Chapter 124 Rain hung over the city like a held breath, but inside the mansion everything was lit in warm gold. Candles steadied along the hall, jasmine from the winter garden drifted through the vents, and the old piano in the library hummed with a single note that refused to die. Selena stood in the doorway, palms damp, heart in her throat.Rosa met her there, eyes kind, voice steady. âTheyâre waiting.âSelena nodded, though her legs wanted to turn her around and run. She had faced operating rooms and alleyway triage with less fear than this. A door at the far end stood open, and beyond itâthe ballroom she knew, but not as a weapon and not as a stage. Tonight it felt like a book that had always been hers, left open to the last page.They were standing together beneath the chandelier. The Donâin charcoal, tie undone, the slightest bruise of exhaustion softening his eyes. Rafeâblack shirt, sleeves rolled, a restless energy held in check. Between them, on a small low table: a thin woo
Chapter 123The morning after their garden dinner, the mansion felt different. No one hurried down the halls, no radios crackled with tense updates, and the usual edge of steel had dulled into something almost ordinary. Selena woke to birdsong, not alarms, and for the first time she couldnât smell gun oil in the air.She dressed slowly, choosing a soft cream dress Rosa had left out, and when she came downstairs, she froze.The Don and Rafe were in the kitchen. Not the grand, polished dining roomâthe kitchen. Rafe stood at the stove in an apron that read Kiss the Cook, flipping pancakes with far too much flair. The Don leaned against the counter, sleeves rolled, chopping fruit with quiet precision.Selena blinked. âAm I⊠dreaming?âRafe spun, spatula in hand. âGood morning, sunshine. Youâre just in time to witness history. The last time I cooked, the fire department sent me a Christmas card.âThe Don arched a brow. âYou set one pan on fire.ââOne pan, five alarms,â Rafe corrected. He w
Chapter 123The storm that had rumbled around them for weeks finally began to settle. The city still buzzed with Ferraroâs name, but inside the mansion, there was something softer. Something that felt almost like peace.Selena woke to sunlight instead of shadows, to the sound of birds instead of gunfire in her head. She stretched slowly, the sheets warm around her, her body heavy but content. When she turned, she found the Don still beside her. For once, he wasnât already in a suit, already halfway across the city planning another war.He was watching her. Quiet, steady, the way he always did when he wanted her to believe she wasnât alone.âYouâre staring,â she whispered, her voice husky with sleep.He reached over, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek. âIâm memorizing.âHer chest tightened. âWhy?ââSo I never forget what Iâm fighting for.âTears threatened to burn her eyes, but before she could answer, the door creaked open and Rafe poked his head in. He grinned, of course, like
âNow we wait,â he said, stepping back an inch but not letting go. âWe let the orders reach the places theyâre meant to reach. We let Ferraro feel his shoes fill with sand. We keep you near.ââNear where?ââMe,â he said simply.She swallowed. The word should have felt like a cage. It felt like a lock on a door she chose to close.A knock at the frame. Rosa stood there, unreadable as always, a small earpiece in her hand. âFor her,â she said.The Don took it and fitted it behind Selenaâs ear with a care that turned the tiny piece of tech into a jewel. âSo I can hear you,â he said.âAnd I can hear you,â she replied, the device warm already.Rosaâs gaze softened. âThe clinics have begun their audits. The paint has been ordered.ââThe dog?â Rafe called from somewhere down the hall.Fed,â Rosa said. âAnd bribed. With bacon, as instructed.âRafeâs laugh traveled in. âMy genius.âSelena slid off the table and straightened her jacket. The chain against her throat felt less like a brand and more
Chapter 120Rafeâs newspaper still lay open on the bed, the headline shouting in ugly black letters. Selena stared at the photo of the three bodies until the ink seemed to crawl. She could not unsee it. Daylight. Pavement. Blood carried like gossip by the rain that had fallen just after dawn.The Don didnât spare the paper a second look. He shut the door behind him and the room shifted, as it always did, obeying the gravity of his presence. He crossed to her in three quiet steps, set two fingers on the edge of the sheet where she held it white-knuckled, and removed the newspaper with a calm that made her want to scream.âYou should eat,â he said.âIâm not hungry.ââEat anyway.âRafe crunched into his apple. âSheâs got a point, boss. Nerves taste lousy.ââThen we change the taste,â the Don said, already turning toward the hall. âWar room. Now.âRafe winked at Selena and pushed off the armchair. âCome on, sweetheart. Front row seats to the end of the Ferraro problem.ââI donât want fron
Chapter 119The war room was alive with movement. Maps spread across the long oak table, red markers stabbing into Ferraroâs territories, black lines cutting paths across the city like veins. Men spoke in clipped tones, radios crackled, the weight of something big brewing in the air.Selena stood at the edge of it all, her arms crossed, trying not to flinch when names of streets and bodies were tossed around like pieces on a chessboard. To them, this was strategy. To her, it sounded like lives.The Don stood at the head of the table, calm as stone. He didnât raise his voice, didnât slam his hand down, yet every man there bent to his words. He was control wrapped in flesh, command in a tailored suit.Rafe leaned against the wall, hands shoved in his pockets, his grin a little sharper than usual. He caught Selena watching and winked, but the humor in his eyes was hollow. Even he knew how dangerous the next few days would be.One of the captains pointed at the map. âFerraro is pushing so