She Begged for a Husband by Morning, Never Knowing the Mafia Boss in the Shadows Had Already Chosen Her

They left the gala immediately, the tension in the armored SUV thick enough to cut with a knife. Dante sat rigidly beside Clara, his jaw locked, staring out the window into the dark Chicago night. He had shown her the beast. He was waiting for her to run.

“Dante,” Clara said softly, reaching out to touch his knee.

“Don't,” he gritted out, pulling away. “You saw what I am tonight, Clara. I am not a civilized man. Victor crossed a line, and I broke him. That is the world I brought you into.”

“You protected me,” Clara said fiercely, refusing to back down. She grabbed his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. “You think I care that you hurt a man who threatened me? You’re my monster, Dante. And I am not afraid of you.”

Dante turned to her, shock registering in his pitch-black eyes. Before he could speak, a massive jolt rocked the SUV.

Tires screeched. Metal crumpled. Clara was thrown violently against her seatbelt as a heavy pickup truck rammed directly into the side of their armored vehicle.

“Ambush!” Enzo yelled from the driver’s seat, pulling his weapon.

“Get down!” Dante roared, throwing his massive body over Clara, shielding her entirely with his own mass.

The shatterproof glass cracked under the hail of automatic gunfire from outside. Victor’s men had retaliated.

Dante drew his weapon from his shoulder holster. “Enzo, drive through them! Do not stop!”

The SUV’s engine roared, pushing the wrecked pickup out of the way. Bullets ricocheted off the reinforced steel doors. Dante kept one arm wrapped tightly around Clara’s head, pressing her into the floorboards, his body a human shield.

Suddenly, Dante grunted, a sharp hiss of pain escaping his teeth as a high-caliber round finally pierced the weakened glass and grazed his side.

“Dante!” Clara screamed.