NEXT MOVE, HER TARGET

Chapter 4

Tia took a breath and recounted the conversation word for word. She'd been trained to retain information, to catch details in board meetings and negotiations. The skill served her now as she laid out Julian's plan, Marcus's involvement, the timeline.

When she finished, the room was silent.

"The wedding is in two weeks," Father Benedetto said quietly. "That's when they'll finalize everything."

"They think I'm dead or hiding," Tia said. "What happens when they realize I'm here?"

"War." Marco said it simply, like he was discussing the weather. "Kozlov won't tolerate interference. Julian will panic. They'll come for you and for us."

"Then we move first." Dante's eyes never left Tia's face. "We need proof of the deal. Documents, recordings, something that will stand up in court and in the streets. Kozlov respects strength, but he also respects exposure. If we can threaten to reveal his operation, he'll back off."

"And Julian?"

"Julian Blackwell will answer for what he's done." The promise in Dante's voice was dark and absolute. "But it has to be strategic. We can't just kill him."

"Why not?" Tia surprised herself with the question.

Dante smiled, sharp and approving. "Because you want your life back. If Julian dies mysteriously right after you disappear, you become suspect number one. The police, the media, everyone will assume you killed him or had him killed. Your reputation, your company, everything you're fighting for is gone."

He was right. Of course he was right.

"So what do we do?"

"We dismantle him piece by piece." Enzo pushed his glasses up. "His business partnerships, his reputation, his deal with Kozlov. We turn him into a liability no one wants to touch. Then, when he's isolated and desperate, we give the authorities everything they need to bury him."

"That takes time," Tia said.

"Two weeks. We have until the wedding." Dante stood and walked around the table toward her. "I need you to tell me everyone in your company who might be compromised. Every person Julian has access to, every weakness in your father's organization."

"You want me to betray my own people."

"I want you to identify the ones who've already betrayed you." He stopped in front of her chair, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. "Your father built an empire. Someone inside is helping Julian tear it down. If you want to save what's left, you need to find out who."

Tia stood, refusing to let him tower over her. "And what do you get out of this? You said Kozlov's been branching into pharmaceuticals. This is about territory for you."

"Yes."

At least he was honest.

"If Julian sells to Kozlov, the Russian gains a foothold in legitimate business. That makes him harder to control, harder to contain." Dante's jaw tightened. "He's been pushing into my operations for a year. This deal would give him the resources to push harder. I can't allow that."

"So we're using each other."

"We're helping each other." His gaze softened slightly. "I meant what I said last night. I'll keep you alive, and I'll help you take back what's yours. But in return, you help me stop Kozlov."

Tia considered him. Everything about Dante Vitale should terrify her. the violence he was capable of, the world he controlled, the cold calculation in his eyes. But he'd been honest. He'd kept his word so far. And more importantly, he was offering her what she needed most.

A chance to fight back.

"I'll help you," she said. "But I have conditions."

Marco snorted. Enzo raised an eyebrow. Father Benedetto smiled.

Dante just nodded. "Name them."

"I'm not a prisoner. I stay here for safety, but I'm not locked in that room."

"Agreed."

"I want access to a computer. I need to research my own company, track down information."

"Supervised access. Enzo will monitor to make sure you're not contacting anyone who could compromise our position."

Tia bristled but nodded. It was fair.

"And when this is over, when Julian is finished and Kozlov is dealt with, I walk away. You don't own me. You don't have leverage over me. We're done."

The silence stretched. Marco and Enzo exchanged glances. Father Benedetto watched Dante with the expression of someone who'd seen this play out before.

"When this is over," Dante said slowly, "you're free to go."

"Do I have your word?"

"You have my word." He extended his hand. "Do I have yours?"

Tia looked at his hand, at the man who'd saved her life and now offered her revenge. She thought about Julian, about Marcus, about every person who'd helped orchestrate her destruction.

She took his hand. His grip was firm and warm.

"You have my word."

"Then let's get to work." Dante released her hand and turned back to the table. "Marco, I want surveillance on Julian doubled. Enzo, trace every financial connection between Blackwell and Kozlov. Father, reach out to our contacts in the pharmaceutical industry. Someone knows something."

"And me?" Tia asked.

Dante looked back at her. "You're going to tell us everything about Harrington Pharmaceuticals. Every security protocol, every access point, every person Julian might have turned. We need a map of the battlefield."

"That could take hours."

"Then we'd better get started."

Lucia appeared in the doorway with fresh coffee and a knowing smile. "I'll order lunch. This looks like an all-day situation."

As the room shifted into action, papers spreading across the table, voices overlapping with strategies and contingencies, Tia felt something she hadn't felt since she'd run from her engagement party.

Purpose.

She pulled up a chair next to Enzo and began drawing an organizational chart of her father's company. Names, positions, relationships. Every person Julian had met, every meeting he'd attended.

Dante worked across from her, his focus absolute. Occasionally their eyes met, brief moments of acknowledgment that they were in this together now.

For better or worse, she'd made her choice.

Two weeks to destroy Julian Blackwell and stop a Russian arms dealer from stealing her family's legacy.

Two weeks trapped in a mafia king's fortress, working alongside killers and criminals.

Two weeks to decide if the man who'd saved her life was someone she could trust, or just another predator in a better suit.

Tia picked up a pen and started writing.

The war had begun.