. My office. Now."

"Yes, Sir," came the answer.

Alpha put out his cigar in the fancy ashtray and sat down behind his desk. Leather chair. Mahogany desk. Everything was classy, perfect, and in control. Just how he liked it.

Linda popped in exactly three minutes later. She never kept him waiting. She knew better.

"Sir?" She stood in front of his desk, tablet in hand, looking sharp and professional.

Linda was great at her job. She was efficient and loyal, or at least smart enough to pretend. She also had connections that Alpha needed, especially her dad, who worked for Maksim Karza.

"I need everything on Zayn Cole Virelli," Alpha said. "The youngest Virelli son. Born in the U.S. Lives here now. Owns La Virelli restaurant. I want his whole background: schooling, business deals, personal relationships, everything."

Linda’s fingers flew over her tablet. "When’s it ready?"

"In an hour," came the answer.

"Got it." She took a quick pause before asking, "Mind telling me why?"

"He’s dating Alexander Kane’s daughter."

Linda raised her eyebrows just a bit, her only sign of being surprised. "Interesting."

"Definitely," Alpha said. "One hour, Linda."

"Sure thing, boss," she replied, getting ready to head out.

"Wait, Linda," he called.

She stopped and turned back. "Yeah, sir?"

"The shipment. What’s going on with it?"

A new look crossed Linda’s face, she seemed pleased. "All good. We’ve got all fifteen, and there weren’t any issues while they were transported."

"Where are they?" he asked.

"In the warehouse basement at Pier 12. We’ve got guards on watch. Everything’s set for you to check out."

"Great." Alpha grabbed his phone. "I need that Virelli info. After that, we’ll go check out the warehouse."

"Of course, boss."