The mafia’s princess, The snake’s heir
The gun felt heavier than Valdrin expected.
“First time?” Jetmir whispered beside him, crouched behind an abandoned car in the warehouse district. His best friend’s eyes gleamed with excitement that should have been terrifying.
“Yeah.” Valdrin’s voice cracked slightly. They were supposed to be studying for finals, not hiding in the shadows while armed men conducted business that could get them both killed.
“Just remember what I taught you. Safety off, aim center mass, squeeze don’t pull.” Jetmir checked his own weapon with practiced ease. “And whatever happens, we stick together.”
The deal was going wrong. Valdrin could feel it in the way the air seemed to thicken, in the way voices were rising across the warehouse floor. Agim Dervishi’s men were getting nervous, and nervous men with weapons were a problem.
“This was supposed to be simple,” Valdrin hissed. “You said it was just a pickup.”
“It is just a pickup. Sometimes pickups get messy.”
A gunshot rang out, then another. Suddenly the warehouse exploded into chaos—muzzle flashes in the darkness, men shouting in Albanian and Italian, the sharp crack of bullets hitting concrete.
“Move!” Jetmir grabbed Valdrin’s arm, pulling him toward a side exit as the firefight erupted behind them. “Stay low!”
They ran through the industrial maze, hearts pounding, the heavy duffel bag of cash bouncing between them. This wasn’t how university students were supposed to spend Tuesday nights. This was how criminals lived and died.
“Why are we doing this?” Valdrin gasped as they reached Jetmir’s car.
“Because we’re not like them.” Jetmir threw the bag in the backseat and started the engine. “We’re smarter. We think ahead. And we take care of each other.”
As they sped away from the carnage, sirens wailing in the distance, Valdrin realized his life had just changed forever. There was no going back to lecture halls and textbooks. Not after tonight.
“How much?” he asked, nodding toward the bag.
“Enough to graduate without debt. Enough to start our own operation.” Jetmir’s grin was wild in the dashboard light. “Enough to never be powerless again.”
The money was blood-soaked, dangerous, and absolutely necessary. And as Valdrin watched the city blur past them, he knew he’d cross that line again without hesitation.
They were brothers now in ways that went deeper than friendship.
