Mag-log in"Tell me what happened today," the voice on the other end said.Dante's mind raced. Had they already heard about the extraction attempt? How fast was their intelligence network?"The extraction operation in New York was executed this morning," Dante said carefully. "It was designed to test Dimitri's security infrastructure. To probe for vulnerabilities.""It was reckless," the voice said flatly. "It was exactly the kind of move that draws attention we don't need right now."Dante felt something defensive rise in his chest."It was strategic," Dante countered. "We established that we can reach his woman. We proved that his defenses are vulnerable. We demonstrated that I'm a threat he needs to take seriously now that I have your backing.""You demonstrated that you're impulsive," the voice said coldly. "You demonstrated that you're willing to escalate on your own timeline instead of following operational parameters. You demonstrated that you don't fully understand the level at which we
*DIMITRI'S OFFICE AT SINNERS*Dimitri was going through the club records when his phone rang.He picked up the phone and saw that it was a call from Marco. Dimitri knows that Marco doesn't call unless the situation was serious, so he piked the call immediately. "Marco" Dimitri said."We had an extraction attempt," Marco said without preamble. "It was well coordinated and professional with multiple vehicles, it was perfectly timed accident to create separation opportunity. We neutralized the threat and secured Eve. She's in safe house Delta. Physically unharmed but traumatized."Dimitri felt something go absolutely cold inside him."Details," he said flatly."Upper West Side. Intersection near the restaurant. Delivery truck ran a red light, created traffic obstruction. Black sedan attempted to separate her vehicle. Our team responded immediately. We maintained protective envelope and extracted her to the safe house. No shots fired. No pursuit past the initial attempt.""Who?" Dimitri
"Exactly," Enzo confirmed. "And that means when Dante moves against you, when he takes Brooklyn, when he escalates against your operations, he's not just a criminal using The Covenant's resources. He's essentially an agent of a government-backed organization. He has federal resources behind him. He has international government support."Dimitri was quiet for a very long moment."Is Dr. Castellano still in his ministry position?" Dimitri asked."Yes," Enzo said. "Full authority, full access, full protection. Anyone who asks questions about him gets transferred away from Rome.""So he's untouchable," Dimitri said."As untouchable as someone can be when they're a government official," Enzo said. "But that also means he's visible. We know who he is. We know what he's doing. We know the facility exists.""Can you get more intelligence on the facility?" Dimitri asked. "Equipment, personnel, research projects beyond the enhancement protocol?""I can try," Enzo said. "But I need to be careful
The sub-basement was a research facility.Advanced equipment. Centrifuges. Genetic sequencers. Pharmaceutical synthesis machinery. The kind of setup that suggested serious biomedical research being conducted on a level far above what civilian companies normally did.There were files. Personnel records. Research logs. Enzo photographed everything with a secure encrypted camera, knowing that the images would be impossible to trace back to him.But what caught his attention most were the names in the personnel files.Some of them were researchers and technicians, exactly what you'd expect in a facility like this. But others were government employees. People with titles like "Ministry Liaison" and "Government Research Coordinator." People whose real jobs weren't listed but who were clearly government representatives operating within a privately owned facility.Which meant the government wasn't just funding The Covenant.The government was directly participating in whatever research The Co
The line went dead.Dante set down the phone and moved to the window of his study, looking out at Rome spread below him.His legs carried him with perfect balance. His body was strong. His mind was clear. His motivation was absolute.Dimitri had killed Salvatore. That debt remained unpaid, and paying it had become Dante's entire reason for existing. Every breath, every heartbeat, every action was directed toward that single goal: making Dimitri understand what it meant to come against Dante Romano.And now he had The Covenant backing him. Federal resources. Government protection. Intelligence that rivaled any agency. The kind of support that made the difference between winning and losing.***LATER THAT EVENINGDante was in his office when Luca appeared in the doorway.Luca had been beside him from the beginning, had extracted him from dangerous situations, had stayed loyal when loyalty was the most dangerous choice available. Luca was the only person Dante truly trusted."The Covenan
POV: DANTEThe morning sun was harsh on Dante's face as he stood on the terrace of his estate in Rome, looking out at the city spread below him like a kingdom he was about to reclaim.His legs were perfect now. No pain, he has complete mobility now . The experimental treatment The Covenant had provided had worked beyond anything he'd dared to hope for. The healing was complete. The recovery was absolute. And for the first time since the warehouse in New Jersey, Dante felt like himself again.He felt dangerous.He felt unstoppable.The memory of Salvatore came to him like it always did in moments of clarity. His brother, dead in a Rome alley because Dimitri Valentino had decided he wasn't worth preserving. Four months, and the wound hadn't closed. Four months, and Dante could still see his brother's face in those final moments, could still feel the rage of losing him, could still taste the hunger for revenge.Salvatore.And then there was Isabella.The obsession that had started as pol







