the sheriff

Duke's pov,

Duke sighed when he looked at the clock. Another day working until 12 at night alone at the office. He stared at the mind map on the wall with Don Lorenzo's picture in the middle. The mind map was getting bigger and bigger with more pictures of people and places. His colleagues told him he was getting obsessed with this mafia gang, but he just couldn't let it rest when he was getting closer and closer to wiping this scum off his territory.

He had to admit though that his life was kind of pathetic right now. He just slept, ate, and worked. He was a young, muscular, and handsome guy with more than enough female attention, but he just couldn't get himself to give a shit about dating or social life. Maybe if his sister wouldn’t have been dead, thanks to Don Lorenzo and his gang he wouldn't care this much. Her death happened 10 years ago when Duke was still a boy. They found her body overdosed in an abandoned building and the police said it was suicide. But Duke knew that was a lie. It all started when she started hanging out with some of the boys from the Romano gang. She started behaving and dressing differently and often stayed out late. His parents never recovered from the loss of their daughter. They now lived a secluded life dedicated to Christ. Duke found his comfort in the promise he made himself to make this poisonous organization pay for what they did.

He sighed and packed his bag to head home, take a shower, and sleep. The next day he stood up at 7 again to arrive at his desk at 8 in the morning. The day went like any other until at 6 in the evening the phone rang. Duke picked up and heard a distorted voice say, "I do not have long so listen carefully. in 30 minutes, there will be a drug delivery taking place at the restaurant Al Dente. The people are too scared to speak up against the Romano’s, but we all want to see that dynasty end." Then the line went silent because the anonymous caller hung up.

Duke was immediately full of adrenaline and phoned all his colleagues to come to the office immediately. His whole team was there in 10 minutes and with loud sirens, they drove full speed to the restaurant. His team barged in and through the walky-talky, he heard the whole restaurant was empty except for one waitress. Duke cursed and barged into the front doors annoyed. When he walked in, he had to stop and look properly because the woman his team had surrounded was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was clearly Italian with her curvy body and long wavy brown hair. But her face was round and kind with full lips and rosy cheeks. The thing however he could not stop staring at was her eyes. He had never seen such light, blue eyes and he just felt drawn to them because it felt like they looked right into his soul.

He brought himself back to order and went straight to business. He had not seen her before but that didn't mean she was innocent. He started questioning her and she told him she just started working for Don Lorenzo because her parents owed him a debt. She seemed sincere but Duke learned that you couldn't trust anyone, so he told his team to search the whole place for the drugs. Vanessa turned around to look at his team leaving no stone unturned. He walked closer to her until he was just a few inches away. He could smell the scent of roses coming from her hair and he whispered in her ear, " You would not lie to me, would you?"

Her body tensed up and her breathing quickened, she did not answer him, and he realized it was not out of fear but because he was standing so close to her. He could feel the tension build and his body reacted to hers without him wanting it to. She shook her head and stepped away from him, turned around, and looked into his eyes. He was staring at her and suddenly an idea popped up in his head. Whether she was lying or not he could use a way to get inside information. She clearly found him attractive, and he would lie if he said that feeling wasn't mutual. If he got closer to her, he would either be able to help her escape from Don Lorenzo if she was speaking the truth, or if she wasn't he could use her to find a weak spot in the gang.

His thoughts got interrupted by his team telling him they did not find anything. Duke cursed in annoyance, but he was not completely disappointed because maybe this evening still brought him a step closer to ending the Romano reign anyway. Before heading out he asked Vanessa if she wanted a lift, and she seemed eager to come with him. During the drive, he could not help but think about his plan and how to get close to Vanessa. Before he knew it, they had already arrived at the mansion. He decided it would be best to give her his card and let her know he wanted to help her. That way she would feel like she was the one in power deciding whether she would contact him or not. While she walked to the gate, he could not help but stare at her perky ass and he felt annoyed by the thoughts that came to his mind. He quickly drove away and realized no other woman ever had that effect on his body and mind.

That night when he was lying in bed, he had problems sleeping. He just hoped she would call him because those beautiful eyes were all he could think of.