A little While

Dante left the hospital before dawn.

He moved slowly—his body still healing, his wounds still tender—but his jaw was set, his eyes determined. He'd been waiting for this. The chance to end it once and for all.

Cassandra stood at the window of his hospital room, watching as he climbed into the car. Marco was gone—arrested, awaiting trial—so Evan drove. Adrian and Daniel followed in a second vehicle.

She pressed her hand to her stomach. The baby kicked—strong, steady.

"Come back," she whispered. "Please come back."

---

The safe house was a large estate in the countryside.

It was surrounded by trees—tall, dense, perfect for cover. The walls were high. The gates were reinforced. Guards patrolled the perimeter, their footsteps crunching against the gravel.

Dante and his men moved through the shadows.

They'd been trained for this. They knew what they were doing. They took out the guards silently—one by one, their bodies falling without a sound.

Dante's heart pounded. His hands were steady. His mind was clear.

---

They found the documents in a hidden safe.

It was behind a bookshelf in the study—a small, steel door concealed by a row of old books. Dante pried it open, his fingers trembling.

Inside were files. Dozens of them. Financial records. Photographs. Witness statements. Everything Salvatore had done—every crime, every murder, every conspiracy—was documented here.

Dante gathered them all. He stuffed them into a bag. He turned to leave.

Then the lights went out.

---

It was a trap.

Salvatore's men emerged from the shadows—armed, trained, ruthless. They surrounded Dante and his men. The gunfight erupted.

Dante fought through the chaos. He fired his gun. He ducked behind furniture. He moved through the darkness, his heart pounding, his breath ragged.

Evan was beside him. Adrian and Daniel were close.

They fought their way to the exit. They burst through the doors. They ran to the cars.

---

They escaped with the documents.

They'd lost men—good men—but they'd won. They had the evidence. They had everything they needed.

Dante sat in the back of the car, his hands covered in blood—some of it his, some of it theirs. He clutched the bag of documents to his chest.

"It's over," he whispered.

---

Cassandra was waiting at the hospital.

She saw the look on his face when he walked through the door—exhausted, battered, but victorious.

"It's over," he said.

She ran to him. She threw her arms around him. She held him tight.

He held her back. His face buried in her hair.

---

That night, they sat together in the hospital room.

The evidence was safe. Salvatore would be arrested. The nightmare was finally over.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too."

They held each other. For the first time in months, they felt something they hadn't felt in a long time.

Peace.

---

Cassandra's phone rang.

She was sitting in the hospital room, her hand resting on Dante's as he slept. The machines beeped softly. The fluorescent lights hummed. The world outside was quiet.

She glanced at the screen. An unknown number.

She almost ignored it. She'd been getting calls from journalists and strangers for weeks—people who wanted to congratulate her, question her, or simply hear her voice. She was tired of it.

But something made her answer.

"Hello?"

A woman's voice. Cold. Familiar. Impossible.

"Hello, Cassandra. Did you miss me?"

Cassandra's blood ran cold.

She knew that voice. She'd heard it in the mansion. In the garden. In her nightmares.

Isabella.

---

Cassandra didn't speak.

She couldn't. Her throat closed up. Her heart stopped. Her hand tightened around the phone until her knuckles turned white.

"You sound surprised," Isabella purred. "Did you really think I'd let you win?"

"What do you want?"

"Straight to the point. I like that." Isabella laughed—a cold, brittle sound. "I have something you want. Someone you love."

Cassandra's blood ran cold. "Who?"

"Your friend. Samantha. She's alive. For now."

---

Cassandra's heart stopped.

Samantha. Her best friend. The one person who'd been by her side through everything—the danger, the secrets, the pain. The one who'd promised to stand with her until the end.

If anything happened to her—

"Let her go," Cassandra said. Her voice was steady, but her hands were shaking. "This is between you and me. Not her."

"It's between you and me," Isabella agreed. "But I need leverage. And your friend is perfect."

---

Isabella made her demand.

The evidence. The documents Dante recovered from the safe house. She wanted them delivered to a location she specified. Alone. No police. No bodyguards.

"You have twenty-four hours," Isabella said. "If you don't show up—or if you bring anyone with you—Samantha dies."

The line went dead.

---

Cassandra told Dante everything.

He was furious—not at her, but at Isabella. His jaw tightened. His hands curled into fists. His eyes blazed with rage.

"She's not going to touch Samantha," he said. "I won't let her."

"She has her, Dante. She has my best friend."

"Then we'll get her back." He reached for her hand. "We'll find another way. We always do."

Cassandra wasn't so sure.

---

Dante devised a plan.

They would use the evidence as bait. They would set a trap. They would rescue Samantha and end this once and for all.

Cassandra insisted on being part of the plan. Dante refused at first. She wouldn't back down.

"I'm not going to hide," she said. "I'm not going to let her control me. I'm going to fight."

"You're pregnant."

"I know." She met his eyes. "But I'm not fragile. I'm not going to break. And I'm not going to let her win."

He stared at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.

"Fine. But you stay behind me. You do exactly what I say. And if anything happens—"

"I know." She took his hand. "I know."

---

They prepared for the rescue mission.

Dante gathered his men—Evan, Adrian, Daniel. They checked weapons. They reviewed the plan. They knew it was a trap. They knew Isabella was waiting for them. But they also knew they had no choice.

Cassandra prepared herself. She was scared. She was terrified. But she was also determined.

---

That night, Cassandra received a text from Isabella.

Time's running out. You have 24 hours.