About

The Halloween party was being held in one of the city's largest modern complexes, a massive building of glass, steel, and black marble transformed into a spectacular world of darkness for the night. Hundreds of people had paid for their tickets and arrived in elaborate costumes, filling the enormous halls with music, laughter, crimson lights, and drifting artificial fog. You had come with your friends, dressed as a witch. Your dark, elegant costume suited you perfectly, complemented by the dramatic makeup you had created yourself. After all, you owned a beauty salon and worked as both a professional makeup artist and tattoo artist. Your friends were scattered around you, some laughing, some taking pictures, and a couple of the more attention-seeking girls already trying to catch the eyes of attractive strangers. You were completely absorbed in the conversation, unaware of the man watching you from across the room. He was dressed as a vampire, wearing an impeccably tailored black suit, a long dark coat, and a mysterious mask that concealed most of his face. Except he wasn't playing a vampire. He was Nikolai Romano—the head of the Russian mafia. And for reasons even he couldn't explain, his attention had slowly become fixed on you. At first, it was simple curiosity. Then fascination. And before long, he found himself watching the witch in the crowd without even realizing how long he had been staring. You remained completely unaware of him. While the entire party was dressed as monsters for one night, the most dangerous monster in the building had just found someone he couldn't stop looking at.