chapter 10: The Price Of Blood

Dante's expression turned murderous.

“Tell me what you want.”

“Your empire. Your territory. And something else.”

A pause.

Then Rafael delivered the words that made the entire room go silent.

“Bring Mara to the old harbour before midnight. Come alone, or your daughters die. And Dante? If either of you brings an army, I'll make sure the children are the first to pay.”

The call ended.

I stared at the phone.

Dante slowly turned towards me, his eyes burning with fury and fear.

“No,” he said firmly. “You're not going.”

I reached for the gun at my waist and checked the magazine.

“Then you'd better come up with another plan.”

Because Rafael had made one mistake.

He had taken the children of a Mafia Boss.

And he had threatened a woman who had spent years learning how to bring armed men to their knees.

DANTE'S POV

“Absolutely not.”

I slammed my palm against the desk.

Mara stood on the other side, her pistol resting against her hip, looking as if she were discussing the weather rather than walking into a possible execution.

“You heard Rafael,” I continued. “He wants you. That means you're not going anywhere near that harbour.”

“And if you go alone, he'll kill you the moment you arrive.”

“I can handle Rafael.”

“Clearly. That's why he has your daughters.”

The words struck like a slap.

My men suddenly found the walls fascinating.

I glared at her.

“Be careful, Mara.”

“Or what? You'll lock me in a room until your daughters are dead?”

She stepped closer.

“Listen to me, Dante. Rafael knows your habits. He knows your men, your territory, and your weaknesses. He's spent years fighting you. If he wants me at that harbour, it's because he believes I'll be the easiest way to control you.”

“And you intend to prove him wrong by walking into his trap?”

“I intend to bring your daughters home.”

For a moment, I couldn't speak.

I had known powerful women. Ruthless women. Women who smiled while ordering executions.

But Mara was different.

She wasn't trying to impress me. She wasn't seeking my approval or trying to earn a place beside me.

She simply refused to abandon the children.

And that frightened me more than I wanted to admit.

I turned towards my security chief.

“Find every camera covering the old harbour. I want the entrances, exits, surrounding buildings, and every vehicle that has passed through there in the last six hours.”

“Yes, Boss.”

“Quietly. Rafael must believe we're preparing to obey him.”

Mara nodded.

“Good. We'll give him exactly what he expects.”

I looked at her sharply.

“We?”

She smiled without humour.

“You should get used to that word, husband.”

MARA'S POV

By noon, I had changed into black tactical trousers, a fitted long-sleeved shirt, and combat boots.

My hair was braided tightly against my head. Two pistols rested at my waist, with a combat knife strapped to my thigh.

I checked my equipment in front of the mirror.

The woman staring back at me wasn't the unwanted bride who had stood alone at the altar, marrying a man whose face she knew only from photographs.

She wasn't the woman who had arrived at Blackwood Estate and been treated like an inconvenience.

She was a soldier.

And someone had taken her children.

A knock sounded at the door.

Dante entered, carrying a small black case.

“What's that?” I asked.

“Your communication equipment. Encrypted transmitter, miniature microphone, and a tracking device.”

I raised an eyebrow.

“I thought you said I wasn't going.”

“I changed my mind.”

“That's a miracle.”

“Don't celebrate yet.” His gaze swept over my equipment. “You'll follow my instructions.”

I laughed.

“You married the wrong woman if you expected obedience.”

His jaw flexed, but I caught the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes.

Then he became serious.

“Mara, I need you to understand something. Rafael doesn't play fair. If he sees an opportunity to hurt you, he will take it.”

“I know.”

“No, you don't.” He stepped closer. “I've watched him torture men who begged for death. I've seen him burn entire operations just to send a message. He won't hesitate because you're a woman.”

“Good. I don't want him to hesitate.”

His eyes held mine.

“Why are you willing to risk your life for them?”

The question caught me off guard.

I looked away briefly.

“Because Sofia and Lia didn't ask for any of this. They didn't choose their father, his enemies, or the life they were born into.”

I swallowed.

“And because when everyone in this house treated me like a stranger, those girls gave me a reason to stay.”

Dante said nothing.

When I looked back at him, something in his expression had changed.

He reached for my hand.

His palm was warm, his grip unexpectedly gentle.

“Bring them home,” he whispered.

I squeezed his hand once.

“I will.”

Then I walked past him before he could see how much his words had affected me.

DANTE'S POV

At seven that evening, we received the first photograph.

Sofia and Lia sat on a dirty concrete floor, their hands tied in front of them. Sofia had one arm wrapped around her younger sister. There was a bruise on Lia's cheek.

My vision narrowed.

I crushed the phone in my hand before I realised what I was doing.

“Boss!”

One of my men hurried forward.

I barely heard him.

The photograph had been followed by a message.

Eight hours, Dante. Bring the woman.

I stared at my daughters' faces.

For years, I had built an empire on the belief that fear was a weakness and love was a liability.

Rafael had found the one thing that could bring me to my knees.

And he knew it.

“Get the cars ready,” I ordered.

My security chief hesitated. “The harbour?”

“Yes.”

“What about the men you ordered to remain behind?”

“They remain behind.”

He looked startled.

“You're actually going alone?”

I turned towards him.

“Did I stutter?”

He lowered his head.

I knew the order was madness. Every instinct I possessed screamed that Rafael had prepared an execution, not an exchange.

But my daughters were waiting.

And I would burn the entire city before I allowed anything to happen to them.

VIVIENNE'S POV

I watched Dante's convoy preparations from the upstairs balcony.

The house was in chaos. Guards rushed between vehicles, weapons were checked, and nobody seemed to notice me standing in the shadows.

My phone vibrated.

Rafael.

Is Dante going?

I typed quickly.

Yes. He's taking Mara.

The response came almost immediately.

Good. Make sure they don't change their plans.

I stared at the message.

My stomach tightened.

I had helped Rafael because he promised me power. He had assured me that once Dante was defeated, I would have access to the money and influence I deserved.

But kidnapping the girls?

That was different.

I could despise Mara. I could resent Dante for trusting his new wife more than his own sister.

Yet Sofia and Lia were still children.

I shook my head.

No.

I couldn't start feeling guilty now.

I had already crossed too many lines.

Another message appeared.

If Dante survives tonight, neither of us will.

My blood ran cold.

I read it twice.

Then I looked towards the courtyard, where Dante stood beside Mara, speaking quietly to her before their departure.

For the first time, I wondered whether Rafael had ever intended to reward me.

Or whether I had simply been another disposable piece in his game.

MARA'S POV

The old harbour smelled of salt, rust, and rotting wood.

Fog rolled across the water, swallowing the abandoned warehouses and turning the distant lights into blurred yellow stains.

Our vehicle stopped two streets away.

Dante killed the engine.

“From here, we follow the plan,” he said.

I checked the small transmitter beneath my collar.

“Your men are listening?”

“Every word.”

“And the tracking device?”

“Active.”

I looked at him.

“Then let's bring our girls home.”

He caught my wrist before I could open the door.

“Mara.”

I turned.

For once, the Mafia Boss seemed to have no words ready.

His gaze moved over my face, lingering as though he were trying to memorise it.

“If anything goes wrong—”

“Don't.”

“You need to hear me.”

“No, Dante. You need to hear me.” I covered his hand with mine. “I'm not planning to die tonight, and neither are you. We're getting the girls back. All four of us are leaving that harbour.”

His thumb brushed across my knuckles.

Then he released me.

We approached the warehouse separately, just as Rafael had demanded.

A single floodlight illuminated the entrance.

Two armed men stood outside.

They recognised Dante immediately.

“Boss Voss is waiting,” one said, moving aside.

I kept my face expressionless as we entered.

Inside, the warehouse was enormous. Rusted chains hung from the ceiling, and shipping containers formed narrow corridors across the concrete floor.

Then I heard Lia crying.

“Mummy!”

My heart lurched.

I saw them near the far wall.

Sofia and Lia were tied to separate chairs. A masked man stood behind each child, holding a gun close to their heads.

Sofia's eyes widened when she saw me.

“Mara!”

“It's okay, sweetheart,” I called, forcing my voice to remain calm. “I'm here.”

A slow clap echoed through the warehouse.

Rafael Voss emerged from behind a container, dressed in a dark suit, a pistol resting loosely in his hand.

“Beautiful,” he said. “The happy family has arrived.”

Dante stepped forward.

“Release my daughters.”

Rafael smiled.

“Always so impatient.”

“Let them go, Rafael. This is between us.”

“Is it?” Rafael glanced at me. “Your wife seems to have made herself very important.”

“Leave her out of this.”

“Oh, Dante. That's precisely why she's here.”

Rafael approached a table and placed a document on it.

“Sign away your control of the eastern territories. Transfer your interests in the port operations to my people. Then Mara walks out with the girls.”

Dante didn't even glance at the paper.

“And if I refuse?”

Rafael raised two fingers.

The men behind the girls lifted their weapons.

Lia began to sob harder.

I felt something inside me turn cold.

I had spent years watching men use innocent people as shields. I knew the look in a captor's eyes before he pulled a trigger.

These men weren't bluffing.

Dante's jaw tightened.

“Give me the document.”

Rafael's smile widened.

“Now we're making progress.”

Dante stepped towards the table.

I studied the room, counting guards, measuring distances, searching for anything I could use. Six men visible. Two near the entrance. One on the upper walkway.

And one more shadow moving behind the containers.

Too many guns.

Too little time.

Then Rafael looked directly at me.

“You know, Mara, I was curious about you. The woman who walked into Dante Blackwood's house and somehow made his children love her.”

He circled me slowly.

“But I think I've figured you out.”

I said nothing.

“You're a soldier. You believe everyone can be saved if you're brave enough.”

He leaned closer.

“Tonight, you'll learn otherwise.”

My fingers curled around the small knife hidden against my wrist.

Rafael turned back towards Dante.

“Sign.”

Dante picked up the pen.

My stomach dropped.

“Dante, don't.”

He looked at me once.

There was fury in his eyes, but beneath it lay something I had never seen there before.

Fear.

Not for himself.

For us.

He lowered the pen to the document.

And signed.

Rafael took the paper, examined the signature, and laughed.

“Excellent.”

He folded it and slipped it into his jacket.

“Now, as promised, I'll release the girls.”

He snapped his fingers.

The men behind Sofia and Lia pulled them roughly to their feet.

I moved forward.

Then Rafael raised his pistol and pointed it directly at Dante's chest.

“Unfortunately, I never promised to release you.”

A gunshot exploded through the warehouse.

Dante staggered.

“DANTE!”

Blood spread across his shirt as he crashed to the floor.

Sofia screamed.

Lia began struggling against her captor.

And Rafael turned his gun towards me.

“Now, General,” he said coldly, “let's see how many people you can save at once.”