LOGINMy thumb swiped across the screen, accepting the call before it could ring a second time."What kind of game are you playing, you reckless little brat?" I barked into the speaker, the frustration that had been building in my chest finally boiling over. "Do you have any idea how much chaos you've caused by sneaking back into the country?"On the other end of the line, Lorenzo didn't sound even remotely intimidated. Instead, a bright, carefree laugh echoed through the earpiece. "Good to hear your voice too, big bro! You always were a worrier.” I could sense that annoyingly cheerful edge in his voice.“Do you think this is a joke?” I spat.“Look, stop shouting for a second…I'm sending you my exact location right now. Come meet me, and we'll catch up."Before I could fire off another warning, the line clicked dead. A second later, a digital pin dropped straight into my messaging app.I let out a harsh, bitter snort, shaking my head as I tossed the phone onto the console. "Kids these days.
~ Dante's POV ~My black car ate up the miles of dark asphalt, its headlights cutting paths through the fog-choked night. I sat in the passenger seat, with my arms crossed over my chest, staring out into the pitch-black wilderness, though I wasn't really seeing anything. I felt…uneasy. This prickly feeling started as soon as I pulled out of the mansion gates. It was that old instinct, the mental alarm bells that had kept me alive through decades of blood, turf wars, and betrayal.“Something was wrong.” I muttered as I tightened my fist. I let out a slow breath, my shoulders dropping as I pinched the bridge of my nose. From behind the steering wheel, Marco gave a sidelong glance at me before focusing back on the road. He shifted gears, the clicking sound unnaturally loud in the quiet cabin. "You've been sighing for the past twenty miles, boss. If this is about Lorenzo, relax.” He offered. “The kid is probably just blowing off steam and doesn't want to come home yet. He’s not worth a
Finally feeling the warmth of Steph's embrace, replaced the exhausting reality I had been feeling. She pulled back slightly, her hands still resting on my forearms, and launched into a breathless, excited recap of everything I had missed out on in her life."You won't believe it, Uncle William," she chattered, her eyes bright with a joy that made my chest ache with guilt. "I got an A on my midterm history paper! And Mrs Gina said my presentation on local civic policy was the best in the class!”“Oh really?” I raised a brow.“Really!” She nodded. “I wanted to call you, but aunt Emily said you were super busy with your new job out of town, and that I had to focus on my studies,” she sulked. “But I practiced every single day just like you told me to!" Her eyes brightened again as she looked up at me. "An A, huh?" I managed a small, genuine smile, gently brushing a lock of brown hair away from her forehead. "Look at you. You're turning into the smartest girl in the city my dearest,” I pi
"Alright," I said quietly, rubbing the back of my neck. "As long as it's safe.""Driver, turn the vehicle around," Emily instructed crisply. "Take the outer ring road to my new address."The van reversed, navigated a tight side street, and began the long drive toward the opposite side of town. Twenty minutes later, the vehicle slowed to a smooth stop outside a sleek residential complex. The driver hopped out, grabbed my small overnight bag from the trunk, and handed it to me through the sliding door."I'll be back at seven sharp tomorrow morning to pick you up," the driver said, nodding before heading back to the driver's seat and pulling away into the night.I stood on the pavement, staring up at the building, and immediately frowned. Emily’s old apartment had been a cramped, peeling-paint box above a noisy Laundromat….the kind of place regular police salaries could barely afford after bills and groceries. But this? This was a high-end luxury complex with manicured lawns, floor-to-ce
The dark van tore through the darkened winding roads, the tires humming a low tune against the asphalt. Inside, the cabin was dim, illuminated only by the faint blinking light of the dashboard lights and the occasional streak of passing headlights.“...on our way…”Emily's voice was a distant hum in my ears as I sat huddled in the corner of the back seat, staring blankly out the window as the shadowy fences of the Giordano estate vanished completely into the distance.My fingers were buried deep in my jacket pocket, curled so tightly around the hard edge of the flash drive that the corners bit painfully into my palm.“It’s real,” I told myself, the words echoing numbly in the hollow pits of my chest. “It’s finally over.”Once our superiors decrypted that drive and plugged the contents into their base data and used everything as evidence, Dante’s empire of blood, silk, and everything he stands for would crumble. His safehouses would be raided, the accounts frozen, and the man who had
My jaw was locked so tight my teeth ached. Every step I took down the long, carpeted corridor felt like walking barefoot over broken glass. My earbuds were pressed deep into my ears, feeding me the low, nervous static of Emily’s breathing on the other end of the line.Because of Dante’s blatant, possessive claim over me, the guards and enforcers patrolling the mansion didn’t give me a second glance. They stepped aside, offering stiff nods as I walked by. They all saw me as Dante's new boy toy so no one asked me any questions. I forced my face into a neutral mask, swallowing the bile rising in my throat every time I looked at them. They were all complicit and every one of them were going to be punished by the law. "Liam, status," Emily’s voice hissed in my ear, cutting through my racing thoughts. "You're dragging your feet. Move quickly.""I'm moving," I muttered under my breath, my hands shoved deep into my pockets to hide their violent shaking.I was halfway down the hall, just a f
I reached for a remote on my desk and turned on the small monitor hidden in the bookshelf. The screen flickered to life, showing a live feed from the camera I had placed in Liam's room. I noticed he had snopped around to check for cameras in his room but Marco had hidden it somewhere He would never
“Fuck.” I cussed. Was I really going to hell with these criminals? "Keep your head down!” Dante said as he docked my head low. He held my cheeks as he looked into my eyes. “Stay calm!" His voice was a steady command as it cut through the noise.Stay calm? The thought was absurd. I was trapped in a
The digital clock on my bedside table read 2:14 am. The entire mansion was silent and I was dressed in all black, the dark clothes blending into the shadows of my room. My bag lay open on the floor, the small, sleek device inside its only content. It was a CCTV deactivation device. It was a piece o
My breath hitched in my throat as Dante’s hazel eyes pinned me to the spot. Wait? Did he just call me fragile? That sounded like both an insult and a challenge all at once. Before I could respond, a muscular man from behind him cleared his throat. "Boss, we have somewhere to be," he said, his voi







